Thread: Deer in Strange Places.

Greetings all,
I was walking back from my casual sight checking range behind our house a couple of days ago and spotted what looked like some small cloven hoof prints in the dust on the track. Walking through the trees closer to the house I heard a crash and put it down to a branch falling. Last evening however I walked past the back door, looked out and spotted something take a couple of bounds and disappear. I got am impression of a white bum. It was too big to be a hare so what was it? A deer? I have seen a deer on our block a long time ago but it was an escapee from down the road. I have also heard some say, perhaps a little more than half jokingly, that the only places in Hawkes Bay that there are no deer are the main streets of Napier and Hastings. We are 20 k's away from either of those.
So what say you people? Any stories of Sika turning up in strange places in Hawkes Bay?
Regards Grandpamac.

today in NZ there there will be and are Deer turning up in all sorts of places - on the outskirts of major city's like southern Auckland -northern parts of Wellington - enjoy the bonanza hunters - deer in NZ in many places are where ya find them - just hunt legally and enjoy - we have the best hunting now for 40 years - get into it

I keep waiting for them to turn up in a bit of native planting across from my house. Can't be long now

Taken from the DoC smoko room window. 🤣🤣

I shot a sika spiker up behind Tutira 7 years ago when I was a ranger at Boundary Stream.Presumably it made the crossing from Tataraakina.
I also shot one up Taruarau Bivi last November and saw a couple more too mixed in with the reds.

So they are moving around a bit.

3 that stand out from some years ago but shows how far deer can spread now not to say these were not releases that's a possibility but 1 ) a rusa shot at Tahunga back of Gisborne in seventies 2 ) a sambar shot at Patunamu forest just out of Wairoa again seventies -3 ) a sambar shot on Kiwi road North Taranaki and that not long ago -- all over 150 -200 km from their home territory

Originally Posted by hebe

I also shot one up Taruarau Bivi last November and saw a couple more too mixed in with the reds.

I was bumping into Sika quite regularly out from Lessong Monument off the road to No Mans Hut, just across from Taruarau Biv about 30 years ago.

On the edges of Stoke there are plenty

Anyone bounced any Japs up the Mangahau, Northern Tararuas? when I was shooting for DOC in the 90's we boofed the odd one .The nucleus of a herd apparently kicked out the back of a trailer at the dams in the early 90's

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings all,
I was walking back from my casual sight checking range behind our house a couple of days ago and spotted what looked like some small cloven hoof prints in the dust on the track. Walking through the trees closer to the house I heard a crash and put it down to a branch falling. Last evening however I walked past the back door, looked out and spotted something take a couple of bounds and disappear. I got am impression of a white bum. It was too big to be a hare so what was it? A deer? I have seen a deer on our block a long time ago but it was an escapee from down the road. I have also heard some say, perhaps a little more than half jokingly, that the only places in Hawkes Bay that there are no deer are the main streets of Napier and Hastings. We are 20 k's away from either of those.
So what say you people? Any stories of Sika turning up in strange places in Hawkes Bay?
Regards Grandpamac.

There was and still is a mob of fallow at the bridge on outskirts of Fernhill including a whopper fallow stag from the mob which was killed by Apatu Farms staff on HW50 in the last month.

It has always amazed me that red deer seem to have migrated no further north than the kaimais. Seems to be that the Karangahake river stops them from entering the Coromandel Forest park.

If there were japs up here it would be perfect for them. Lots of Manuka gullies with access to pasture nearby. Clover etc.

Lots of pork up here. No deer but!!

There’s Sika one minute from fern hill

So yes they’re around your place

And plenty of fallow thanks to Ray Green and rising floodwaters

Nice Red Stag on the hill overlooking Taradale as well where they used to do the Sugar loaf hill climb

Looking straight down on the city centre

Reds used to be all the way out to the end of Farewell Spit, 25 km from the nearest hills. There are a few freshwater lakes out there.

Last winter I saw red footprints in the mudflats of Westhaven Inlet, apparently crossing between headlands at low tide (at night I guess). Also browsing the native that grows all the way down to the high water mark.

Red footprints all over the sand of one particular beach in the Abel Tasman.

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

There’s Sika one minute from fern hill

So yes they’re around your place

And plenty of fallow thanks to Ray Green and rising floodwaters

Nice Red Stag on the hill overlooking Taradale as well where they used to do the Sugar loaf hill climb

Looking straight down on the city centre

Greetings and thanks,
That is interesting. There are a block of pines behind us and I have a stock trough halfway up the ridge to them. I will have to keep my eyes peeled in future.
GPM.

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

There’s Sika one minute from fern hill

So yes they’re around your place

And plenty of fallow thanks to Ray Green and rising floodwaters

Nice Red Stag on the hill overlooking Taradale as well where they used to do the Sugar loaf hill climb

Looking straight down on the city centre

Probably the red stags from Symons on Springfield Road. Lost the lot poor bugger. He has finally refenced the block. Had some of his deer above the Nook looking down no doubt perplexed about how they got out.