Warwicks Corner

The ‘97 season will soon be with us. I hope most if not all of you Sambar hunters have been out doing your homework, research surveys etc.

For some reason I haven’t been able to get myself motivated this year. I have only checked out a few areas. A couple of new areas have been visited, only one of which seems to be carrying a reasonable number of deer. One of these areas had all the ingredients to make it the perfect Sambar habitat, but no deer were found and fresh sign was non existent. Maybe we’ll check it again later, closer to the season. Some of the old favourite haunts are also proving to be a little low on numbers. Maybe I’m getting old and can’t cover the country like I used to. None the less I should have things sussed before the season starts.

As I sit here in front of a good fire writing this I think back to the last season and reflect on my involvement with the S.D.M.F. The hours spent stuffing news letters into envelopes, peeling and sticking of labels, ballot night, then the hours of photocopying maps, fact sheets, questionnaires etc then sorting the right map and relevant papers to the right licences, tags, cutting wire ties, and the envelope stuffing and labelling starts again. On top of this it seems like the phone never stops ringing. “I’ve drawn a block in the ballot. How many deer are on it? How do I get to it? Are there any good stags? What is the access like? Do you know any good places to stay? When can I get a look at it?” The questions go on and on. Not that I mind at all, if I can help in any way I will. Truth is I love yarning with hunters and Sambar deer happens to be my favourite subject. Sure as hell beats politics. Often some of the guys that have rung for advice will ring back and report on their hunt, where they hunted, what sign and animals they saw. All good information to pass on to the next hunter.

A lot of these callers have a tale to tell about the one that got away. I’ve heard some good reasons why guys never squeezed the trigger when confronted with the grand daddy of all Sambar stags. Of course you’ve got to believe them. One story takes the cake. This guy’s stag was close, so close he could only see its head and he didn’t want to blow it to pieces. He had not heard that a good taxidermist could fix a fairly big hole. He found out on Saturday night and spent Sunday kicking himself around the block looking for the same stag. It’s still there! How about the guy that crawls into a gorse tunnel only to flush a stag out of the tunnel right over the top of him. I’ll let him tell about his injuries. Keep the phone ringing I love the yarns.

Still I’m asked about preaching trees. A very important part of hunting Sambar stags is being able to recognise their rutting area or territory. Subordinate stags are fairly mobile and have no fixed territory. However dominant master stags are quite focused on gaining territory and protecting it. Fighting does occur where numbers are moderate too high, but rarely when numbers are lower. Dominant stags tolerate their subordinates as until they reach maturity they are of no threat. The dominant stag marks his territory in several ways with antler rubbing, scrapes and preaching trees. Antler rubbing is generally throughout his territory but sometimes more intense around the boundary. With practice you can guess the size of a stag by the rubbing. Scrapes are also found around the boundary. These are shallow depressions, usually 10-20cm deep and about a meter round. Fresh scrapes without leaves, with fresh prints and a strong stag smell are the best signs that a stag is holding hinds in the area.

Now to preaching trees. A lot of hunters tell me that they haven’t seen one and don’t know how to find one. There is nothing more obvious in good Sambar habitat. They are placed around the boundary of the territory, usually in fairly prominent places, just like a sign post. Often they are just off roads and tracks or along the edge of patches of cover. They can be on corners or high points and are along a stags normal routes of travel. These trees have a stand out feature about them. At their base there will be a larger than normal scrape, pawed out away from the tree. Directly above there will be a branch two or more meters high on which the stag leaves his scent. This is excreted from the pre-orbital gland in front of the eye. Its a dark waxy gunge that on closer inspection often has short facial hair stuck to it. The height of the branch is an indication of his size and therefore his dominance, a warning to all lesser stags.

While on the subject of Sambar deer I am disturbed to hear the stories about the number of deer being poached. With game meat buyers back in business and the dollar value back on venison I am sorry to say our Sambar herd is taking a thrashing by a few unscrupulous people that you could not call hunters. This herd is covered by a moratorium put in place by the minister of conservation. Therefore theses people are nothing more than common thieves, stealing our resources for their own financial gain. The more they steal, the less deer there are for the honest hunter. If deer numbers had a chance to rise, more opportunities would become available for these honest hunters. These poachers are depriving us all, so come on guys, speak up. We need your help to stamp out this rude activity. ‘ Save your Sambar herd. Stamp out a poacher.’ Let us know who, what and where and we’ll make sure your info reaches the right people.

Good luck for the coming season.