DEER IN THE MACKENZIE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18042, 6 February 1923, Page 2

DEER IN THE MACKENZIE.

NEED FOR PRECAUTIONS. At the meeting of the Council of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Sooiety on Saturday Mr Harcicastle brought up the question of deer in the Mackenzie Comity, and said thnt„at the last meeting of the Council of the Society, held at Timaru, Mr Macdonald ‘nad remarked that deer-stalking would soon bo available in the Mackenzie, as the deer had crossed tlie Tasman. Personally ho hoped that tho Society would make no effort to have the deer protected, but, on the other hand, would eneourago tho runholders on whoso property the deer now were to have them shot out before they became a nuisance. There was no country east of the Tasman suitable for deer, as without bush ! for shelter and feed in tho .winter and spring the deer would have a hard time when the country is under snow, and without the bush stags could not be expected to grow heads worth shooting. If there were some thousands of acres of bush between the good sheep country ! and the Alp 9 there would be a prospect of their thriving as they have done west of the Tasman; but even the bush feed was fast giving out. Ever since the action taken by the deer-stalkers to induce the Otago and Waitaki Acclimatisation Societies to reduce the number of deer in their districts he held that the deer should not he allowed to occupy country that was suitable for domestic stock. To encourage the running of deer in valuable sheep country in the Mackenzie .would he a great mistake, and woe betide the runholders there if they attempted to grow cereal ■ crops for .sheep feed. Fences would not stop the deer from'having’what they considered their share. The Ohiau watershed was the north-eastern limit of what might be called deer country, and that was now going back. Fortunately the migration of the deer had been to the west, and they should not be allowed to come east. The revenue that the Society may draw from deer-stalkers licenses would only be a fleabite to the losses that the runholders would undergo by the eating o'-' sheep feed and damage to fences and crops. Mr Hardcastle’s remarks were endorsed by the chairman and Council generally. '