Thread: Red stag antlers “ trophy potential “

Originally Posted by Stocky

I think culling for bezs is a bit dumb. As in some areas there just aren't many that have good bezs. So in that case if the animals has poor bezs or trezs but and good everything else I'd find it hard to kill him as a "cull" almost every massive stag was what lots would call a "scrubber" at some point. I would only cull now on mature animals that are never going to be amazing ie very large 10s or 8s etc. More young animals I don't feel I have the expertise as I don't know what's typical for the area. I'm working on a basis of for stags I will only take animals I think are a new PB or are clearly mature or deformed. I would likely make the same decision on a stag like that though near the end of a trip and I had plenty of freezer space.

The stag we are discussing is narrow and will never have width. He has no treys, so another x beside his name. He is a cull. He also has a Sika shape which could be from Sika in the English Parks from whence his forebears came.The 'Windsor throwback' occurs in deer descended from Windsor Great Park stock which had Wapiti introduced to it. As far as culling on Beys, I agree that if everything else is good then they can be overlooked, but a head needs to have width and good treys as well as brows and tops

My earlier post was a bit hasty, not intended to gun Hamish & his statement down.
What I mean to point out is that the bez is the last to develop and first to go depending on various factors.
Take a look at NZ Hunter show this week. Emil's dads stag had just about lost its bez, due to age. In its prime it would a boasted nice bez tines and if that animal had lived another year or two, all trace could have vanished.

Yes the Rakaia herd has a case of have none, got one or both bez, seen it all. Its believed by knowledgable people that one of the hinds in the release carried this trait of bez irregularity. @Moa Hunter touches on the case of genetic mix with the likes of the Stoke Park breeding that makes up the Rakaia herd.
The farmer I quoted, culling his velveters, had a pure Rakaia sire stag, aerial captured from the Rakaia catchment. He grew bez, he was on primo tucker

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Mathias

My earlier post was a bit hasty, not intended to gun Hamish & his statement down.
What I mean to point out is that the bez is the last to develop and first to go depending on various factors.
Take a look at NZ Hunter show this week. Emil's dads stag had just about lost its bez, due to age. In its prime it would a boasted nice bez tines and if that animal had lived another year or two, all trace could have vanished.

Yes the Rakaia herd has a case of have none, got one or both bez, seen it all. Its believed by knowledgable people that one of the hinds in the release carried this trait of bez irregularity. @Moa Hunter touches on the case of genetic mix with the likes of the Stoke Park breeding that makes up the Rakaia herd.
The farmer I quoted, culling his velveters, had a pure Rakaia sire stag, aerial captured from the Rakaia catchment. He grew bez, he was on primo tucker

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

It's ok, I have picked up my bottom lip.....

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

up on local station that has arguably some of the best deer genetics in the world......and some truely MASSIVE ugly christmas tree heads....its interesting as heck to watch development of stags through the years...some what would be spikers have 15-20points in allsorts of angles with buggerall size anywhere...next year they slightly larger but still all crazy in shape...next year better still andso on UNTILL hormones settle down,then they show true potential and shape and form becomes more normal....the symetry comes in then if its going to at all.....on other farms nearby the stags dont have the mass but are beautifully symetrical
so first farm would be desired by SCI buyers the 2nd by Douglas scoring buyers if going into canned hunting...where a lot have been in last few years.
look up internet and you will find cast antlers from same stag each year......very interesting to see improvement then decline.
that stag of Emils Dads was a beauty...those outward top tines were solid and head full of character.....great episode.

Emails dads stag scored 326 DS from memory which is pretty decent for what they class a 10 pointer. I think the stag in question at the start of the thread was better taken out than left in the herd.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

The stag we are discussing is narrow and will never have width. He has no treys, so another x beside his name. He is a cull. He also has a Sika shape which could be from Sika in the English Parks from whence his forebears came.The 'Windsor throwback' occurs in deer descended from Windsor Great Park stock which had Wapiti introduced to it. As far as culling on Beys, I agree that if everything else is good then they can be overlooked, but a head needs to have width and good treys as well as brows and tops

I said I would cull that animal. Im just not usually out to cull animals so it would have to tie in to getting of the hill or the end of a hunt. No point ending a trip early just to cull a stag. Very interesting re Sika you free for a call tomorrow Garth. Trying to finish up an article tonight but be good for a catch up.