Conservation or Extermination

Very soon now the question of extermination or conservation of the deer in New Zealand is going to have to be faced by the Government. In the eyes of some Government departments, notably the Forest Service, deer are vermin, and as such, they are to be eradicated. Policy at the moment, as contained in the Statutes, is extermination and not control.

Is extermination the only course? We, along with thousands of stalkers in New Zealand feel that it is not. Certainly the deer do a great deal of damage in the forests and hill country, but surely some conservation policy must be adopted to run side by side with the planned thinning of the deer population. And should the activities of the professional shooter, armed with his semiautomatic rifle and shooting from a hovering helicopter, be allowed to continue without any restraint whatsoever? To this question we again give a definite no. The professional shooters and the helicopters have bitten deeper into the deer population in recent years than ever it was thought possible. But they should not be allowed to continue in this manner in the future without some thought being given to conservation of what is, or could be if handled correctly, a major tourist draw.

The deer, in the more accessible areas, are now not as plentiful as they were a few years ago and the trophy hunter, after trekking for many miles, is likely to reach a likely area only to find the helicopter ahead of him. The helicopter shooter kills without discrimination. A doe in fawn is just another deer. A fawn is not worth a bullet and so starves to death.

Why not a conservation policy which allows the professional shooter the right to operate during a specific period? Certainly not during the fawning season nor during the roar when the trophy shooters are out after heads.

Some Policy is Definitely Needed.