SCI has outdoor videos showing MONSTER red stag, fallow deer, and elk in New Zealand. Are these monsters pen raised and then released for hunting in large pasteurs?

Here we go again.....

Yes , in all probability the specimens shown in the video were farm-raised and released into a "hunting" area.

No , emphatically , not all deer in New Zealand are farm reared and hunted under those conditions .

There is any amount of free-range , truly wild species to hunt here on both public and private land. Yes - there are outfitters here who will sell you a package that includes fenced hunting if you so desire , but there just as many who will do the hard yards in the wild for you to get a wild trophy.

Its over to you to decide how big a trophy you want and wether it bothers you that it was farm-raised specifically as a trophy ( and how much money you want to spend doing it ).

Why does this subject keep raising its head ?????

the deer farmers did a good job selecting and culling animals on antler size. good genetics with a brillient depth

Gidday Guys,

We bitch and moan that all big heads are raised behind wire however the standard of heads being taken from feral herds has improved no end as a result of the deer farmers.

The gene pool of the feral herds has improved greatly as a result of escapees from the farms and the odd deliberate liberation.

I must say that the heads I am seeing now are a lot better than they were 20 - 30 years ago and I can assure you they are definitely wild, these deer have never seen a fence.

Nah I don't bitch and moan about fence hunters. They do what they do and I do what I do and the stags they just keep getting better.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
Here we go again.....

...

Why does this subject keep raising its head ?????

Muzza,

It is not surprising it keeps coming up and will continue to comeup for ever. Because shooting a tame pen raised deer has no trophy value at all.

If it was honest, why isn't it all out in the open when the "hunter" tells his story and why are photographs taken without the fences behind?

Anyway here is a photo from the recent SCI Safari show in Aust. No reflection on the whole show but there were two deer breeder tables. Pick your own "trophy" tame stag.

quote:

Nah I don't bitch and moan about fence hunters. They do what they do and I do what I do and the stags they just keep getting better.

agreed, i couldnt give 2 shitz about fenced hunts/shoots it dose nothing for me. but some tourist comes over and forks out big bucks that gos back into the comunity the land owner would be mad not to take it. hard enough to earn a dollar in farming at the best of times.
greg

not to forget where we got all our red deer from originally? yep thats right, parks. also part of the reason there are bigger heads now is feed quality. in the 1950s things looked pretty grazed out but now the native stuff is regenerating and a deer can eat a bit more, and thus be in better condition. a skinny stag is unlikely to grow as bigger set of antlers as he could if he were prime condition.

all that is happening now in the deer farming world is selective breeding to get the best of the best.

the way hunters cull is all backwards trophy wise, we all shoot the biggest antlered stags and the smaller antler stags get to breed with the hinds. that makes the next generation have a smaller set of antlers and so on. the deer farmers have just selected big antlers, big antlers, big antlers.

im deffinately not complaining about the general increase in trophy quality!

this year i hope you all get a decent pair of antlers to hang on your wall! and dont forgot to knock over a few hinds too. got to keep the numbers under control before the blades of the sky get into them again, or even more 1080ing.

Thanks for the replies. I was recently in NZ (Sourth Island), and I fell in love with it. The people were fantastic and as unspoiled as the terrain - the way people should be World wide. I'd like to return and hunt, but only truly wild game, not pen raised.

What percent of NZ is public? What would a quality public land hunt cost? What would a quality hunt "behind-the-wire" cost? Can you bring your own guns into NZ?

Warm regards, AIU

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
Here we go again.....

...

Why does this subject keep raising its head ?????

Anyway here is a photo from the recent SCI Safari show in Aust. No reflection on the whole show but there were two deer breeder tables. Pick your own "trophy" tame stag.

[

Was this guy offering hunts Nitro? As far as I know he was only there to sell breeding animals to other deer breeders (like you and I) and game ranches of course. I have bought bucks from this guy before, for breeding purposes.

Remembering of course that high fence hunting in NSW, where this guy operates is illegal.

Unless you know something more about this?...

Cheers mate
MG

I didn't make any allegation this guy was conducting hunts ?????

ie

quote:

Anyway here is a photo from the recent SCI Safari show in Aust. No reflection on the whole show but there were two deer breeder tables. Pick your own "trophy" tame stag.

But look closely at the photographs and make you own mind up.

I guess - if you really want to be pedantic about it - all animals in New Zealand are captive due to us being a series of islands . Obviously thy cant escape from here so they are captives , as we all are ...

This thread is another good reason for us to get the NZ Hunting Guide Information posted for all to read before they ask those questions.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
I didn't make any allegation this guy was conducting hunts ?????

But look closely at the photographs and make you own mind up.

Aye kurumba!! sorry John. I didnt notice those piccies in there....
I couldnt see the forest for the trees!!

Gidday AIU,

I don't have the exact degree of public ownership but I believe the South Island is somewhere in the area of 25 - 30% public land, most of which is huntable.

As for prices you would have to check with the guides concerned.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

I have a lazy ten grand,i think i will shoot that fallow buck third row second pic...oops? not enough money? hahaaa I dont know what this mob charges but if its in line with the big NZ mobs with their super menus,spas and vibrating beds in "camp" it might just not be enough.

There has been a fella down here posting ads in the rural newspaper "THE WEEKLY TIMES" "FOR HUNTERS TO COME AND SHOOT YOUR TROPHY WAPITI BULL"

This is the Gundooee (sp) wapiti stud that is selling them as 'TROPHIES"...he has run the ads for a month or more only recently.
Hey he has to value add to his otherwise 'meat animals" so why not eh,saves a trip to the US,Canada,Mongolia or NZ even.Yeah i`m all for it...like f$%#!

Quote muzza.



Posted 05 March 2007 14:11 Hide Post
I guess - if you really want to be pedantic about it - all animals in New Zealand are captive due to us being a series of islands . Obviously thy cant escape from here so they are captives , as we all are ...


MUZZA my old dear friend thats not being pedantic its being rather silly of you old chap.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
I didnt notice those piccies in there....

Matt

How the deer get from a farm to in front of the "hunter's" rifle I don't know and am not speculating.

Personally I have no problem with using farm bred offspring to improve wild herds. Note it may be illegal in some places. However releasing a mature stag that has been in captivity for 8 years is no fair chase hunting proposition for at least 1 year, if not a lot longer if it is turned out "wild".

In many parts of Oz it would be legal to release genetically superior stags into hunting paddocks with fences meeting minimum requirements.

I don't know what the law is with released stags in NZ.

A better genetic / fair chase result would be young spikers of excellent genetic stock. By the time they are trophy class they will be well and truly "game". Also have the opportunity to have passed on some genes.

Also does of similar stock. They tend to last till older age and don't get a bullet yet drop several male fawns over their lifetime.

nitrox, it is illegal over here to release farmed deer into the wild. any stags grown on a farm are taken to another bit of privately owned land and it will have a highwire all the way around to keep the deer in, a big stag is fairly expensive so its worth keeping them in!

i cant remember what the fine is if you are caught releasing farmed deer into the wild but i think its $100,000 but im unsure.

Yes Paul is right,releasing deer into the wild is illegal,but so is speeding

Yes its a real shame about people releasing Fallow all over the place

What's wrong with fallow?

NO !

NO !

and for the 3rd time.......
NO !

Do you mean Yes Yes Yes??

Yes to these all being free range wild fallow. No to all good trophy in NZ having to be taken behind the wire.
The first photo was taken yesterday and begins what we expect to be a very good hunting season down here.
Note the double trez on right antler!
Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
What's wrong with fallow?

I was taking the piss its great to see Fallow and other deer being released.

Dam fine Fallow there Highlander.

Nice fallow there!