Thread: Deer numbers

However more alarming was the huge numbers of cats. Just about crashed trying to bowl a big one. Went over edge of road and floored it to get momentum back onto lip. Scary.

Definitely plenty about. A couple of weeks ago I was watching a mob of 20 in the Canterbury high country, almost all hinds with fawns plus the yearling hinds hanging around too. Also a couple of velvet stags sitting above the main mob but they had too much potential to shoot now.

Took ages to ensure I had confirmed the yearling hinds before pulling the trigger on one.

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.

The red deer numbers in the western CNI are out of control and a fairly serious problem on private land. There's so much politics involved in game animals though, and so many divergent opinions as to how much is too much, and what to do about it, that the likelihood of a consistent control approach is remote.

The grass this year is exceptional and the deer numbers are way up - what is causing this I ask myself? There's a shit load of capital being spent on fertiliser to take advantage of high meat prices, and it shows, but what strikes me the most is the much lower number of hard frost days in the winter, followed by wet springs, and long hot spells in early summer. The growth season feels markedly different to me, but I was away between 2010-2016, and after an absence any changes are amplified. Whereas if you live through them, you hardly notice. The lamb numbers and weights are well up though, a good indicator. If you're a sheep cockie and setup right, you're in for a good season even with the reduction in Chinese buying.

It's become normal for me to walk over a saddle and look into the next watershed and see 50+ reds munching their way through the pasture. I can think of three such places where I'll see more way deer and goats than sheep in the paddock. These places are always the same - back blocks, quite high up, with a long, easily accessible bush boundary. Go into the bush and there's nothing in there under the canopy. Pretty much impossible for a goat or a deer to get a feed in there now.

I have noticed a lot more deer also, saw about 30 in 3 hours last week spotlighting

Last week Wednesday and Thurs were smoked out. On Thursday I went with a friend and her son for a hunting /glassing session in a good spot curious if anything would be out with all the smoke round the hills, result nothing seen not even a hare. Friday rain. Saturday eve clear with gentle southerly, I went to another spot close to Thursdays spot, result deer everywhere. Saw 11 hinds plus fawns and 3 stags all from one glassing spot all spread around on different knobs and spurs. This is significant because I have glassed this area for 25 years and that is the most deer I have ever seen.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

The red deer numbers in the western CNI are out of control and a fairly serious problem on private land. There's so much politics involved in game animals though, and so many divergent opinions as to how much is too much, and what to do about it, that the likelihood of a consistent control approach is remote.

The grass this year is exceptional and the deer numbers are way up - what is causing this I ask myself? There's a shit load of capital being spent on fertiliser to take advantage of high meat prices, and it shows, but what strikes me the most is the much lower number of hard frost days in the winter, followed by wet springs, and long hot spells in early summer. The growth season feels markedly different to me, but I was away between 2010-2016, and after an absence any changes are amplified. Whereas if you live through them, you hardly notice. The lamb numbers and weights are well up though, a good indicator. If you're a sheep cockie and setup right, you're in for a good season even with the reduction in Chinese buying.

It's become normal for me to walk over a saddle and look into the next watershed and see 50+ reds munching their way through the pasture. I can think of three such places where I'll see more way deer and goats than sheep in the paddock. These places are always the same - back blocks, quite high up, with a long, easily accessible bush boundary. Go into the bush and there's nothing in there under the canopy. Pretty much impossible for a goat or a deer to get a feed in there now.

You're right. Hard to get people who don't have access to the private land to care about the numbers and the ramifications of the deer.

Public land will probably be getting more pressure as hunting seems to be getting ever more popular but as we know pressure doesn't equal deer shot.

I was under the impression that because of the swine flu the Chinese are buying up a hell of a lot of meat. Bulls were worth 2500 at one point the cockie was saying.

Originally Posted by Russian 22.

I was under the impression that because of the swine flu the Chinese are buying up a hell of a lot of meat. Bulls were worth 2500 at one point the cockie was saying.

The Chinese are getting a lot of red meat out of Australia, it's great for the Aussie farmers needing to destock due to catastrophic drought. My wifes grandfather lost his farm in 1974 due to drought, it was not too bad where they are in NE NSW but the entire East coast was in drought and the prices for everything crashed. Once the Aussie drought finishes the demand for NZ meat should be higher, until the Chinese pork industry gets itself going again. Farmers are all hoping the Chinese consumer will have developed a taste for beef/lamb by then!

Originally Posted by Tahr

Yes, Ive noticed that 'possum numbers are on the increase in Sth HB/Nth Wairarapa. Not big numbers, but for the last few years there haven't been any on the roads or in the scrub, but I'm starting to see a few now each night I'm out.

Possum - that surprises me !!
Rabbits (as already Threaded here - yes)
My Deer # down this year - not lack of feed - not that I have shot more than reproduction (far from it) neighbour -mm ???
Only last evening right on dark saw my 1st Fawn - 2 actually - with Hinds of course and 1 yearling Hind and a 2yr Stag with them playing with the Fawns - very odd I thought.
Even Trail Cams not picked up a Fawn yet - that’s 5 weeks later than normal here - usually always by end of 1st week in Dec I see 1st.

Shot a pig - which made my day as I shoot every one I see when can
I have deff got their # down counter reproduction level :-)

Deer - more looksy than shootsy
Next Spiker in range will cop it though - freezer almost empty of Veni

Look at this silly bitch (Fawn prob just out of shot and b on Vid when I clear SD card)
She wont last long walking around down low that time of day :-(