After 3 days of flights delayed, nights in various airports and lost luggages I’m finally home.
Was a very interesting trip in the eastern part of the cold island of Hokkaido.
Snow, ice, wind, terrible food and deer everywhere.
I’m really surprised of the number of deer I’ve seen. I’ve hunted only for 3 days because of bad wheather but I’ve seen many and many stags. Not easy to approach but at the end I was able to take a couple of nice trophies and one small the was a mistake.
Enough to have probably been the first European to get this rare trophy.

high snow


mountains




japanese sign

they are destroying the forest

big stags

Well done Mario. Wonderful trophies.
Did you hunt with a bow?

thanks Caracal.
yes is not allowed use firearms

Excellent trophies! Were you hunting with Hokkiado ?

quote:

Enough to have probably been the first European to get this rare trophy.

Very nice Sika stag trophies Mario but not sure what you mean by "first European to get this rare trophy". Do you mean taken by a European in Japan?

We have a lot of Sika deer here in New Zealand, trophies of which would have been hunted and shot by many visiting Europeans over the years.

Eagle,
I know that ther are many places in the world, even here in Europe, where the Sika was introduced and where is hunted extensively. But none of these populations is indigenous. Maybe one in Russia but I do not sure. So ther'is quite a differences between the two situations. Also the deer I hunted, Cervus nippon yesoensis, is indigenous from Hokkaido and not interbreeded with other subspecies, as something happens. At the moment only one trophy of yesoensis is recorded on the SCI book, and was taken in the 1960.
So I said that I'm "probably" the first european who have taken a specimen of this subspecie in his original range. Of couse I cannot be the first european who have taken a sika deer...

Yes I hunted with Hokkaido.

Congratulations Mario - amazing stags!

Thank you for sharing this special hunt with us

Orvar

Outstanding Mario!

Mario way to go.

Mike

Congratulations Mario. What a unique trip. Great stags. You have some tremendous adventures.

thanks. I like to take something special

Very Nice, Not sure I've seen any as large racked as yours.

Congratulations! I'm happy to hear that the hunts are no longer bow/arrow only. I'll be going for sure!

sorry for you but are only bow and arrow

Very cool pics and story here; certainly not "stereotypical" Japanese landscape!

Grande Mario! Congratulations

thanks youmy friend. I want see your report...

Congradulations
Thank you for posting this report. I have been very interested in this hunt and your report helps a lot.
Now I only need to save the $.
When did you go on the hunt. Was it winter , late fall or was this recently.

Thanks

was early march. Seen a lot of deer.

Hey Mario

Congratulations on the deer!!

A couple questions if I may -

What archery equipment did you use for the hunt?
Did you have to make a long shot on the deer?
Was it difficult stalking in the snow?

Well done Mario!

thanks again guys.
About the equipment you must ask to Hokkaido as everything below from him.
Yes stalking with the late winter snow was very difficult as sometimes was frozen at the top and made lot of noise.

Great report Mario. I book for Hokkaido (Eric) and I am very pleased to hear of your success. I sent a few Canadians last year and this year I'm sending over a few Americans and Germans. Thanks for the report.