Antecedent Weather Cascade and Species-Specific Site Use of Sika Deer and Raccoon Dogs in Northern Japan

<p dir="ltr">This dataset contains trail-camera observations and ERA5-Land-derived environmental data used to investigate delayed associations between antecedent winter weather conditions and subsequent site use by sika deer (<i>Cervus nippon</i>) and raccoon dogs (<i>Nyctereutes viverrinus</i>) at a fixed camera site in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan.</p><p dir="ltr">The dataset covers observations from 25 December 2024 to 20 May 2025 and includes the original wildlife observation transcription, daily environmental variables, lagged weather analyses, season-detrended weather anomalies, superposed-epoch analyses, antecedent weather cascade indices, jackknife sensitivity analyses, and species-by-cascade interaction analyses.</p><p dir="ltr">The antecedent weather cascade was characterized by a storm-related environmental signature approximately 7–9 days before the focal day, followed by snow conditions approximately 2–6 days before the focal day.

Exploratory analyses identified contrasting associations with subsequent site use by the two focal species: positive for sika deer and negative for raccoon dogs.</p><p dir="ltr">The dataset is intended to support reproducibility and further investigation of delayed, species-specific responses to environmental conditions. The study is observational and based on a single camera site. The antecedent time windows were identified through exploratory analysis and should not be interpreted as independently preregistered hypotheses.