Thread: New record, strange head

Absolute ripper 🤣🤣I’ve changed my view on this and only see it for good, money for the economy, portrays nz as a world class trophy hunting holiday destination $$$$ and we sure need $ right now.

Got me amping for the ROAR

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Bring back the Irish elk. Would need a couple of young fellah to carry the load.

Maybe if this wasn't called hunting I would have no issue,but it is total embarrassment to see this and have it referred to as hunting.
Good as gold as a money spinning business but needs to be called big game shooting or something like that.

I dont see 1000 SCI score. The main beam is measured from the coronet and the other tynes from where they initiate from that main beam.

This link to Foveran Deer Park has many sire stags shown. Click on the stag and it's pedigree and SCI score and velvet weights (if it has been cut for velvet) will show.https://www.foverandeerpark.co.nz/sire-stags.html
The stags at the bottom are past sire stags and at the top the most recent, some being very young

its still in velvet.looks scruffy/skinny definately one of them Christmas tree heads.I often see smaller version on really young stags on deer farms,first two heads are similar shape before the hormones settle down..bit like breaking voice,pimples and constant boners if teenagers...which could well be the other option/answer to how the "breeder" got it to do this...MAYBE they injected hormones during early velvet growth stage??? sort of like athelete taking steroids to build muscle or trans gender "was a woman"trying to grow a beard.
a nice solid timbered 12 or classic 14 everyday of the week for me..hell a really solid 8 or 10 even. my late uncle Glen had a big 8 mounted,the timber above coronets was same size as a big boy beer bottle and he shot that close to 50 years back.

Each to their own I guess but fucking hideous is what I think

Fugly

Im told if you castrate a stag..he still grows antlers but its just a big velvet blob that doesnt harden????
so by giving additional hormones it might have opposite effect..one thing is for sure,in this modern mixed up world where boys will be boys and girls will be girls,except of course for Lola........ the medications are far more readily accessible,it would actually surprise me to find out it HASNT been tried.

I know these massive stags are not everyone's cup of tea. I agree that a nice wild 12 or 14 pointer red is the pinicle and a proper trophy. I love them too.

On the other hand I do like seeing what genetics can do with these stags. English red base, a bit of German red (brings in a bit of palmation) then add some eastern red for extra length. Follow this up with heaps and heaps of decent feed right on velveting time and next minute a giant head is produced. I've researched thr trophy market and no steroids are used in NZ. (@Moa Hunter can correct me)

Pays to look at the whole Industry. Genetics were first done for production of velvet to boost your income so instead of a 7 year old stag producing say 7kg a few years back at the beginning of the velvet industry a 7 year old stag now would be double that now of say 14+kg of velvet.

Then the trophy market started up and wanted these huge velvet stags in full maturity so this set the genetics going to grow even bigger heads, and with rich overseas guys willing to pay more and more the SCI scores have gone up.

Got told once that the deer market was like a builder building houses. The average bloke is happy with a good solid 3 or 4 bedroom house, but then the rich want 20 bedrooms with a bathroom each and 6 car garaging and 3 entertaining areas. Same with the trophy deer market.

Originally Posted by Billbob

On the other hand I do like seeing what genetics can do with these stags.

No dig mate, but this is exactly how the wolf was turned into a pug - selective breeding, years of inbreeding.....and now we have a category in dog shows that would never have been contemplated.

Originally Posted by Nickoli

No dig mate, but this is exactly how the wolf was turned into a pug - selective breeding, years of inbreeding.....and now we have a category in dog shows that would never have been contemplated.

my pa made me marry my cousin cause he said we had to keep the farm in the family -I didnt mind cause at least she was purdy

As Billbob has said, firstly genetic's - these stags have been bred using the genetics that give them the head the market wants. And a good velvet head is not necessarily a good trophy head. And the best thing to gain good sized heads regardless of how they look is feed, lots of good feed while they are growing their velvet. Hormones dont do diddly squat and aren't used in the NZ deer industry.

The animal in question will be of predominantly 'Woburn Abbey' breeding with that antler style.
These animals from 'Black Forest' stud are more traditional heads. Click on each sire http://blackforest.co.nz/sires/trophy/

Actually I think I did a presentation during my undergrad degree on antler growth. Fastest growing tissue there is and super chokka full of growth factor.