[German pointer]

An report in this weeks free paper The Limerick Post staes that the wild deer in Limerick is on the decline as a result of poaching and as a result of this culling licence applications is down 16%. Any other reports of a similar nature from around the country?

[rabbit assassin]

Haha oh yep big time up this end of the country !! Last year we caught three boys out lamping "foxes" on our land. They werent from the area and had no permission to be on the land. They were approached by myself and a friend who spotted them while getting ready to head out for a shot ourselves. We could see someone shining a light about the place up on the hills. All the local lads know its too much of a trek to go lamping foxes so we knew exactly what was going on. We hopped in the jeep and sped up the track which leads round the back and over a few hills and through our woodland.
We got to their pick up and there was 3 lads, 2 with rifles and 1 with a lamp. We asked them the usual questions "what are ye shooting?" "who gave you's permission?" etc.. They said oh we're just shooting foxes and we have permission off Mr.Bloggs he said this is his land. I didnt recognise the name they said gave them permission and being from a small village I can safely say I know every land owner and who owns every field within 2 miles as I am involved in agricultural work myself. My mate spotted 2 deer in the back of the pickup and winked at me to get back in my jeep. He just said "fair enough lads just be safe" So I knew, Oh Fcuk somethings up "
When we got back into my jeep he said act normal and we will head back down to the house. On the way back he rang the guards and fair play they were at the bottom of the lane to meet us within 20 minutes. We explained they had no permission to be on my familys land and that they had 2 deer in their possession and what looked like calibres of rifle not suitable for deer shooting, as well as it being out of deer season.

We waited a good half hour or 45 mins for them to come off the hills and down the lane from the hill. Within that time we had heard 2 shots and the guards heard them too so we were glad. They got to the bottom of the lane eventually and the guards just said to let them deal with it. They confiscated the 2 firearms which were a .223 and a .22 hornet and they had 3 deer in the back of the pick up. I saw red

At the same time I was delighted they were caught. It turns out the lads were from a town that is a good 45 minutes away from me so they were obviously willing to travel to get some deer and they obviously had no deer license nor a firearm capable of dispatching deer humanely.

Definitely a decrease in numbers in my area. Being up at sunrise myself every day I always saw 3 or 4 on the side of the hill across the valley and even more some mornings. I havent seen any in about 3 or 4 months, not a sinner

[Mauser 308]

I noticed a huge decline in deer numbers around the Slieve Blooms in Laois/Offaly this season. Not sure if it was down to the mild winter we had but I was quite concerned by the decline. I stoped shooting the area before the Doe season even started.
During the summer I would often head down there for a walk and normally you would see plenty of Doe's and calfs etc. But last summer I saw a huge difference and it only got worse when the season started. I hope the numbers will return but I am not so sure they will.

[johngalway]

Originally Posted by rabbit assassin

Haha ...... not a sinner

A good news story for a change, well done the both of ye

People who are genuinely out lamping foxes, well, **** sticks because of poachers saying they're after foxes.

[Grizzly 45]

There is no link to the Limerick "Pest"[the paper that brought you the killer mink story!]
It is a commentary on the decline of deer by a "WADI spokesman".
Alarming,and somwhat confirming the suspicion about game dealers being a cause of the problem possibly[?] it states that

"They[game dealers] want to make money so they want as many deer in as they can get" [Italics mine] and "The handlers are worried they will have no busisness going forward".

Dont think you have to be a super brain to see the connection between poaching,game dealers and profit and declneing deer numbers.

TBH this declining deer numbers seems to be a weird one too.Up to last year everyone was reporting that the countryside was being overrun with them.Then within a year the story is they are all gone and the numbers are down.I just cant belive then if game dealers are mousing they dont have enough stock that they have all been shot!! Last GD I sold mine to in Sept was complaining of having too much stock and sold me two huge venison haunches almost for nothing,as it is specific cuts that get the premium prices.
So WTF is going on??Were there really that many deer out there in the first place?Or do we have that a serious poaching problem with that good return for it???
Discuss.

[pugw]

Originally Posted by Grizzly 45

Up to last year everyone was reporting that the countryside was being overrun with them.Then within a year the story is they are all gone and the numbers are down.

+1 I remember hearing it on local radio and seeing it in local papers a few times a year for about 3 years then the opposite this year
1
remember michael healy rae calling for more lads to take up stalking h stills wants a cull anyway http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/20...8/00738.asp#N3

[graham h]

talking about poachers i remember coming home from lamping 1 night and seen a lamp shining over the ditch from the road, anyway the lamp was turned off as i got closer lights came on on a car, and as i got another bit closer more lights came on on the car on the roof, needless to say there where blue and they where lamping on the job and in land they had no permission, and i know they didnt have permissiom cause i know the gamekeeper and the same guard is getting ran off land where he has no permission.

[richiedel123]

Originally Posted by Mauser 308

I noticed a huge decline in deer numbers around the Slieve Blooms in Laois/Offaly this season. Not sure if it was down to the mild winter we had but I was quite concerned by the decline. I stoped shooting the area before the Doe season even started.
During the summer I would often head down there for a walk and normally you would see plenty of Doe's and calfs etc. But last summer I saw a huge difference and it only got worse when the season started. I hope the numbers will return but I am not so sure they will.

I shoot up that area too and I seen one stag all year in my areas and that was on the first morning. I never seen so little deer all year. I would say all year I seen about 30 deer at most where a 2 or 3 years ago I seen that in the first day

[Mauser 308]

Originally Posted by Grizzly 45

TBH this declining deer numbers seems to be a weird one too.Up to last year everyone was reporting that the countryside was being overrun with them.Then within a year the story is they are all gone and the numbers are down.I just cant belive then if game dealers are mousing they dont have enough stock that they have all been shot!! Last GD I sold mine to in Sept was complaining of having too much stock and sold me two huge venison haunches almost for nothing,as it is specific cuts that get the premium prices.
So WTF is going on??Were there really that many deer out there in the first place?Or do we have that a serious poaching problem with that good return for it???
Discuss.

I agree there was a lot of talk of deer over running the place in the last few years. But my fear is that a lot of it was down to two of the toughest winters Ireland had in a good few years. I believe the deer were out of their normal areas and thus more visable. Their numbers I believe have suffered a lot of damage during this time.
Will the numbers return?, hope so, but have my doubts in the next few years.

[Fallow01]

Originally Posted by Grizzly 45

There is no link to the Limerick "Pest"[the paper that brought you the killer mink story!]
It is a commentary on the decline of deer by a "WADI spokesman".
Alarming,and somwhat confirming the suspicion about game dealers being a cause of the problem possibly[?] it states that

"They[game dealers] want to make money so they want as many deer in as they can get" [Italics mine] and "The handlers are worried they will have no busisness going forward".

Dont think you have to be a super brain to see the connection between poaching,game dealers and profit and declneing deer numbers.

TBH this declining deer numbers seems to be a weird one too.Up to last year everyone was reporting that the countryside was being overrun with them.Then within a year the story is they are all gone and the numbers are down.I just cant belive then if game dealers are mousing they dont have enough stock that they have all been shot!! Last GD I sold mine to in Sept was complaining of having too much stock and sold me two huge venison haunches almost for nothing,as it is specific cuts that get the premium prices.
So WTF is going on??Were there really that many deer out there in the first place?Or do we have that a serious poaching problem with that good return for it???
Discuss.

If you remember all the talk of been overrun with deer was normally from the tree huggers or some farmers that one deer on their land was one too many. The tree huggers even brought out that deer report via Woodlands of Ireland & NPWS that claimed they knew how many deer there are in Ireland haha sadly the report gave deer loads of bad media coverage & gave a false impression which has now come home to roost - cause the people at the coal face - us, game dealers, NPWS sec 42's, deer org's like WDAI are all saying the same thing - numbers are way down everywhere & reds are in big trouble

I remember WDAI ran a survey about 2 years ago with foresters & deer stalkers which showed poaching up & deer numbers down.

[Grizzly 45]

Hmmm,still wondering is this selling to game dealers such a good idea
for the following reasons?

There is a dedicated source of income for the unscrouplus game harvester.No matter how small the payment is,it is a source of money and if Game dealers are saying they dont care how or where the carcasses are coming from as they need raw material to sell...

[As an aside there are three premium cuts that make the money for the GD on the carcass,the rest like haunches etc are second rate sellors and are difficult to shift.]

IF,it was an open market where you had to sell your carcass to whomever you could and you were held legally responsible for any cases of food poisioning,or unfit for human consumption carcasses ending up on the market.IOW take the" easy money and no responsibility" factor out of the equation which seems to be a facet of every Irish enterprise or industry.
I reckon you would see a dramatic drop off in illegal game harvesting
there and then,as you have now legal responsibility,and no doubt a bunch of regulations on butchering facilities to keep,which means spending some money as well.
Then the NARGC or WDAI carcass handling course would make 100% sense and I would be signing up for it as well.But as it stands it is a EU directive aimed at countries that have had this right for generations as liscensed hunters.Here we never had that,and it just adds another layer of burrocracy.

[graham h]

i dont know y u all blame the poachers over deer numbers being down i know a licenced stalker that sells 2 game dealer and he has a cool room out his back that can hold up 2 25 deer at a time and he will stalk deer all week long till he can fill that cool room so its not only the poachers that has deer numbers down

[sonofthegun]

Originally Posted by graham h

i dont know y u all blame the poachers over deer numbers being down i know a licenced stalker that sells 2 game dealer and he has a cool room out his back that can hold up 2 25 deer at a time and he will stalk deer all week long till he can fill that cool room so its not only the poachers that has deer numbers down

well said lad it aint all down to lads poaching as in every thing there are a few lads well known in areas that are takeing advantage of being so called licenced hunters we all need to start facing some facts that deer populations are in serious trouble in areas and just because a person is licensed to shoot deer this dose not give them a right to be out over shooting deer every week
sotg

[German pointer]

Originally Posted by sonofthegun

well said lad it aint all down to lads poaching as in every thing there are a few lads well known in areas that are takeing advantage of being so called licenced hunters we all need to start facing some facts that deer populations are in serious trouble in areas and just because a person is licensed to shoot deer this dose not give them a right to be out over shooting deer every week
sotg

Agree with you there, I took 12 this my first year with my own rifle (2 a month) and gave away some to friends and neighbours the rest filled the freezer, we eat alot of game meat here. Freezer is starting to look a little empty so must get a few wild kids in. BTW IMHO it is pointless killing more then you can eat and I would rather not shoot for a year or so and let numbers build then to not shoot at all in a few years when there will nothing to shoot. If they are wiped out what will I teach my kids to shoot when they are old enough.

[Grizzly 45]

Originally Posted by graham h

i dont know y u all blame the poachers over deer numbers being down i know a licenced stalker that sells 2 game dealer and he has a cool room out his back that can hold up 2 25 deer at a time and he will stalk deer all week long till he can fill that cool room so its not only the poachers that has deer numbers down

Thats the major difference between a poacher and an il, or in this case legal game harvester!!!!.Thats a flippin disgrace that a so called "stalker" is carrying on like that!!
He is shooting for profit and not for his own needs.IMO he is NO better than a poacher !!!At least a genuine poacher wouldnt destroy a resource that would keep him and his family fed year in year out.
A DISGRACE to the name of stalker!!