Thread: Newshub attacking Sika

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

The animals are still in the lead because there’s too much hui and not enough doie
Everyone’s happy to talk talk talk about it, shine some seats, build the ego, feel a little pious, -loving to be gazed upon or even revered

But hardly anyone wants to go out there and actually DO some work
You have to be persistent and consistent because the deer are making more deer, - every year !!

Talk is cheap, always will be

sometimes the truth makes for an uncomfortable bedmate too.

Deer numbers are high for sure in places , sadly I don’t think the weekend warrior hunter ( that’s me ) even shooting everything he sees is going to reduce significant numbers , its probably a job for professionals on the ground with good dogs etc. , after that sadly it aerial , shooting or the dreaded. 1080

The targeting of higher order mammals with 1080 is still illegal in NZ, as far as I am aware.

Originally Posted by XR500

The targeting of higher order mammals with 1080 is still illegal in NZ, as far as I am aware.

Geez I’m not sure , anyway that’s an icky topic , bring back some young deer cullers on the ground I say where it’s needed , pretty hard to get the numbers down in heavy bush areas with a helicopter .
Careful what you wish for I guess , most of us have always wanted more deer about , I started in the 80’s and hunting was hard , racing the machines to the clearings only to find gut bags , now we are in a situation that we have too many ….is everywhere like that though ? , certainly most of the stations/farms that back on to the Bush or Parks seem to be the worst for too many animals but access to that is very limited obviously .

Suppose they'll have to bring out the 1080 and kill everything so no one can hunt for free food?

A picture paints a thousand words. Sika roar 2023.

Originally Posted by XR500

A picture paints a thousand words. Sika roar 2023.


Attachment 239012

I think you will find that all the "tree litter" and a lack of sunshine due to a tight canopy is more of a culprit than deer. And the stocking rate for deer would be an approximately equal of 3 sheep to the acre , albeit a bit bigger area in the bush.
Just the usual "the sky is falling " from T&T to get more suckers money.

this photo was taken in the other end of the other island.....deer numbers where it was taken could hardly be called out of control. the similarities are quite unreal.

now here is photo from very high population of wallabies...

Originally Posted by Tankd

I think you will find that all the "tree litter" and a lack of sunshine due to a tight canopy is more of a culprit than deer. And the stocking rate for deer would be an approximately equal of 3 sheep to the acre , albeit a bit bigger area in the bush.
Just the usual "the sky is falling " from T&T to get more suckers money.

Have hunted this particular valley since 1985. It didn't used to be like this. The last 15 years its gotten markedly worse.

Fact..... a good straight up and down friend of mine, who shall be nameless, ( but he owned an R44 ) kept some facts and figures of how many deer his clients shot in the Kaweka's each year, mainly to try and convince DOC that their ridiculous landing fees were counter productive, but he also researched and recorded the weight of boned out Sika that were brought out of the Kaweka's by his clients, and the average weight was 7 Kg over all the age groups and sexes. That's not a misprint.
And Cam Speedy did an in depth survey of Sika on a neighboring block with similar over population problem and similar mountain beech forest & manuka, and the average whole carcass weight was 25Kg
I struggled with those figures, so started weighing each boned out Sika I carried out in my pack with my other gear, and was most pissed off to find my pack wasn't as heavy as by shoulders reckoned.
I think DOC's aerial search and destroy / Mountain beech recovery program in the Kaweka FP ran for 13 seasons from memory ( a season being from 01 Oct to 28 Feb each year )

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Fact..... a good straight up and down friend of mine, who shall be nameless, ( but he owned an R44 ) kept some facts and figures of how many deer his clients shot in the Kaweka's each year, mainly to try and convince DOC that their ridiculous landing fees were counter productive, but he also researched and recorded the weight of boned out Sika that were brought out of the Kaweka's by his clients, and the average weight was 7 Kg over all the age groups and sexes. That's not a misprint.
And Cam Speedy did an in depth survey of Sika on a neighboring block with similar over population problem and similar mountain beech forest & manuka, and the average whole carcass weight was 25Kg
I struggled with those figures, so started weighing each boned out Sika I carried out in my pack with my other gear, and was most pissed off to find my pack wasn't as heavy as by shoulders reckoned.
I think DOC's aerial search and destroy / Mountain beech recovery program in the Kaweka FP ran for 13 seasons from memory ( a season being from 01 Oct to 28 Feb each year )

Cams data on the “ neighbouring” block showed adult hinds at 18kg and bone structures much much smaller than normal

Sika can live on the smell of an oily rag but it stunts them

Hinds reabsorbing embryo and/or losing fertility capabilities just to survive in the lean years testament to their endurance

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Fact..... a good straight up and down friend of mine, who shall be nameless, ( but he owned an R44 ) kept some facts and figures of how many deer his clients shot in the Kaweka's each year, mainly to try and convince DOC that their ridiculous landing fees were counter productive, but he also researched and recorded the weight of boned out Sika that were brought out of the Kaweka's by his clients, and the average weight was 7 Kg over all the age groups and sexes. That's not a misprint.
And Cam Speedy did an in depth survey of Sika on a neighboring block with similar over population problem and similar mountain beech forest & manuka, and the average whole carcass weight was 25Kg
I struggled with those figures, so started weighing each boned out Sika I carried out in my pack with my other gear, and was most pissed off to find my pack wasn't as heavy as by shoulders reckoned.
I think DOC's aerial search and destroy / Mountain beech recovery program in the Kaweka FP ran for 13 seasons from memory ( a season being from 01 Oct to 28 Feb each year )

That pretty much mirrors our experience.
Two Xmas's ago was in there. we shot six Sika, and carried them all out - 3 deer to one pack. Pretty much large lambs on long legs.

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Fact..... a good straight up and down friend of mine, who shall be nameless, ( but he owned an R44 ) kept some facts and figures of how many deer his clients shot in the Kaweka's each year, mainly to try and convince DOC that their ridiculous landing fees were counter productive, but he also researched and recorded the weight of boned out Sika that were brought out of the Kaweka's by his clients, and the average weight was 7 Kg over all the age groups and sexes. That's not a misprint.

That same friend also used to say that 90% of the deer are shot by 10% of the hunters, I think there is a lot of truth in that also.

Originally Posted by XR500

Have hunted this particular valley since 1985. It didn't used to be like this. The last 15 years its gotten markedly worse.

There is a funny thing which happens , trees grow upwards . That is why Pine plantations plant more tree than necessary and then thin them out , only in this instance there are no chainsaws only nature .
Nature is of a "Boom and Bust" nature , one thing will dominate until there is a collapse what the "Conservators" are always trying to do in short is to play God . Nature is not some garden to be dictated to as though it was by the design of man . It is governed by the rule of "Might is right" and whom ever rules is King of the Hill until they are knocked off. It is the arrogance of some to think that a deer should be of a certain weight as to massage their arrogance so they can wave their dick around to show how big they are while forgetting just how insignificant they are .