THE DEER PEST

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 4

THE DEER PEST

KILLING IN HIGH COUNTRY The Government's operations for the destruction of deer to lessen the present menace aro proceeding with very • satisfactory results. The main shooting parties' tire still.. working iv. very • high couutry of the South Island, sometimes at nn altitude of 0000 ft in tho sno'.v, and si heavy, toll of the animals has been taken. Mr. G. F. Yerex, who is in chargo of operations, ha_ sent a further report to tho Ministor of Internal Affairs (the Hon. P. A. de la Porrelle) as to progress being made. "One party," Mr. Ycrex states, "oporating from a base near the head of the Hunter Valley, with an average working strength of five men, killed •147 deer. The operations wore conducted in exceedingly mountainous coun- ! try, and the door are now occupying tlio highest levels near the glaciers and snowficlds. In many cases they have been shot at an altitudo of. 6000 ft, where 1 they aro driven on to the snow, which is now very high up. On one occasion the deer were shot immediately bolow tho crumbliug face of a glacier, and on the men realising the danger of their position from the loud cracks caused by the breaking ice and tho constant falling of huge blocks of ice, the skinning of the carcasses was abandoned. Another party operating from a base , in the valley of the Highburn Stream (a tributary, of., the Hunter River), working for 3_-weeks with an average working strength of 3J. men,.killed 331 door,''-... .' MEN'S WOKK PRAISED. Mr. Yorox speaks in high terms of the work which is being carried out by the men under very difficult conditions, and states that there is. very keen competition as to obtaining the best individual tally for a day f Ho states that it is quito impossble for anyone who is not familiar with the high mountainous country over which operations .are being carried out to have any conception of the nature of the men's achievements, which can only be. described as wonderful. Operations have boon continued at Stewart Island, but detailed results are not available, as the men have been completely cut off from all communication. Arrangements havo been mado to extend tho operations into the Morvan Hills and tho Ashburton district, in each of which localities now parties will operate.