This deer is endemic to Bawean Island, Indonesia. A 2017 survey used camera traps and fecal records at several mountains in the island reserve and recorded it in mixed secondary and teak forest on Mount Bulu.
Its short, soft coat is a light teak-brown, and individual hairs have yellow bands that make the coat look grizzled at close range. A whitish eye-ring and light throat patch are also described.
A 2017 survey estimated an intermediate density of Bawean deer in mixed secondary and teak forest on Mount Bulu. This is a result from one surveyed site and does not establish a habitat preference across the island.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.