A long time customer called me yesterday and said he has a chance to got hunt a sika elk cross and wondered had I ever done one. Well, I answered no, never even heard of it. I pointed out that a sika rack looks similar to an elk and maybe thats what the deal is.
Is there really such an animal?
Return to Lifesize Mammal Taxidermy Category Menu
Hey Larry, There sure is such an animal! They are called silks, no kidding. They are being bred as meat producers. I knew a guy in Ohio that raised them, cant rember his name though. He had a shop where he processed exotic meats. Bob C
Thanks Bob,
Is there a form for such an animal?
Would you charge like an elk?
These sika/elk crosses are usually from the larger sika subspecies(Formosan, Dybowski, Manchurian) but they can run anything in size from nearly as large as an elk to as small as the original sika. Make sure your client knows how to take the proper measurements and gets them for you. Lots of pictures of the freshly killed animal will help also, for facial reference. Most likely this will have to be a custom project, CHARGE accordingly.
Old fart is correct when he mentions the variance among these cross breeds. The sika is a member of the same genus as the elk and they can cross. The end result is not consitant in size or distinctions. The shorter faced sika characteristics may make the measurements useless in your shop.
I would suggest that you have the client cape the animal and leave the head "in sack" until it arrives in your shop. The neck measurements should be taken from the skull terminus to the shoulder and the circumference should be measured at several points along the axis. If you have the knowledge and ability, mold and cast the head and attach the casting to a form with the closest neck measurements.
Even if you don't feel adequate to the mold making, the head will be an invaluable reference to the work at hand.
They are also known as "Sika Grande". They are a cross between a male sika and a female elk as the female sika has trouble carrying the large offspring. Be sure to charge as much as an elk mount and probably more for the alterations that will be needed!
Barry
How do you stump break that elk? Or does the sika stag carry a kitchen step-stool around during the rut? Don't tell me, artificial insemination? Aha. No phun in that.
Still playing with that paint schedule, buddy. Fish are jumping here in Galvez city. Surf's full of anglers.......c'mon down....
Man, Bill when the rut's on those guys can reach the heavens.
I haven't mounted any(no pun intended,LOL) but my buddy gets quite a few. That's the scoop we've heard on them.
I've heard about the fishing but trying to get things caught up to work on my competition piece.
I'm looking forward to the paint schedule...got a Lone Star blank ready to go.
Need to come down and visit with you
Barry
The original concept of the silk was started 10-15 years ago to gain access to the venison market with a young animal that would grow fast and be marketable at a very early age. The sika does were crossed with the smallest yearling elk bull available, usually a white one. The size of the original offspring was inconsistant so the concept of using breeder bucks that were 5/8 sika was theorized. The last I heard this was the silk concept. The fawns were ready for market at 5-8 months of age, instead of the usual 15 months. This was the plan of the breeder that I knew in northern MO, he later sold his herd to a venison farm in south western Minnesota and that is the last I heard of the project.