WAIRARAPA DEER HERDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 800, 25 April 1910, Page 4

WAIRARAPA DEER HERDS.

Sir,—My ..'attention has been drawn, to, an article: in. your issue, of-April 20 on the subject of tho "red deer in the Haurangi .Forest, lteserve, -. in;the Wairarapa. The, statement is made therein ihat tho red deer herd has beon.rapidly deteriorating during' the past .four or.- five years, with the alleged result that this year rery t few headswbrth shooting have, been obtaiiicd. '"' This statement is'; certainly, not borne out' by tho information' supplied ' to- tho Wellington Acclimatisation hocioty.' On the contrary, some' stalkers have been' successful in getting particularly fine heads. Mr.; Haliburton/Johnstone, of Auckland, and his brother,,wero only away three days at .tho; reserve when they returned, with the full..number, allowed to be' shot—2.royals, 4 elevens, and 2 (jen .Mr.' Johnstone called upon She' officers of the Acclimatisation Society and stated that this waV his fifth season, ■ that ho had never seen good stags so plentiful, and that'ho-was more than pleased witli,; the sport-'obtained.- ■ The ranger, also reports that,two stalkers from"'tahiatiia, 1 -on" the occasion . of: 'their first-visit to the reserve, secured 5 good heads—2'eleven; 1 twelve; 1 fourteen, and' .1 thirteen-pointers. : I do' not wish to multiply instances, but there is no doubt- that the want of success of some■ ■■ stalkers :was due. to the fact that they were out too soon, and- before the "roaring" really commenced, also to the fact that the deer had changed their quarters from the east to tho centre of that part of the reservo open .to.stalkers .' With regard to'.the statements: about poaching ; in .th'e ;: sanctuary,' d;' certain, iimountvdoes' -.gd' on,'' but the 'Acclimatisation -Society does its' best''with the'Bieans at its command to put-it down, and; of course,'the ranger's visits are not. advertised. Without an,, army of--ranger6 the Martinborough deer: country could not be absolutely protected like an. English deer park. . ~. r .

Mr. Senior," the gentleman".who, was .interviewed in Christchurch, suggests .put-J ting the license, fee up to £o. This would be. all ,very well for' visitors, to whom money is'rio object, but the -Acclimatisation Society , has always been in favour of a fee reasonable enough l to allow-all-those who, wished to join iri, the sport to do so. . . . ; .

. -With respect to the-illicit ,salo of heads,' the new regulations providing for the. sale of deer's heads arid antlers, arid for a system of "tags", should go. far to .minimise this. '■' The Accliriiatisation' Society has, during the' past eighteen --months, taken very effective steps towards-improv-ing the heads of : deer in " its district,, and is-continuing to do so. >•*. i. I regret that . Mr. . Senior, when in Weilingl'on, did not give one of the officers of the Socioty. aii ;opportunity of discussing this questioivwith him, rather than criticising from Christchitrch.

I must apologise for trespassing so much on your space, but I. felt' it my duty to point out that the statements as to. rapid deterioration" are not warranted by the facts.—l am, etc.,

■ A. P. LOWE, Hon. Sec., Wellington Acclimatisation Society. Wellington, April 22, 1910.