Thread: Molesworth

Originally Posted by Puddleduk

700 shot, mostly stags probably knowing the usual behavior of WARO in NZ

Big assumption there. According to someone involved in operation they shot animals as they came across them. Were meant to leave big stags but that sometimes goes by the wayside in the heat of the moment, mindful of flying costs/efficiency. There’s way too many deer in places on the station. Head quality has gone down over the years since DOC management restructuring. Jim still has to run an economic farming operation while catering to public access expectations.

Originally Posted by woods223

Big assumption there. According to someone involved in operation they shot animals as they came across them. Were meant to leave big stags but that sometimes goes by the wayside in the heat of the moment, mindful of flying costs/efficiency. There’s way too many deer in places on the station. Head quality has gone down over the years since DOC management restructuring. Jim still has to run an economic farming operation while catering to public access expectations.

Exactly an assumption. And of course they shot animals as they came across them, you don't shoot any if you don't come across them.
Head quality in general has gone down not because of DOC, feed etc. It's because of recreational hunters targeting stags and generally shooting them too young just like YouTube shows. If there is way too many deer in places you don't solve it by shooting stags.
Also bigs mature trophies were once spiders, don't think the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation goes round shooting Wapiti spikers.

Originally Posted by woods223

Big assumption there. According to someone involved in operation they shot animals as they came across them. Were meant to leave big stags but that sometimes goes by the wayside in the heat of the moment, mindful of flying costs/efficiency. There’s way too many deer in places on the station. Head quality has gone down over the years since DOC management restructuring. Jim still has to run an economic farming operation while catering to public access expectations.

In terms of head quality did it used to be open to the public pre the restructuring? There definitely a bunch of deer and pigs when I've been in there.

Originally Posted by Stocky

In terms of head quality did it used to be open to the public pre the restructuring? There definitely a bunch of deer and pigs when I've been in there.

Limited numbers allowed to hunt station before re-structure. Now it's hunted relentlessly if the booking system calendar is anything to go by.

Originally Posted by woods223

Limited numbers allowed to hunt station before re-structure. Now it's hunted relentlessly if the booking system calendar is anything to go by.

Aint that the truth. Hardly ever a empty slot. Booked, booked and more booked.

I suspect that not a lot of those hunters are in there doing population control tho. More than likely stag focused.

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Originally Posted by kukuwai

Aint that the truth. Hardly ever a empty slot. Booked, booked and more booked.

I suspect that not a lot of those hunters are in there doing population control tho. More than likely stag focused.

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You’re probably right. Hardly hear of hunters doing any control shooting, they seem too focused on ‘trophy’ stags.
Countrywide, hunters as a group have to realise that leaving females does fuck all but lead to too high population levels. Taking out inferior stags and even a few trophy stags does bugger all for population control or improvement of the gene pool. Remember too that for every animal you see there’s often another five or so that you don’t. Flying an area in a chopper or even a plane soon reinforces that.