CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEER

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1931, Page 7

CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEER

THE WORK OF DESTRUCTION.

LARGE NUMBERS ACCOUNTED FOR.

The campaign for the destruction of deer in the South Island is proceeding satisfactorily, and large numbers have been accounted for. In one day in the Lake Hawea area 204 deer were shot. The official parties engaged in the work are in charge of Mr. G, F. Yerex, of the Department of Internal Affairs, who has just sent the Minister (the Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle) a further report. He states that, although the operations have, been hampered by rain and frequent falls of snow, the results have been excellent.

During three weeks a party of six men killed 327 deer and recovered 126 skins. That brought the total, Mr; Yerex states, of the number of deer destroyed on a property over which operations were being carried out to 680. “These oper’ations,” the report states, “had been conducted systematically with, a view to concentrating the surviving deer in the head of the East Burn Valley, and they culminated in an organised drive there when .204 deer were shot in one day —further evidence of the wholesale slaughter possible in the driving principle adopted. The only hitch in connection with the drive was that some of the men who happened to ba in the most favourable positions ran out of ammunition, otherwise an even larger number, of deer would have been killed. This party was moved to the head of Lake Hawea on January 26, and was then to proceed to the head of the Hunter Valley. It is, however, proposed to reyisit the previous area later, and from the experience gained as to passes, etj?., it is expected that excellent results will be obtained. A new party was assembled and taken to the head of Take Hawea on January 20, and commenced operations the following day, but their results for the remainder of the mouth are not yet available. At Stewart Island operations were resumed on January 5 by two men, another resuming on the 9th, and. the party has since been maintained st a strength of three only. A total of 86 deer were killed and 68 skins, recovered.”

Mr. Yerex tried the new special guns, and the fact that the only deer, three in number, at which he fired were ail killed, would appear to indicate their efficacy, especially as one particularly red stag was killed outright. Although these guns were obtained primarily to deal with Virginian deer, he states that in view of his experience with the ‘nms, he is of opinion that apart from their usefulness on Stewart Island, they will be found very efficacious for bush shooting in other areas.