HAWEA DEER HERD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 76

HAWEA DEER HERD.

WORK OF CULLING. (Fboji Ouk Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 3. Mr P. F. Hadow, an English sportsman, who has been deer-stalking for two months in the Hawea district, and Mr E. Hardcastle, had a long conversation on Wednesday with Mr R. Chisholm, president of the Otago Acclimatisation Society, in reference to the culling work now being done in the herd. Mr Chisholm, who was one of the deputation from the society which visited the forest a few months ago, has now a better understanding of the nature of the country and the difficulty of the work to be undertaken. A ranger has been appointed for a year, and he has been given an assistant for a time, their work being confined at present to shooting inferior stags that are making their way back into the Hunter from the lower country. It is necessary that every effort should be made to prevent the spread of inferior deer across the Hunter, and it was pointed out to Mr Chisholm that the principal line of migration of these animals, which is through the Dingle, has hardly yet been touched. The ranger proposes to heavily cull the Upper Dingle in the spring. The question of allotting camps was discussed, and several suggestions were made with a view to improving the system adopted by the society this last season, which had worked very well, as there was plenty of ground available for the reduced number of stalkers then out. Mr Chisholm pointed out that the society was committed this year to an expenditure equal to double the amount of revenue from the deer-

stalkers' licenses, and his view that the Minister of Internal Aiiairs had made a mistake in not agreeing to the society's recommendation as to the amcunt of the fee was endorsed by the two stalkers. Mr Hardcastle pointed out that if the whole of the revenue from the deer herd were available there woidd be sufficient funds. Mr Chisholm admitted that it was no use for his society to cull its ground if the Waitaki Society did nothing on its side. His society could not, however, take any action regarding the alteration of the boundary between the two districts so as to include the whole of the herd under the Otago Society's jurisdiction. Mr Hardcastle said that it was intended to take outside in this matter. Mr Chisholm thank the two stalkers for their suggestions, and said that they would be brought before the council.