Deer cullers’ reunion

Press, 26 July 1984, Page 10

Deer cullers’ reunion

More than 100 former deer cullers — shooters employed by the Government to exterminate deer and other large animal pests in New Zealand’s alpine and forst regions — have registered to attend the national reunion of the .New Zealand Deer Cullers’ Society. Shooters will come from all parts of New Zealand for the events, which will be held from August 3 to 5 at two venues at Kaiapoi. It will be the seventh triennial reunion held by the society. The society’s reunion committee expects applications up to the opening day to boost the attendance to about 200 shooters, and a gathering of about 450, including wives and families. Late registrations are being accepted from midday on the opening day, August 3. The reunion will return to Canterbury for the first time since 1966, when Christchurch was host to the first reunion. At that gathering the society was formed and resolved to hold reunions every three years, alternating with venues in the North and South Islands. Other reunions have been

held at Rotorua in 1969, Nelson in 1972, Palmerston North in 1975, Hokitika in 1978, and Taupo in 1981. The society has a membership of 430 former shooters, from districts as far north as Great Barrier Island and Whangarei, to Southland and Stewart Island. Nine members now' live in Australia, two in Canada, and one in South Africa. The efforts of deer cullers working from tent camps or huts in remote mountain and bush areas of both islands led to huge reductions in animal numbers — in some cases several thousand animals eradicated from critical watersheds each year. These inroads into noxious animal populations were later accelerated with the use of helicopter hunting for carcases, and then live animals.

The success of their efforts can be seen in the remarkable regeneration of native bush and grasslands throughout New Zealand’s mountain and forest regions. The Government’s deer destruction campaign began

in 1931, when the huge increases in deer numbers and the erosion they caused in mountain areas became evident Major G. F. Yerex was the man responsible for organising the mammoth campaign for the Internal Affairs Department Before 1931 the deer herds were the responsibility of acclimatisation societies, and a licence system of shooting was in force, Two deer cullers who will attend the reunion were employed as shooters during the period of acclimatisation society control. Mr Bert Vercoe, of Rotorua, and Mr Jack Collins, of Nelson, were employed from 1929 and 1930 respectively, in what was then the true “culling” of deer. The task of Mr Vercoe in the Hunter Valley, South Westland, and Mr Collins, at Lake Hawea, and other shooters employed at that time,'was to cull unwanted animals. Mr Norman Davey, of Christchurch, who is president of the deer culler’s reunion committee, said that originally the deer herds substantially increased their numbers in the areas in which they were liberated, and did not disperse widely until later shooting pressure. Consequently, because of over-browsing in certain areas, and the huge numbers which built up, the antler quality of some stags deteriorated and these animals, and many hinds, were shot to help maintain herd quality. The numbers of deer increased out of hand, however, and deer cullers became deer killers, but the original name stuck. Other early shooters who have registered for the re-

union from the period from 1931 to 1940 include Messrs Charles Moore (Luggate), Fred Drabble (Whakatane), Wally Morgan (North Auckland), Bill Chisholm (Blenheim), and Lance Boyd (Kaiakoura). Mr Chisholm was for many years manager of Molesworth, New Zealand’s biggest pastoral station, in the Marlborough high country. He was awarded the MJBJS. in 1966 for his services to farming. Among other deer cullers to attend will be at least two authors, Rex Forrester, of Rotorua, and Gordon Roberts, of Rangiora, who have written works on New Zealand’s high country and outdoor and wildlife topics. Some shooters continued their careers as field officers in the deer culling campaign, or in other branches of forestry and wildlife ranging and management, until retirement They had careers of up to 50 years in the bush. The list of cullers will also include one of New Zealand’s leading international smallbore rifle shooters, Leon Griebel, of Blenheim. He won the New Zealand championship in 1982 and was a representative in the New Zealand team at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane that year. He gained twelfth place in the prone indivi-

dual shoot He also competed in the South Pacific regional championships m Christchurch . earlier ♦ this year. Many deer cullers have become deer farmers, so that their careers have taken the same full circle as New Zealand’s in regard to deer management, from exterminating to farming these animals. Others run deer-recovery helicopters and many others are in branches of wildlife conservation, including national parks and forest reserve management This year’s reunion will comprise a dinner on Friday, August 3; the triennial meeting of the society and a social evening on Saturday, August 4; and a field day on Sunday, August 5. The field day will include contests in backpack races, stag roaring, boulder-hopping races, range guessing, activities for children, and a hangt The list of trophies and prizes to be competed for in the various field day events has been boosted by new trophies this year, given by sports goods and venisonrecovery firms and others. A feature of the field day venue will be a tent camp (equipped with baking and other utensils), similar to the camps which were home in the mountains, sometimes up to 80km from civilisation, for deer cullers.