DEER STALKERS ENJOY NEARLY RECORD SEASON

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6889, 20 April 1929, Page 6

DEER STALKERS ENJOY NEARLY RECORD SEASON

Good Heads Secured By Local Sportsmen GAME FAIRLY NUMEROUS BUT NOT INCREASING

Deer stalkers in the Alanawatu district have experienced a successful season to date, stated Air T. Andrews, Wellington Acclimitisation Society ranger, to a reporter yesterday. Deer had been fairly plentiful in the districts over which ho ranged, but he did not think that they -were on the increase. This was due to the shooting of large numbers of hinds, which being much less shy than the stags, were more easily killed. Stags had .been , roaring well towards the beginning of the season, which had opened on Alarch 28, and would still answer the stalkers call. Ho had been .out with a conipanibn in the Kahutarawa district; on Wednesday and had been successful in'drawing replies frum 'tw r 'o stags by'means of the horn. Some good heads' had been secured by district sportsmen so far this season, but on the whole, the numbers taken had not been so large as for the previous year’s, stalking period. Usually, some big outstanding heads were brought out of the Ohau district, but this had not been the case eo far this season.

Deer stalkers in the Manawatu district had good hunting grounds, for the Ohau country had yielded some splendid heads, while some of the finest trophies he lmd ever encountered had come out of the Tiritea-Kahutara-wa block. This season 32 licenses had been issued in Palmerston North, which figure was tho highest yet reached as far as the town itself was concerned. A number of tho returns of licenses from other parts of his w r ide district had not yet come to hand, however, and it was impossible to give, definite figures for the whole area. Ho felt sure, however, that from the point of view of the number of licenses issued, tho present season would bo very nearly equal to the best which had yet been experienced.

Heads Secured. From information which he had received, he know that quite a number of good heads had been taken, but until later in the season, ho would be unablo to obtain a full list of the ‘•kills.” In the Tiritea block, Alessrs. F. Kirkland and A. Zcincrt had secured a good bag of three 12-pointers and one 10-pointer, whilo in the same district, Air J. L. Atkinson had shot one 12pointcr and one 10-pointer. At the back of tho Kahutarawa, Air J. Alayo Jnr., had shot a heavy 14pointer stag and in the Alangahao area Mr R. Hall had. secured a 12-pointer. The best heads secured this season had come from the Marigahao-Tokomaru block, where ,Mr Norman White, of Tokomaru, had shot a very heavy 16pointer stag on April 4,. while three days later, Mr W. Dalzcll, also of Tokomaru, had secured a splended 13pointer head. These last two heads, Air Andrews stated, were amongst some of the best which he had seen, particularly the 13-pointcr ,which was a fino head of its class.

In tho Ohau block, Mr J. Mayo Senr. had secured a good 12-point head, while Mr Melville had shot a heavy 14-point-cr stag. Some heads had been secured also in the Taihape-Mangaweka block, but he had not yet ascertained the names of the successful stalkers. No kills of Sambur deer had been reported from the swamps, but Mr Andrews stated that stalkers did not usually go after the sambur until nearer the end of the season, which closes on tho last day of Alav. Owners of the swamp country, which the sambur make their habitat, will not allow the swamps to be disturbed until the opening of the duck-shooting season, so that stalkers generally concentrated on the red deer during April and went after sambur towards the end of tho season.