Thread: Should I have shot this Deer?

Here is a better link to velvet and hard antler photos than the previous one I posted https://www.facebook.com/Towerfarmsdeer/. The velvet heads that make good trophies have good shape and balance in the lower tynes and a good bulb above the trey. By this time of year all the mature animals are fully formed with antlers mineralizing into bone leaving nothing to guesswork

I'm just bloody envious OP could carry 50kg out on his back plus rifle, gear and himself. Maybe there was a time but its long gone. Excellent thread tho for many of us. I may be an old bastard by most counts but I'm still a young deer stalker. Love learning some of this stuff.

Originally Posted by Jhon

I'm just bloody envious OP could carry 50kg out on his back plus rifle, gear and himself. Maybe there was a time but its long gone. Excellent thread tho for many of us. I may be an old bastard by most counts but I'm still a young deer stalker. Love learning some of this stuff.

Just 50kg all up mate, had the rifle strapped to the pack. Done heavier packs before in my Army days but was a pretty technical route out so I was pushing it safety wise. I'll stick to one deer in future and spend some extra time cutting out all the rib and neck meat.

50 kg pack. Not 50 kg meat.

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

Originally Posted by Cigar

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

Yeah I debate this often with people when deep into a hike. I try to keep coming back to the DOC track ratings: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...ck-categories/. So in this case when I say 'technical' I'm referring to the 'expert:route' grading or higher. In this case I was on a unofficial track, often not marked and not properly maintained, so its pushing beyond the DOC description at times.

Originally Posted by Cigar

@Average-Lad
A bit off topic, what is meant by technical? I see the term used a lot on tramping pages etc. I would take it to mean tricky (dodgy?) but in some posts I've read some people seem to use it for anything that isn't a paved walkway! In all aspects of life it could mean "you got to know what you're doing", maybe it's the same for tramping?

ask DOC or goggle it its just a mechanism to stop idgits from becoming lost or going in ill prepared

Hinds carry thebpopulation, one shitty stag can get over heaps of hinds, but heaps of stags can't get over one hind. In my opinion, atleast 50% of the hinds you see should be shot. If we don't, doc will. If we want to be taken seriously as hunters, we need to implement population control. If we look after the younger stags and cull some hinds, the stags will have good feed to grow good antlers and make them worth hubting. Each to their own, but I think a good rule of thumb for deer hunting is to try and better the previous stag you shot, that way we will foster a population of trophy animals worth hunting. Equally, deer numbers are exploding all over the country, numbers donned to be dropped for the herd and country side to be healthy.

Thanks for the post. From a new hunters perspective it's interesting to read all the feedback on this one. Only wish there were as many deer where I am as to spark a similar decision on my part!

Glad to see my question and all the answers have helped others. It certainly was useful advice for me. In the couple years since I've asked this question it certainly comes to mind often when eyeing up stags and targeting hinds.

As others have said. Your first deer or two, if for meat just shoot. Worry about the ethics of leaving stags when/if you start hunting purely for heads. Even then, if you see an unbalanced or runty head shoot the feckin thing. A bad head is always a bad head and there’s plenty of stags out there. As for hinds/does this time of year if they look preggers shoot if you want, but if you see one with full udder but slim there’s a chance she’s given birth and there’s a young one about. If you can get both go ahead but otherwise probably best to leave. There’s folk on here who will bang on about leaving stags to grow and improve the gene pool etc, stroke on, there’s too many animals around and poor quality animals don’t contribute anything useful to future trophies. Just my 2c.

As a fairly average hunter myself, I’m also in the take the first animal I see camp, although given the choice would take a hind first. One thing I don’t really understand when it comes to stags, some people will get up in arms about shooting a young stag, but a spiker is ok????
Could the spider not also turn into a good stag one day?

No I don't believe so however there is a chance a spiker could

Others could say, but a spiker with decent genetics is going to have decent single long spikes or could even be multi spikes such as you see on farmed deer.

Saw neat wee Bambi's n mums beside road as drove home at 0stupid hundred this morning. I won't shoot stag with decent velvet as it could be someone's trophy in a month or three ,if see hi d n fawn ...yeah that gets hard for me.but fawn tastes great. Open country gives you time to choose,bush stalking often not so much.