Thread: Deer Population Growth

Originally Posted by Jus

Tell me about it. I saw over 40 deer on the weekend, in a place that barely anyone goes. I gave up counting. I’ll be heading back there after the roar to do a phat cull up. The numbers will explode exponentially in the next year or 2

Yeah, I know a couple of spots like that.

The numbers have already exploded. Last time out (mid Jan) the hinds were out with their fawns, plus lone stags, small groups of spikers, yearlings. From a high vantage point looking out over a large station west to east, every single grassy face I could see from me to over 4km away was carrying red deer. 15mins before the sun dipped below the ridge behind me, they were lit up like little red baubles on a Christmas tree. Hundreds and hundreds of deer. The challenge is that this station has been retired and is now largely scrub for honey production. So the deer have a free pass to a huge acreage of good feed with no sheep competition, and plenty of scrubby cover that provides effective safe harbour. There are numerous native blocks on the steeper ridge lines that are the deer / goat highways - go in there and there is zero understory and an unreal network of well worn trails. Sit quietly looking into the wind in the mid- to late afternoon, a deer or several is guaranteed to pass by sooner rather than later, right under your nose. The surrounding farms don’t stand a fucking chance. Those that have some semblance of control have someone on the block shooting deer at least weekly and often two or three times a week.

To those that don’t see or shoot deer very often it must sound highly attractive! But if you’re shooting deer day in, day out, it quickly becomes a chore and the constant killing can get to you. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve tired of it recently and I’m taking a break to concentrate on other things.