[1] Sitka deer inhabit the coastal rainforests of northern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska.

Their natural distribution included the Alexander Archipelago in Alaska and the adjacent mainland coast north to Yakutat.

Since these bacteria are so specialized, they have tremendous difficulty digesting strange material and can die of starvation with their bellies full of food.

Sitka deer feed on several plants and algae natural to their environment, including "Red Alder" Alnus rubra, "fireweed" Chamaenerion angustifolium, "dandelion" Taraxacum officinale, "skunk cabbage" Lysichiton americanus, "deer heart" Maianthemum dilatatum, "Salmonberry" Rubus spectabilis and "bull kelp" Nereocystis luetkeana.

Sitka deer population fluctuate considerably due to the harsh Alaskan winters and are typically estimated using pellet surveys, DNA, photo traps and other methods.

However, they are an abundant species that rapidly recovers from low populations, especially on Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof, Kodiak, and other islands where wolves are naturally absent.