Thread: Herd management and Playing our part

Originally Posted by gimp

It would tend to be the case that for more or less every herd, other than the Nelson herd, that nutrition and age are the most significant limiting factors.

Genetics and age I think are the limiting factors. I have seen stags on a large area of private land with excellent genetics and managed poorly produce big heads.They were under year round feed stress. They could have been bigger with better feed but still produced 300DS plus size heads.
And by the way the Nelson herd now produces some of the biggest free range stags there is. They are definitely not the the original genetics though.

well,I look at the cracker 12 that JoshC posted photo of...and look at the young 11 I shot a few years back quite a few miles south of there...and the 10 I shot 34years ago in middle of north island and a fella could be mistaken for thinking they were all from the same parents.
this season SHOULD all things considered show up some very good sets of antlers ,around south canterbury at least...we have had one of best grass growing seasons for decades,the stags have had a couple of easier years during rut where not every 2nd deer was shot,and people are starting to let young stuff grow older.
genetica play a big part but it needs good feed for them to really shine.

for sure the escapee might...but what of their progeny???? surely by now there is enough thats been out mingling for long enough the "good blood" should have filtered through???? or has the bred for meat/weight lot got out and stuffed the advantage the bred for good head size and symmetry stock has added???
I shot a real scrubby 8pt head 6-7 years back now that even now surprises me how heavy it is to pick up,the bone is just solid yet the size n shape are piss poor..that stag was no morethan a km away from farm with arguably some of the best genetics in the world....I have picked up a cast antler from same patch of bush that is honest 40 inches in length and timber is as thick as my wrist...and by look of the top,its going backwards,so old stag past prime on way out...... both would have same feed oppertunities.... maybe the smaller fella was born in poor year and had poor start in life,or mum got ride to freezer before he was ready to go it alone. either way the difference between those two is huge.