Thread: What happens to spikers in the Roar?

I used to watch the deer on my mates farm while eating my lunch outside. It was hilarious to watch the dominant stag chase one of the young lads off for getting to close, and while the chase was on a few of his mates jumped the harem for a quick root. All good fun if it goes to plan but I had to drag one of the spikers to the far side of the paddock because he was stinking out the workshop, that bugga would of been over 100kg

I found the antlers from one of the big stags and made a mount for them. I'm not 1 for hunting trophies but these had some meaning for me.
Once this guy found his way into the freezer a few years later it was over 100kg of boneless meat.

lol, the spikers get shot cos all the good heads were shot in january lol

Originally Posted by Rees

lol, the spikers get shot cos all the good heads were shot in january lol

lol your so butthurt of how we hunt in NZ lol

So, what happen to the fawns born in December / January?
Are they sticking around when their mum get banged by the local big boy ? Or they get kicked away for a short time till mum get filled up?
In a way if they are staying, they are watching porn.

Spikers during the roar act like hormonal teenagers, vying for attention but often getting shooed away by the dominant males. They typically skulk around the periphery, hoping for a chance with the ladies before the big boss intervenes.

Originally Posted by Yesmate

lol your so butthurt of how we hunt in NZ lol

haha good pick up

the mature stags holding hinds will generally tolerate the yearlings hanging around the hinds - but the young males from the year before no - I watched a big stag one day evict a spiker and he was hitting him so hard up the butt with his antlers he was lifting the spikers rear end of the ground - as many have said and rightly so those spikers likely not good eating - the best of the bunch those yearling hinds - followed by a dry hind i.e one that has never had a fawn - not common but I got one that had over an inch of fat over its back steaks - for meat shoot the hinds or does - most stags shot in the roar I would hesitate to say are in fact satellite stags - I guess not so much South Island when hunters can see the deer ( well most of the time ) but I think it likely true North Island bush - nothing wrong with that to me on a hunting trip a deer is a deer - I do not complicate things by being fussy - to get the big stag fine but when you are starting your hunting career take what you can get my motto - just note those satellite stags not great in the eating department -I go onto fallow blocks and the owner does not want does shot - shoot spikers - well wrong thing to do - some of those property's need 50-100 does taken out for the good of the herd - way to many - just get out there lifes short -we are getting a bit indoctrinated by hunting programs that preach shoot the real old stags - fine if thats ya thing and likely the right thing in an area like the wapiti blocks or Stewart Island where most white tail bucks shot are way to young - but really with the number of deer around Ruahines Te Urewera comes to mind its not trophy country shoot - I know many on here will not agree with my view but you have spent a lot of time effort to get there spend some time looking for a big boy if ya must then shoot some deer

Originally Posted by Makros

I'm heading out in the roar this year with some friends, I have no interest in antlers so I'll just head off in the opposite direction and shoot any hinds I come across. Doubt there's a shortage where we're going and good meat even that time of year.

Trip was a bit earlier than I thought, but a bit of thinning was under taken none the less. 8 Hinds/fawns down in the Lake Sumner area would have been double but I hung up the rifle after the second night to guide in a couple of friends from overseas to their first deer. But someone else had been putting in the good work up there too and I found 5 hinds shot to waste from sometime in the last week or so.

Will throw a few photos together later. Managed to recover all hind legs and back steaks except for the last hind as I was worried about weight coming out on the helicopter so just back steaks were taken. Distributed most of the fawn and yearling back steaks across myself and friends stomachs over the week which was bloody tasty after the cold evenings glassing and hunting. Most of the rest of the meat was distributed across some friends in Christchurch on Saturday and I still put down a $20 to get the over weight chilly bin (which was 2/3 empty) home this morning on the plane.
I think a 50L chilly bin jammed with venison and a large box also full of it must have totalled to at least 70kg of meat pulled out.

Shoot a few hinds between the stags this year fellas the numbers out there are too high pretty much everywhere.

Side note - there was a pair of hunters in the area that I had a chat to on Monday night as I spotted their tent as I was coming back through the valley after shooting a few in a clearing in the bush. I heard they got flown out after one got injured so if you're on here I hope it wasn't too bad and sounds fortunate that you must of had an inreach device to communicate with the helicopter company.