Thread: Ruahine deer control

Received the info below in a recent DOC update. I'd be hearing rumors of such but hadn't seen any official information until now.

As a keen Ruahine hunter, I was wondering if anyone has any further info/details on specific areas where this will affect? (in particular the WARO). Any areas that won't be impacted?

Monitoring in Ruahine Forest Park indicated relatively high numbers of wild deer compared to national averages. Important understory plants, which help a forest regenerate and stabilise slopes, are disappearing.

To address these negative impacts, together with local iwi/hapū, we are drafting an adaptive deer management plan with advice from a newly established Community Deer Advisory Group. This group includes hunting, conservation, and recreation organisations. This will complement our existing work to keep wild goats out of the Park.

Basically, we’re taking a flexible, science-based approach.

Trial actions are taking place this autumn, and findings will help inform our longer term management approach:

NZ Deerstalkers Association hunt: We worked with the Lower Hutt Branch to make it easier for hunters to fly by helicopter into the Western/Central area of Ruahine Forest Park. The hunt took place on 14-17 March 2025. Around 80 deer were removed. Hunters targeted hinds and the branch will provide DOC with track logs and kill way points, and hunter observations. This will help us assess the effectiveness of the hunt.
DOC aerial management: In May, we will carry out aerial control in the remote and hard to access North-West deer Management Unit (MU) - an area of 12,056 hectares. This work also complements possum and rat control being carried out in the Northern Ruahine’s high priority ecosystem unit, an area which contains a rich and diverse range of habitats and species. Where practical and within budget limitations, we will work with community to harvest meat from this operation.
Industry/WARO incentivisation: We have contracted the commercial venison industry to harvest 300 deer, operating under normal WARO permit conditions. Lower weight deer harvest is being incentivised. The work will start May 2025 and finish when the harvest target is met.
All three actions combined, make a start in addressing Ruahine deer impacts. We’ll continue working with the community to assess the effectiveness of each action and refine the deer management approach.

I dont sorry but suspect the usual no fly zone south of the Tamkaki in dannevirke will still apply.
I wrote a trip report a year ago about a tops trips were the feedback on the shoot and scoot that we did all pretty negative, at the time I pointed out if we didn't get on top of numbers doc would with either gun ships or 1080.
The numbers in the central Ruahines is out of control resulting in starving animals over winter and poor stags for the roar hunters.
I walked into longveiw a few weeks back in dark training for the skytower and jumped 8 deer on what is a very busy track, I recent trip over the main range in 2 nights saw over 60 deer without looking...something has to be done and if this means better animals about we should support it.
In the mean time get out there and shoot some deer.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

I dont sorry but suspect the usual no fly zone south of the Tamkaki in dannevirke will still apply.
I wrote a trip report a year ago about a tops trips were the feedback on the shoot and scoot that we did all pretty negative, at the time I pointed out if we didn't get on top of numbers doc would with either gun ships or 1080.
The numbers in the central Ruahines is out of control resulting in starving animals over winter and poor stags for the roar hunters.
I walked into longveiw a few weeks back in dark training for the skytower and jumped 8 deer on what is a very busy track, I recent trip over the main range in 2 nights saw over 60 deer without looking...something has to be done and if this means better animals about we should support it.
In the mean time get out there and shoot some deer.

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We need to start shooting Hinds to waste

Originally Posted by BRADS

I dont sorry but suspect the usual no fly zone south of the Tamkaki in dannevirke will still apply.
I wrote a trip report a year ago about a tops trips were the feedback on the shoot and scoot that we did all pretty negative, at the time I pointed out if we didn't get on top of numbers doc would with either gun ships or 1080.
The numbers in the central Ruahines is out of control resulting in starving animals over winter and poor stags for the roar hunters.
I walked into longveiw a few weeks back in dark training for the skytower and jumped 8 deer on what is a very busy track, I recent trip over the main range in 2 nights saw over 60 deer without looking...something has to be done and if this means better animals about we should support it.
In the mean time get out there and shoot some deer.

That's definitely some decent numbers.

I've been of the same thinking of late regarding knocking a few over. My brother and I took 7 animals and saw 19 across an evening and morning the other week (all hinds/yearlings). I felt a little guilty as 'selective cuts' is all we could carry out, but it still seems better than DOC having all the fun. Hopefully any cull operations serve to improve the remaining stock. The heavy browsing pressure is definitely showing an impact in places.

I no longer feel guilty about culling to waste or just back steaking. The deer in there are not in good shape and the undergrowth is non existent in some places, with flat weeds starting to grow because of the non existent leaf litter.

Shouldn't take too long to bang over 300?

Originally Posted by charliehorse

Shouldn't take too long to bang over 300?

For the month of september 1976 they got 3617 deer. Colin Tuck got the most in his 500.

One of the Ruahine biggest problems, is much of the access from the west side, are now difficult to access, or a much longer access than previous. Cant speak for the east side but i doubt its better than 25 years ago.
i.e., Purity, Moki, digger's, forks, pohangina, Kawhatau.
If Doc could improvement to access, to many catchments, they should get more hunting pressure, and thus reduce deer numbers.
Always been good numbers of deer, in the southern end, especially tucked up under the leatherwood belt.

Don't you guys forget it's all based on science and doc wordle.
Fkn muppets, they should all be made to stay and work full time as the old cullers did.
I did a trip report also after our fiordland sojourn stating that the browse was taking all the favourite veges and that
the red deer were way too many, all I got was buckshot for my observation.

Just had a week in the Longview/Daphne area - saw over 100 deer for the week. Shot 20+, was shooting to waste by the end of the week. If it was brown it was down.

There was heaps of deer on the tussock tops and heaps of tucker up there for them, even so the deer were generally in only averaqge condition for pre-roar.

If we don't shoot them, DoC will and "we" will get upset at that.

Originally Posted by southernman

One of the Ruahine biggest problems, is much of the access from the west side, are now difficult to access, or a much longer access than previous. Cant speak for the east side but i doubt its better than 25 years ago.
i.e., Purity, Moki, digger's, forks, pohangina, Kawhatau.
If Doc could improvement to access, to many catchments, they should get more hunting pressure, and thus reduce deer numbers.
Always been good numbers of deer, in the southern end, especially tucked up under the leatherwood belt.

yes access DOC damn slack in that regard and I dont know the awnser to it except lobby and pressure on them -- this Game Council does not seem to be up to touch either - possibly on here you Ruahine regulars could put foward those access points that need work on - appoint one to then forward that to DOC and GAC - we could do the same here in Taranaki - instead of just having a moan about it - be more proactive

Why are DOC not releasing heat maps as a result of their monitoring to get hunters to head into the more highly populated areas?
Some hunters head into the Ruahines for a hunt and don't see any of the deer that make up these "relatively high numbers"

300 wont scratch em

Originally Posted by Quicknock

Why are DOC not releasing heat maps as a result of their monitoring to get hunters to head into the more highly populated areas?
Some hunters head into the Ruahines for a hunt and don't see any of the deer that make up these "relatively high numbers"

A “heat map” to find deer in the ruahines 🤣🤣🤣

Haven't been there in recent time to see for myself, but am interested in understanding why the population seems to have spiked so significantly in the Ruahines compared to other NI public land places? We dont hear the same stories about Tararua, for example? Is it restricted access cf other places? If so, doesnt that suggest rec hunting can make a material contribution to control, contrary to the generally held view of the experts?