Most of captured sika deer (Cervus nippon) in forests are currently buried at the site where they were captured, because it is difficult to take away from there. The impact of deer-carcass burial and abandonment on the surrounding environment, however, is unclear. In this study, we performed deer-carcass burial to examine its effects on soil-water quality. Three experimental plots were established, each with four treatment plots (placement of a deer carcass on the ground surface (0 m), burial of a deer carcass for each depth of 0.5 m and 1.5 m, and a control), and soil water was collected at 0.5 m and 1.5 m depths in each treatment plot. Soil water was also collected just below the ground where the deer carcass was placed in the 0m treatment plots. Soil-water quality was measured for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and nitrate–nitrogen concentrations. Although the values varied between the experimental plots, the electrical conductivity, total dissolved organic carbon, and total nitrogen concentrations were sometimes higher in the burial treatment plots than in the control plots, confirming that deer-carcass burial affects soil-water quality. Although this study only used a single deer carcass for each treatment plot, the maximum values of electrical conductivity and nitrate–nitrogen concentrations could be as high as or higher than those found at large burial sites in previous studies. Burying deer carcasses in areas with a high groundwater table, such as along a stream, should be avoided as it may contaminate the stream water.
