MOVEMENT OF MARKED SIKA (CERVUS-NIPPON) AND RED DEER (CERVUS-ELAPHUS) IN CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND, NEW-ZEALAND

Movement of sika deer (C. nippon), within the area from the 1905 liberation point in the northern Kaimanawa Forest to the Ruahine Range 90 km south, was studied during 1964-1974 using self-tagging collars. Sika (54) and 30 red deer (C. elaphus), mostly hunter-killed, were recovered. For sika deer, the average distance traveled from tagging to kill site was 2.2 km after an average of 16.9 mo.; for red deer, an average distance of 3 km in an average of 17 mo. The only significant difference found was between sexes of sika deer, the males traveling further than the females (P = 0.05). Recovery of collared deer from the marking areas showed that they returned annually to feeding grounds. Collar recoveries also indicated a southward dispersal. There was a greater susceptibility to marking for adult females than males; yearling males were more susceptible than yearling females. Only 1 marked deer, a sika stag, was recovered from the Ruahine Range.