Red deer — traditional target
One wonders if hunters always take a sufficiently deep interest in the animals that they shoot, for if such an interest which encourages an attitude of conservation — an attitude that is so very important at this present low point of animal numbers in areas accessible to week-end sportsmen. To encourage an awareness of the animals as game rather than targets, let us take a look at some of their characteristics.
Number one traditionally in the North Canterbury area is the red deer. They came originally from a liberation in 1861, of three animals at Nelson from English Thorndon Hall Park strain, although there were liberations of four other strains in the area between 1898 and 1923.
It is probably safe to say that the herd remains basically Thomdon strain with characteristics of fairly small, red-brown animals not renowned for producing trophy antlers. These are normally fairly light and narrow with an uprightly oval form and lacking in bez tines. Data taken by branch members indicates that a typical Lewis Pass head would have length and spread measurements of 66cm by 76cm and carry nine points. Of interest, though, to the trophy hunter is the odd animal which turns up from the Windsor-strain liberations near Reefton in 1898. This strain is a mixed one with a Germanic content and the characteristics are a very large body size with broad curly forehead and stronger antlers of a rounded shape and with bez tines normally present. Formation of the North Canterbury Branch of the. New Zealand Deer Stalkers’ Association took place in roughly the same area as. that when the chamois infiltrated into North Canterbury. This followed the liberation of eight Austrian animals at Mount Cook in 1907 and, at the time of writing, chamois has- become the prime target of a large section of our branch membership. Following an earlier period of protection, Government controlled operations on chamois commenced in 1936 and we have progressed
since then through the various stages of Forest Service cullers, Government-assisted private hunter trips, the entry of commercial meat recovery firms operating under permit mainly on deer, to the present day scene of helicopter operations (often blatantly illegal) where anything and everything is taken. During the whole of this time, the chamois have increased their range and they are now found from Fiordland to the Nelson Lakes. The rapid spread has been influenced by the particularly favourable alpine niche they have found in this country, the lack of predators, favourable climate and the comparative inaccessibility (except to helicopters) of the country which they inhabit. The common impression that chamois spend their time bounding about the snow-covered tops is largely false. In hot weather some do indeed favour the high rocky bluffs, but it is at the base of the bluffs where there is usually a large area of permanent snow that they love to rest. Most of the time though, they prefer the scrubcovered fringes of waterfalls and the exposed shingle slips which drop down into the bush streams.
Our own data has shown the following breakdown of habitat useage for chamois shot — high alpine grass and rock 74 per cent, upper bush edge 20 per cent, bush 6 per cent. European authorities consider that chamois eat just about anything which is green, but direct observations in New Zealand and evidence from stomach contents indicate that chamois have “favourites” — plants taken not necessarily in relationship to their availability. Forest Service stomachcontent examination showed that 75 per cent of identifiable plant fragments were grasses — leaves', stalks and seedheads. Some of the plants providing their diet in our patch are mountain tussock species, buttercups, gentians, and sub-alpine scrub species such as . the Gaultherias (a family including snowberry and similar to the garden ericas). Chamois are largely inactive at night, feeding early in the morning and again late in the evening; forward movement is generally less at peak feeding times. In undisturbed country, chamois are most frequently observed on steep welldrained slopes which carry good growths of tussock species.
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Press, 2 March 1982, Page 25
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673Red deer — traditional target Press, 2 March 1982, Page 25
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