Thread: Deer numbers

Plenty around in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka DOC areas too and fat. Only downside this time of year is a fawn will die if mum gets a bullet. Not that it would worry DOC at all.

Deer numbers are up in Hawkes Bay too, one of the HBRC biosecurity guys told me numbers are likely to exceed the previous highs of the 50's/60's soon. 5 years ago I never saw a deer here, now I have resident population. And if no one can eat them due to the brodifacoum risk, I can't see it getting any better.

Originally Posted by craigc

There’s plenty of them alright Nathan. I drove 15 minutes from my house last night and walked for two hours in some public land. I saw over 20 deer; unfortunately most of them on a farm that backed onto the public land.
This years not over yet, but I’ve seen and shot more deer this year that ever before.
I’ve been hunting for over 30 years and these are the ‘golden years’ alright. If this continues I might run out of A-Maxs! I thought I had a life times supply.
:-)

Amen and long may it continue 👍

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Well i missed it till it was pointed out, i was more interested in the aparrent lack of flies!

Honestly we have not had summer. The wx has been absolutely dogshit. Temp wouldn’t have got over 21 yet since last summer and has not stopped raining. I left some meat out for eeling on Xmas day for the boys and that didn’t even get blown.

Originally Posted by craigc

There’s plenty of them alright Nathan. I drove 15 minutes from my house last night and walked for two hours in some public land. I saw over 20 deer; unfortunately most of them on a farm that backed onto the public land.
This years not over yet, but I’ve seen and shot more deer this year that ever before.
I’ve been hunting for over 30 years and these are the ‘golden years’ alright. If this continues I might run out of A-Maxs! I thought I had a life times supply.
:-)

Craig you are obviously not trying hard enough if you still have some bullets left. You need to dig deeper and unleash your dark side.

Originally Posted by craigc

There’s plenty of them alright Nathan. I drove 15 minutes from my house last night and walked for two hours in some public land. I saw over 20 deer; unfortunately most of them on a farm that backed onto the public land.
This years not over yet, but I’ve seen and shot more deer this year that ever before.
I’ve been hunting for over 30 years and these are the ‘golden years’ alright. If this continues I might run out of A-Maxs! I thought I had a life times supply.
:-)

I don't know if its like this across the country but I am also seeing more red deer than I ever have, and would know what to do with if I shot all I see, and I'm not even hunting properly due to an ACL reconstruction in my knee. My friends that own land are also seeing a decent increase in public land animals coming into their paddocks. Some areas they are as common as seeing rabbits.

Deer are safe as houses in the bush. All (or at least most of) the hunters these days are sitting in the open waiting for them to come out. I find all the shit/ kit we carry now, along with big range finding binos, spotting scopes, large scabbard housing packs, assorted knives, water bladder pouches with the sippy tubes etc etc so hard to get around in the bush quietly with.............. They sit in the bush safe and breed away quietly. Occasionally one sticks a toe out and 11 guns from a km away go off simultaneously. So it goes back in and stays there breeding for another year or two.

I am surprised by the numbers visible this year. The feral venison processing plant in ChCh has closed and now there are now no flying machines chasing deer, doing their regular cream skimming runs taking all the easy ones. Without hunting, numbers will double every three years but the visible increase is out of step with this

Originally Posted by 10-Ring

Plenty around in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka DOC areas too and fat. Only downside this time of year is a fawn will die if mum gets a bullet. Not that it would worry DOC at all.

Which parts? I usually put up a deer a trip in the kawekas but never see them. Just hear them running away.

I am yet to check out ngapuketurua or even clements Mill Road. Kiko Road etc.

Originally Posted by Hiawatha

Deer are safe as houses in the bush. All (or at least most of) the hunters these days are sitting in the open waiting for them to come out. I find all the shit/ kit we carry now, along with big range finding binos, spotting scopes, large scabbard housing packs, assorted knives, water bladder pouches with the sippy tubes etc etc so hard to get around in the bush quietly with.............. They sit in the bush safe and breed away quietly. Occasionally one sticks a toe out and 11 guns from a km away go off simultaneously. So it goes back in and stays there breeding for another year or two.

Yep some of what you say is correct. I’m seeing deer in the bush, on slips , in the open , on the tops and in the scrub. 10% of the hunters get 90% of the deer. That will generally stay about the same. Your right about technology too. Keep it simple. Minimal gear and get the wind right. Yes bush stalking is an art in its own right. I’ve lucked onto deer over the years in the bush but generally by being Johnny on the spot and no great skill on my part.
The days are here fellas get out and enjoy it.

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Yep some of what you say is correct. I’m seeing deer in the bush, on slips , in the open , on the tops and in the scrub. 10% of the hunters get 90% of the deer. That will generally stay about the same. Your right about technology too. Keep it simple. Minimal gear and get the wind right. Yes bush stalking is an art in its own right. I’ve lucked onto deer over the years in the bush but generally by being Johnny on the spot and no great skill on my part.
The days are here fellas get out and enjoy it.

Exactly. And now @Nathan F through the generosity of the forum you know to take more ammo and not to walk so far. Always learning, eh

Originally Posted by Tahr

Exactly. And now @Nathan F through the generosity of the forum you know to take more ammo and not to walk so far. Always learning, eh

LOL never too old to learn Mr C

I hope I never lose the fire to put a pack on and walk . Something about being well away from others strikes a chord

Definitely more deer around now than even 5 years ago, well here in Marlborough anyway.
And admittedly I hunt private land, but anything from half a dozen to 15's and 20's isn't uncommon. On some properties they are becoming a serious problem, and even more so now with all the fawns runnin around

I'm cool about knocking the numbers back so long as we maintain our respect for what are a magnificent animal. Clean kills for the particular purpose of controlling numbers and not just for the sake of it. I would have no qualms about shooting a hind right now so long as I could get the fawn too and velvet stags so long as they aren't special in some way. I prefer to recover the meat but some areas are getting to where just a pack full of backstraps might be the result from a day's hunting. 55 years of recreational and commercial hunting and I never thought I would be saying that.

And like it or not the land owners hold the trump access card, so the natural consequences are that the gates aren't going to be thrown open, which will mean a lucky minority will be shooting a heap of animals.

The big numbers are on private land but no matter where they are we just have to control them or we will have a Tahr situation without the backstop of Memo of Understanding with DOC.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I'm cool about knocking the numbers back so long as we maintain our respect for what are a magnificent animal. Clean kills for the particular purpose of controlling numbers and not just for the sake of it. I would have no qualms about shooting a hind right now so long as I could get the fawn too and velvet stags so long as they aren't special in some way. I prefer to recover the meat but some areas are getting to where just a pack full of backstraps might be the result from a day's hunting. 55 years of recreational and commercial hunting and I never thought I would be saying that.

And like it or not the land owners hold the trump access card, so the natural consequences are that the gates aren't going to be thrown open, which will mean a lucky minority will be shooting a heap of animals.

The big numbers are on private land but no matter where they are we just have to control them or we will have a Tahr situation without the backstop of Memo of Understanding with DOC.

Im with you. The only thing I wouldnt shoot at this time of the year would be a thumping stag. Everything else is fair game.