DEER IN SOUTH WESTLAND

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1929, Page 7

DEER IN SOUTH WESTLAND

HERDS UNDER CONTROL. Referring to the reported menace of deer in South Westland, the Westland AccimiOiisaLion Society is In receipt of the following report from its Culling Ranger in respect to matters affecting the herds:— “I note von wish me to report progress quarterly and advise your Society of the state of the herds, etc. As this country is under snow all the winter above the bush, and no deer to speak of out of the bush in the valley beds, the only time much can lie done is from November Ist to M..y SOeii. Bush shooting is almost impossible owing to the density, .of the undergrowth. The deer are not in large numbers here, and my shooting seems to be pretty well holding them at about one thing, and I have nol to go far north-west to run almost out of them.

I do not find the deer are doing the very slightest damage to the timber even where, they have been well established for nearly 20 years. It is true they have eaten out some of the scrubs, black scrub, Corimeru and a few such useless growths, but in no case do 1 see any damage done to timber. In fact, I would go further and say the deer are doing good to the timber to keep down certain growths which are harmful to good timber. il found young “timber” trees all through this forest, both pines and bushes, untouched by deer and cannot understand the attitude of those who evidently don’t know anything about the matter saying the d-'er are a menace to the timber. I note there is some likelihood of the Government allowing license holders to shoot as many stags as they wish. This I consider a most fatal mistake, and if carried out will he the end of our fine big heads in a few years. This will be a big loss to the country as we all know sportsmen in large numbers have come from all over the world after our big red deer trophies (the best in the world of this kind), and left many thousands of pounds in New Zealand. The Government are going to put an end to this if they allow unlimited stags to be shot. Allow license holders to kill all the hinds they wish but not slags. Why this howl about the deer and what does it mean? The people who are living amongst'’them, run holders and others are not saying a word with the exception of a few who have, cattle on the river fiats and the deer aro stealing some of their feed, and they are. only too ready to give them a pretty rough, time with their rifles.

lam afraid lam getting well away from anything 'in the shape of a report, but please may I be excused as I feel strongly on. the matter. However truth is truth and the wild statements of a few inexperienced and really uneffeetual people trying to make out that deer are ruining the timber does not alter the fact that they are not. I can prove my words to any person who is prepared to pay mo for my lost time by taking them through the timber where deer are very numerous, and they had better supply themselves with a slasher as they will need it. Last season whilst acting as guide to Mr Balfour Brown I had to ompolv two men a good part of the time cutting tracks through the dense undergrowth so that we could get tlie heads out. On that block deer have been in large numbers for twenty years.

At the same time .1 am a strong, upholder of keeping the deer in cheek, as if allowed to become too plentiful good heads are not to he got and the sport and money spent on deer stalking is lost. I would he very sorrv to sec 1 South Westland come to this, as it is most probably the finest existing deer forest in the world at the present time. 1 expect to have KICK) deer shot by the end of March as I will not lose any time this summer as I did last owing to building the hut and floods taking the track away. Let me finally impress upon your Society fill at strict protection here during March and April is the only way dew will ever be shot in any number, as no one is coming away out into the big rough country to shoot deer for fun when they can get shooting round tho Lakes out of a motor car. As for shooting for the Government subsidy alone, why one would not live at it. Also I trust the Society will do all in their power to keep a limit on the number of stags shot or our fine forest will soon -be a thing of the past.