Thread: Recommendation for book about hunting red deer in SI?

Hi team, intermediate level hunter here but I’m keen to get a bit more technical in my skills. Does anyone have a recommendation for a book that covers all aspects of hunting red deer in the South Island? I’m keen to learn more about deer habits, what they eat, seasonal changes in behaviour, ageing etc.
I understand the basics well enough but just more looking for that next level of knowledge/understanding their environment
Cheers

Lentle and Saxton have several books

This was first in my results


https://thehunter.nz/alpine-hunting-...-frank-saxton/



Should be in the library

Lentle and Saxton books are the way to go.

Red deer in Nz
Stalking the seasons round
Alpine hunting

And another one I didn't know about but will add to collection
Tracking and finding deer in nz

I have a book that you can borrow: How To Hunt Sika Deer by Alan Simmons. Ok it is written for Sika but the lessons and thinking are transferable skills and will improve your hunting whereas the Lentil / saxton books will only improve general knowledge

Originally Posted by jpurdon

Hi team, intermediate level hunter here but I’m keen to get a bit more technical in my skills. Does anyone have a recommendation for a book that covers all aspects of hunting red deer in the South Island? I’m keen to learn more about deer habits, what they eat, seasonal changes in behaviour, ageing etc.
I understand the basics well enough but just more looking for that next level of knowledge/understanding their environment
Cheers

-try google - what you want are journals done from research into deer -their diet etc many have been done and a lot were produced especially in seventies by NZFS -some will be specific to areas -so many hunting books are just personal experiences and not any scientific study which is what you want - diet palatable species of scrubs plants etc info on Kawekas only helpfull in stalking techniques not diet in South Island very different

Sounds like Lentle and Saxton may be the way to go. Will have a nosy round town and see if I can get my hands on any. Cheers

Lentil and saxton will teach you clever names for gutting like 'Gralloch' and then the worlds slowest most impractical method of actually doing it. I dont rate their books, seriously authors like A Simmons who have been cullers and meat hunters are the ones to learn from imo

Check out s/h book shops.

Moa Hunter....Im not sure which books you read...but our recolection of the lentil n saxton books differ greatly...
RED DEER in new zealand is VERY specific about where when and how for reds...its long been considered a bible and a must read
the stalking the seasons round is species specific and gives guide s t owhat each species will be doing at that time of year
the stalkers companion is a general mish mash of bits n bobs of knowledge
the alpine one is tahr n chammy more than deer but has deer in there
HOW you could even begin to believe that blowhard liar Alan Simmons would give better information is beyond me....
maybe you should read his other book...I made mistake of buying a copy...gave it away as recognised enough outright bullshit in one chapter to put me right off......Im one of the two school boys who did the fencing in the maungiti chapter.......

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Moa Hunter....Im not sure which books you read...but our recolection of the lentil n saxton books differ greatly...
RED DEER in new zealand is VERY specific about where when and how for reds...its long been considered a bible and a must read
the stalking the seasons round is species specific and gives guide s t owhat each species will be doing at that time of year
the stalkers companion is a general mish mash of bits n bobs of knowledge
the alpine one is tahr n chammy more than deer but has deer in there
HOW you could even begin to believe that blowhard liar Alan Simmons would give better information is beyond me....
maybe you should read his other book...I made mistake of buying a copy...gave it away as recognised enough outright bullshit in one chapter to put me right off......Im one of the two school boys who did the fencing in the maungiti chapter.......

I have 'Stalking the seasons' that I would give away but I am yet to meet a person I dislike sufficiently to burden with its worthless Gralloching text.
If their books are considered the bible they sure wernt looking at the stone tablets handed to Moses when writing their version of the ten commandments.
You may not like Simmons direct style fine but my qualifier was "authors who have been cullers and meat hunters are the ones to learn from imo "

See you on the hill with your surgeons saw splitting the brisket in the dark so you can remove the Plucks !

cullers and meat hunters...and safari guide and poacher...and the list goes on..... yes those are indeed good qualifications...if you want to see good efficent butchering..those same graf boys do it very well using only a mercator!!!!
your stalking the seasons around is asked for possibly once every two months on this very forum
I believe there is fella asking for a copy right now

Originally Posted by jpurdon

Sounds like Lentle and Saxton may be the way to go. Will have a nosy round town and see if I can get my hands on any. Cheers

Saw a copy in the Hornby Library just yesterday plus some other good reading on the subject.

Originally Posted by Tedz50

Saw a copy in the Hornby Library just yesterday plus some other good reading on the subject.

Hopefully you did the right thing and tossed it in the urinal

I didn't have to look far, turns out the guy next to me at work has Hunting Red Deer in NZ and Stalking the Seasons Round