Hunting for a new perspective

Ruapehu Bulletin, 1 September 1992, Page 23

Hunting for a new perspective

By Cam Speedy, Senior Conservation Officer, Wild Animal Management. This article is reprinted from "Tongariro, The Journal of Tongariro National Park." Every year many thousands of visitors descend upon Tongariro National Park to enjoy its snow, scenery, geology and wildlife, to take up the many challenges its slopes offer, or just to relax in a natural environment. To these visitors the protection of this natural environment is extremely important and this is reflected in the legislation under which the park is managed. To one group how-

ever, legislation and often public attitude seem against their aspirations. That user group is the hunters who seek Tongariro's red deer. Red deer were liberated in and around the park in the late 1800s/early 1900s, but their presence poses a threat to the park's natural ecology. Some would say that man poses a far greater threat, but that is not the point of this article. There is little doubt that red deer have altered the structure of many of the vegetation associations within the park, but to a relatively small but dcdicated user group

referred to as "recreational hunters", the presence of deer is a positive thing, making the park all the more attractive. If the truth be known, the sight of a large stag in the bush or bolting down a mountain would be a highlight for any visitor, not just a hunter, for deer add something special to the landscape. Nevertheless, hunting is a form of outdoor recreation which is often overlooked in Tongariro National Park by visitors, managers and legislation alike. Perhaps it is overshadowed by the hype of the ski season. Maybe it is the paranoia

of forest destruction which was experienced in parts of New Zealand earlier this century. Despite a lack of interest from other quarters though, in the forests far below the skifields and on the alpine scree slopes long after winter snow has melted down the mighty Whanganui, you will find foot slogging hunters quietly enjoying their recreation in increasing numbers.Why?you may ask: Tongariro National Park doesn't have a high deer population. You're right. Recreational hunters are so effective in keeping deer numbers down that there are not

high numbers anywhere in the park. You may see a hoofprint here or a bush nibbled there; if you're really lucky you might catch a glimpse of a ginger blur bouncing off the track as you walk. But except for a few localiscd areas, deer numbers are low. Exclosure plots, which exclude deer from small areas of forest and which are scattered in various forest types throughout the park, clearly show that many of the park's forests suffer very little from deer browse at prescnt population levels. And still, for many people the mere thought of deer,

alien vermin in a national park, incites cries of "extermination". Fortunately from a hunter's perspective, deer are now a part of Tongariro National Park whether we likc it or not. The best the purist can hope for today is that the population be maintained, as recreational hunters are doing, at a low level. In low numbers the impacts of deer on forests and grasslands are not great, and for one user group at least, deer offer a different and exciting challenge within the park. It is this chal-

lenge that is attracting more and more young men to Tongariro National Park, not as trampers or climbers or skiers, but as hunters. Hunters who have as close a bond with the natural environment as any user group. Maybe it's time we starled to accept a little more that deer are now a part of what we know as Tongariro National Park, and recognise hunters as the special and dedicated user group they are. A user group that unlike many others, has a positive impact on the natural environment.