Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Europe Video: Red deer cull

I managed to go out Sat morning and went to the far side of the forest. There is no access other than on foot so I wanted a red calf or a roe deer... However I spotted a nice stag coming from the moor to the forest. There was no way I could get him out on myself, but there were some hinds too. They were making towards me and when I got a calf in sights I squeezed off a 100gr Sierra PH round of my .243 Win. Reloaded.... and they never run away... They sometimes are confused when you use moderated rifle and they just cant figure out where the shot came from. They were there for a few more minutes and I started thinking maybe I could manage to get a young calf as well...
The younger one offered a neck shot and dropped on the spot. The third hind and a staggie still could not make out what was going on so I just waved to them so they could move away...
When I dragged them for the first 100m I knew I could not make it. I called a friend and we dragged them for another several hundred meters... then we just butchered the lot and got the venison to the car in pieces... it took us only 3 hours
I dont know how these guys from Australia or NZ do it, but I just realized how unfit I am...
I hope you enjoy the vid.

I have watched a lot of the hunting shows for Red Deer in New Zealand. Often times they call in a helicopter. The most work they do is rigging the cable.

The other times they simply drive up to it.

I could do with a helicopter

Glogin; have you ever heard of a "crazy carpet"? it is a thick plastic sheet used for kids sledding in winter. No idea if you have them in the UK. We put a series of grommets onto them and use them to reduce the friction of dragging deer out seems to reduce drag by about 50% percent minimum on dry ground, better on wet grass, best on snow. They are not good for steeper hills obviously. Just a thought. I really enjoy your videos Thanks GRF

Will have to try that not sure if I saw them in the UK not much snow here these days.

I could find a couple and mail them to you if you are interested. I will try to remember to take some pictures and post them here. PM me if you are interested. Please be tolerant of my slow response time. GRF

Yep, thats how they do it for the shows, and I believe on some of the guided hunts (never been on one). It's certainly not how the average NZ hunter operates.

If you can drive up to it - great. No sense making it harder than it needs to be. But more often than not - it's coming out on your back. Backsteaks into your pack, hindquarters over your shoulders. If it's a long walk - feel free to bone out the hindquarters to reduce the weight a bit.

Here's a photo of a red stag from a while back. Hindquarters, back-steaks, rifle and pack on the first trip out - I made a second trip for the (admittedly quite poor) antlers. I was lucky - the walk out was only an hour and because I shot it along a stream, also reasonably flat. It was still heavy.

glogin, over here we have refined it to an art. Sometimes a man handled cart, or a tractor or a conveyor belt. Then load it up, of course with enough manpower!

PaulNZ are you from the N- or the S-Island?

That would be great!

Tractor with a conveyor belt - now we're talking! I suppose it's needed with the size of some of the animals over there.

I'm from the central North Island.

Paul is it sika-red deer hybrid? Looks like a red deer but his antlers more like sika deer? I am asking as hybridization between reds and sika is quite common in Scotland.

Around Taupo somewhere?

"Calf" Sled from UFA works great GRF.

That's great. Makes me wish to stalk the Moor... but I bet I could win the Red Stag dink-a-thon award (antlered division) with this entry.

I can see what you mean - the antlers do look a bit like a sika-red hybrid. I believe the hybrids are quite common in some parts of NZ, although I've never seen one. In this case though, I think it's just a scrubby red . I've never seen or heard of sika in that area.

PieterKriel - I live in Hamilton, about 150km north of Taupo. That stag was shot about 100km north-east of Taupo. Do you know the area?

Well you might not put it on the wall...but it sure looks tasty.

Maybe it is just an angle the stag is laying but his antlers look like sika with the beams going up at an angle not like red deer. Hybridisation between sika and reds is quite a problem in north west of Scotland with hardly any pure red deer left.

LOL, when Craig Boddington comes over maybe...

He was VERY tasty! As in past tense... did not last long!

glogin, what would consider the NW part of Scotland? A few years ago I hunted South of Inverness for Red and Sika stag. Would that fall into the area?

Will try to photos of the slider posted this weekend. GRF