Population Density and Range Use of Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, on Mt. Ohdaigahara, Central Japan

We investigated the population density and range use of sika deer, Cervus nippon, on Mt. Ohdaigahara, central Japan, from July 1996 to July 1997. The deer population density estimated by the block count was high at 17.5–30.9 deer/km2. Although the deer remained this area from spring to fall, they moved out in winter, probably because of deep snow. A spotlight count showed that the deer prefer the eastern area as spring-summer range, where the forest consists of coniferous trees over a floor cover of Sasa nipponica, and S. nipponica grassland. The deer also use dense coniferous forest for cover, especially in summer and fall.