The mating system of feral Sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the Manětín Forest (220 km2), Czech Republic, was studied from 1989 to 1993. The Sika were strictly nocturnal due to hunting pressure and continuous human harassment during daylight. We therefore monitored rutting activity by triangulating male Sika calls recorded from different sites, and also by counting Sika in open areas using a spot light. In all seasons, calling activity was unequally distributed over the area, usually concentrated in fields close to the forest. In 1989 the Sika established a lek. Later, the mating system changed to dispersed rutting stands. These rutting stands were occupied intermittently and were located in open pasture, mature forest, and in the boundaries between these two habitat types.
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