RED DEER

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21146, 23 April 1934, Page 7

RED DEER

CULLING METHODS CRITICISED

SPORTSMAN'S POINT OF VIEW

Strong criticism of the methods employed by the Government in deerculling was expressed by a stalker, Mr W. J. Scott, in an interview with a representative of "The Press" last night. He stated that cullers were shooting out all the good stags in the Makarora country and leaving "rubbish" to propagate. Stalkers who annually visited the South Island from the north and overseas were now curtailing their trips, said Mr Scott. "The methods of the Government are strange. Men are sent to almost inaccessible places on the snow line to hunt out the deer and all the best are killed. Tourists from overseas would pay almost any sum to secure good blocks, and they would employ between 10 and 20 men to assist their sport. If the good animals were left alone the Government would derive a very considerable revenue from stalkers."

Mr Scott, who. with Mr D. Crozicr, has just returned from a deer-stalk-ing expedition round about Makarora Valley, said that he had not yet met a stalker who agreed with the Government's methods. Good Specimens Destroyed A big stag, he continued, cleared the hinds away and then offered battle to the intruder. Thus a fine specimen was shot down and the runts were allowed to get away. Malformed deer remained. They offered poor sport and were not at all attractive to stalkers. "It is not culling; it is simply unnecessary slaughter," said Mr Scott. "Four years ago it was possible to secure all the good deer-shooting one could wish for. Now that indiscriminate shooting has been indulged in by Government cullers, there is practically no shooting worthy of the name, unless the stalker is able to shoot in the dark or is willing to pack his gear well into the back country." This year Messrs Scott and Crozier packed up the Young Valley, which, two or three years ago, was probably one of the best deer-stalking areas in the district. Instead of coming across herds in all the open country on the wav up, thev found nothing but signs of "deer feeding at night. Deer were not sighted until the hunters reached lhe head of the valley and the main divide. Quality Not Prcscrvci! An enormous area wa.i covered by the sportsmen, country previously noted for its excellent heads, and not one really first-class trophy was seen. The Government cullers, Mr Scott said, had claimed to have shot 5000 head in that district, but it seemed to him that they had not shot to preserve the quality of the herds. Another point which struck them, was that the deer were adopting the tactics of the grey duck, and only came out at night lo feed. Deer, even in the back districts, had become extremely shy and nervous as a result of the bombardment made by cullers. A rifle shot was enough to clear the whole district now, and after a kill sportsmen had to travel far for another shot. Another unfortunate result of the deterioration of the herds, said Mr Scott, was there were this year far fewei overseas stalkers making trips to the Dominion.