Whitetails have been described as ‘A gentle herbivore with graceful movements, beautiful coat, supple legs, alert brown eyes and stately antlers’. I can’t put it any better. The northern woodland white-tailed deer - Odocoileus virginianus borealis was introduced from New Hampshire USA to New Zealand in 1905 when seven does and two bucks were liberated at Port Pegasus at the bottom of Stewart Island. Nine other animals were liberated at the head of Lake Wakatipu on the South Island.
Total protection from hunting was given to the deer until the first hunting season in 1920 when only two trophies were allowed to be taken. The first known trophy buck had 10 point antlers and was shot in Pegasus in 1922. With antlers measuring 27 ½ inches in length this deer still holds the New Zealand record for length. Very little is known about the early years of the herd but today they can be found over most of the Island. It is often reported that trophies from Stewart Island are not as good as those in the States. However, trophies from New Hampshire are not regarded as particularly large compared to other areas so it is not comparing apples with apples.
Male deer are known as bucks and females as does. In body size whitetail are very similar to fallow deer but that is pretty much where the similarities end. Summer coats are a distinctive red/orange while their winter coat is a distinctive grey leading to them being known locally as Grey Ghosts. With their white features and a huge white tail these are in my view the most attractive of the deer species found in New Zealand. Their small size and compact antlers allows a mounted head to be displayed in a room without resorting to an oversized ceiling.
Whitetail antlers are unique in the deer world and only blacktail and mule deer are similar. Their venison is excellent eating, far better than any of our other species.
The rut begins in mid to late April and peaks in late May but continues through to early June. During June bucks will take does that missed mating in their first cycle and will also take yearlings that first cycle in June. Bucks do not gather up large harems like some other deer species but rather mate with individual does as they come into oestrus.
Bucks mark their territory by rubbing their head and antlers on overhanging branches, leaving scent behind from the glands on their foreheads. Immediately beneath these rubs, they create a scrape into which they urinate. A series of such rubs and scrapes will be freshened up from time, marking out an area of dominance. Bucks also urinate onto their tarsal glands, leaving a trail of scent around their territories.
For trophy hunters, the season is short. Antlers are usually clean of velvet in March. Whitetail bucks cast their antlers far earlier than other deer species and with mature bucks this happens almost as soon as they have finished rutting. The earliest cast buck that I have seen was on June 12. I personally do not recommend trophy hunting after the end of July. The reason for the early casting is not known and seems strange considering that in their homeland they are subject to predation and one would think antlers would be a reasonable defence.
Whitetail are creatures of habit and are often encountered in the same places repeatedly. They are not afraid of people and are commonly found living close to campsites on hunting blocks with hunters frequently encountering a ‘dunny’ deer. In recent times the local law has clamped down on night shooting around Halfmoon Bay, the only populated area on Stewart Island and as a consequence deer numbers have increased and deer are regularly seen in gardens, on roads and even at the local football field.
Whitetails are not particularly vocal deer although they do make a range of communication sounds which are rarely heard by hunters. Both sexes will stamp a foreleg when unsure of danger. When alarmed they snort through their nose. Usually when a hunter hears this snort you can be sure there is more than one deer in the vicinity. Whitetail bucks occasionally grunt during the rut. I say occasionally as in over 35 years hunting them I have only heard a buck grunting once.
Similar to most species of deer, whitetails tend to be more active at dawn and in the late evening. They are predominantly browsers and a large part of their diet is the fallen leaves of broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis) and they regularly frequent the foreshore and beaches to feed on kelp washed ashore.
Hunting over most of Stewart Island is controlled by a block system. The Department of Conservation (DoC) controls 36 blocks on the coastal area and the large area in the centre of the island under an open zone system. Blocks are suitable for six hunters with party maximums of 12 persons and ten rifles and can be booked for up to ten days. A booking fee of $30 is required for blocks.
Those blocks with hunter huts attract a $30 hut levy per hunter regardless of how long you stay. Blocks with Conservation huts require a different per day hut fee ranging from $5 to $22 per night depending on the location. The department has a detailed website covering such things as blocks and block availability, on line bookings, transport operators. Bookings for blocks can only be made 12 months ahead and the popular blocks have hunters sending faxes and emails at midnight a year to the day to try and secure their choice of block. To first-time hunters on Stewart Island the blocks may not look very large but do not be misled; six hunters will not do one block justice.
Rakiura Maori Land Trust manage land on the east coast of the island. They are currently issuing permits for 12 blocks. For the first week they are charging parties $1,000 for blocks with a hut and $600 for blocks with campsites. Transport, cooking, food and so on are your own responsibility.
Whitetails have highly developed senses of smell and hearing but their sight appears largely limited to detecting movement. Many times I have been ignored when in plain sight of animals even at reasonably close quarters; it is not until another sense kicks in that you see that big white tail waving goodbye.
Much of Stewart Island is densely forested, particularly in the north and east. In these forested areas the deer have the advantage. Much of the undergrowth is a dense crown fern (Blechnum discolor) which is unpalatable to deer and very noisy to move through. By far the most successful hunters are those who stand hunt or move very slowly stopping for long periods to watch and listen. Deer will usually be closer to you than you think and close range shooting at less than 50 metres is common. Many hunters make the mistake of scanning as far as they can and overlooking the folds in the terrain and the fact a deer can be completely obscured by crown fern and other vegetation. Low power telescopic sights have an advantage. Almost any centrefire rifle is suitable for whitetail deer but remember these are a tough little animals and thick cover does not lend itself to tracking so a reasonable blood trail is an advantage. When hunting in a new area that you think is hot look up into the trees. There is every likelihood another hunter has built a tree stand. Most blocks have one or more and if you have the patience to sit for long periods they can be rewarding.
On the west coast, blocks have extensive sand dune systems with more open country which allows hunters to sit and observe movement over a greater distance. Blocks on this coast from Mason Bay to Smoky Beach also hold red deer in low numbers.
These western blocks have the attraction of being able to be accessed by fixed wing airplane from Invercargill. Small planes are able to land on the beaches at low tide and given a half hour flight can be cost-effective for up to four hunters. Some blocks can also be accessed by helicopter.
On the north and east coast access is usually by charter boat either sailing direct from Bluff or travelling by ferry to Halfmoon Bay and by charter or water taxi from there. Water taxis are commonly used for access in Paterson Inlet and the closer blocks on the northern coast. Check out the various options carefully. The charter boat cost to the furthest blocks at Pegasus is currently around $5,000 return while a flight for four to Mason Bay will cost around $1,200.
Everyone wants to know the block with the best chance of a good buck. Deer will be found wherever there is feed but other than that you might as well just throw a dart. Blocks that have been disregarded in the past have suddenly come to light with a good buck. Whitetail deer are usually found at lower altitude which is generally where the best feed is. It used to be reported that they are found within a kilometre of the coast. Deer densities in places such as the upper reaches of the Heron and Lords River have more than their share of animals yet further south the upper reaches of big rivers like Robertson and Kopeka are quite different. The reason clearly is the change in vegetation.
Since the advent of trail cameras my team has gathered hundreds of images. In some cases as many as six deer have been recorded less than three hundred metres from campsites and huts. On one occasion eleven different deer passed a camera 340 metres from the hut. About five per cent of these images have been during daylight and their nocturnal habit can only be the result of hunting pressure. We have recorded some very good bucks very close to camp sites.
Some 3,000 hunters visit Stewart Island each year with an average hunt lasting just over seven days. Some blocks are so popular that as one party leaves another arrives either on the same tide or using the same transport operator. Hunter returns over a 40 year period have produced some very consistent facts. It takes an average of ten days for a hunter to shoot a whitetail. In that time he will only see four deer. For every two hunters that visit Stewart Island, one deer is shot. Of course, there are many hunters who never see a deer much less kill one and I seem to be falling into that category in recent years.
For many hunters, deer are just one of the attractions of Stewart Island; the birdlife on the Island is an experience few enjoy on the mainland. It is not unusual to see kiwis feeding during the daylight (the only part of New Zealand where this happens) parakeets and kaka (the bush parrot) are common along with a wide range of other birds. Paua (abalone) are easy to find and some areas also hold oysters and scallops. The clear waters around the island are attractive to divers and line fishing for species such as blue cod and trumpeter. Many hunters consider a boat and motor as essential as their rifle and it is not uncommon for non-hunters to outnumber the hunters on blocks. We encourage all hunters to obey the rules and take only enough for a feed.
When I say we, I am a member of Rakiura Hunter Camp Charitable Trust. During the 1990s we became concerned about the number of trees being cut down at campsites to make shelters, the rubbish that was being left behind and the lack of sanitation. As a permit condition, hunters are required to stay at a designated campsite on each block. This is to avoid a proliferation of campsites on blocks. Working with DoC we came up with a plan to build a hut with water and toilet facilities on selected campsites. Using voluntary labour provided largely by New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA) members, the Trust has now constructed 14 huts on conservation land and we maintain three additional existing huts. Each hut is 3.6 x 8 metres including a 2 metre veranda and has six bunks (four in the Mason Bay huts), a multi-burner stove, 1,000 litre water tank, meat safe and fibreglass long drop toilet. The most recent hut build was at Smoky Beach in February this year at a cost of $34,000, all of which was paid for by hunters through their hut levy.
The project has achieved its aims although rubbish can still be an issue occasionally. It is a big win for hunters as it gives more hunting time without having to assemble and dismantle tent camps and also allows somewhere to dry out if they choose to hunt in the rain. The Trust also provided expertise and volunteer labour to build six huts on Maori Land. One of our goals was to have all huts the same so hunters would know what to expect wherever they went. There is now a very good mix of blocks with either hunters huts, huts shared with trampers or campsites, some of which have toilets and some blocks such as Waituna can be regarded as wilderness with no facilities.
In 2002 Stewart Island became a National Park. While some thought that may signal an end to deer this has not been the case and the value of recreational hunting has been recognised in the Park Management Plan.
Apart from vegetation surveys no work on deer has been undertaken by the land managers for many years. However, members of the Southland Branch of NZDA have been proactive with a number of projects on the island. A number of whitetail were captured at Mason Bay and released with radio collars in an effort to learn how far they travel. The results clearly showed that these animals have a very small home range. One doe had a home range of just over one square kilometre. Even though she lived on a popular block, no sightings of her were reported by hunters. Most of the other deer were shot by hunters, some no more than 400 metres from release points. Two members also age deer from jawbones returned by hunters with over 800 animals aged so far; most animals are only one to two years old while only 19 have been older than 10 years and only two reached 16. While more and better trophies would be available if younger animals were allowed to mature it is a big ask to expect restraint from a young hunter who encounters his first whitetail.
The island is plagued with pests in the form of possums (yes the Australian ones) rats and cats. For the past 15 years DoC has funded a poisoning program over five key high value areas. Possums have been targets and the method has involved 1080 poison in a small bag similar to a teabag nailed to trees. Local deerstalkers and others vigorously opposed DoC’s plan for wider distribution by air but have supported the current program which has in fact achieved a better kill than aerial poisoning. At the present time there is a proposal to eliminate possums, rats and cats from the Island. The current plan is to separate the main township and surrounding land with a predator proof fence and remove these pest inside that area before extending to the remainder of the island. A scoping document a few years ago put the cost for the whole island at in excess of $54 million. I can’t see the taxpayer coughing that up. You can be assured local hunter will have a say in what transpires.
Further information on hunting on Conservation land and transport operators.
Information on blocks administered by Rakiura Maori Land Trust.
Contributed by John De Iury.
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