Thread: Latest NZ Hunter Mag

what pisses me off.....and yes Im happy to be called an old fudd....is the yearly race to bag a good stag,before the buggers have fired a shot of their own....... stripping velvet and staining antlers so it looks like a "real trophy should" is a bit of a double standard. and yes its gone on for years...
it used to be very frowned upon...now its open slather race to get in first and to hell with the genetics... its bad enough we always taking out the best stags,but to do so continually before they pass on genes ...well it just seems dumb to me... shooting velvet stag for the freezer...yip can understand it,but I believe most folks given the chance/option will shoot the lesser of two beasts given the choice...I know I my self have let velvety stags walk away as they looked to have potential.beside the buggers are normally huge n heavy....that said I shot 2 at once last year but mate n I harvested the meat till could not fit any more in packs and still walk...but they were still at button stage so no idea of potential.
when I tally it up I seem to shoot 2-3 hinds per stag.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

what pisses me off.....and yes Im happy to be called an old fudd....is the yearly race to bag a good stag,before the buggers have fired a shot of their own....... stripping velvet and staining antlers so it looks like a "real trophy should" is a bit of a double standard. and yes its gone on for years...
it used to be very frowned upon...now its open slather race to get in first and to hell with the genetics... its bad enough we always taking out the best stags,but to do so continually before they pass on genes ...well it just seems dumb to me... shooting velvet stag for the freezer...yip can understand it,but I believe most folks given the chance/option will shoot the lesser of two beasts given the choice...I know I my self have let velvety stags walk away as they looked to have potential.beside the buggers are normally huge n heavy....that said I shot 2 at once last year but mate n I harvested the meat till could not fit any more in packs and still walk...but they were still at button stage so no idea of potential.
when I tally it up I seem to shoot 2-3 hinds per stag.

I'm just wondering what you shoot this time off year as hinds are in milk stags are in velvet that only leaves yearling hinds it doesn't worry me as I only hunt for meat & the spot I hunt most off the time doesn't seem to hold stags & I don't shoot hinds in milk but isn't it better to shoot a velvet stag than a hind & the fawn staving to death AS LONG AS THEY TAKE ALL THE MEAT OFF THE STAG

Originally Posted by hunt08

I'm just wondering what you shoot this time off year as hinds are in milk stags are in velvet that only leaves yearling hinds it doesn't worry me as I only hunt for meat & the spot I hunt most off the time doesn't seem to hold stags & I don't shoot hinds in milk but isn't it better to shoot a velvet stag than a hind & the fawn staving to death AS LONG AS THEY TAKE ALL THE MEAT OFF THE STAG

yearling , spring to mind if one is to be so ethical.
not old enough to breed... an saves a 'trophy' velvet from being eaten over summer, etc ?

Originally Posted by Rees

yearling , spring to mind if one is to be so ethical.
not old enough to breed... an saves a 'trophy' velvet from being eaten over summer, etc ?

In an improving herd the younger deer ought to have the highest genetic merit. Truth is though in our high population public land areas the best improvement that can be made is through shooting as many deer as possible so that everything gets fed better. Hinds by preference, but currently with fawns at foot rolling stags will certainly help.

Great to see maybe -10 years too late I’d say