THE WAIRARAPA DEER HERD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 58

THE WAIRARAPA DEER HERD.

QUESTION OF DETERIORATION. (Fbom Our. Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, April 25. The interview with Mr Senior regarding the deterioration of the Wairarapa deer herd has attracted considerable attention here. The secretary of .the Acclimatisation Society. writes to the Dominion stating that Mr Senior's observations are not borne out by the information supplied to the Wellington Society. He cites two instances in which parties secured a few "royals"':—one a thirteen and one a fourteen pointer amongst other heads. As to poaching in the Government sanctuary, he admits that a certain amount goes on, but he adds that the society does *ts best with the means at its command to put it down, W T ith respect to the illicit sale of heads the new regulations providing for the sale of deer's heads and antlers, and for a system of "tags," should go far to minimise this The Acclimatisation Society has taken very effective steps during the past eighteen months towards improving the beads of deer in its district, and is continuing to do so. Mr Senior, in reply, maintains his ground. In the course of his letter he, says :—' I fear many stalkers' accounts of the '' really good heads' they have secured have to be taken with reservation. A gentleman who has just returned from the Wairarapa told me that he had got tour excellent heads—one royal, two eleven pointers, and one ten pointer. I went to see them, and in my opinion they were wretched specimens for New Zealand—thin in the horn, narrow, and very uneven. I was sorry to think that they were to be taken Home as specimens of the Wairarapa stags I went to see the heads shot this yeai in the district, and sent to MacDonald to be set up, ind there was not a good head amongst them." Mr Senior adds that there is no doubt that the Wairarapa herd is deteriorating rapidlj and that it must continue to do so unless the old hinds are shot out, also all malformed stags and small "rotters." lii conclusion he says —" All sportsmen vho come here realise how much we owe to the acclimatisation societies of New Zealand for the trouble they take in the interests, of sport generally, and our only desire is that the Dominion should not lose the good name it has for many years maintained in all parts of the world where there are keen sportsmen "