Irish Extra January 2024
“Another year gone, but so many more to look forward to” was a phrase often used by my grandmother. Christmas and the new year came and went as quickly as it always does but I enjoyed every bit of it with the Teckels and my lurcher “Sadie”. Old “Fudge” who has been with me for 13 years is just now too old for those kinds of days anymore and enjoys taking things a little easier. It doesn’t seem that long ago since she could jump the five-bar gate into a field, ferret all day and go lamping in the evening. Its hard to see a dog get old but I have so many good memories of her I can only smile. From her early life right through until she was around 8 or 9 was a very unique and memorable period in my own life, in many ways a crazy time but one that was thoroughly enjoyable and I have nothing but great memories of both that period in time and her.
I skipped the usual Boxing Day activities, a day that was previously for me and is for many people a very big day out. Many follow Hounds, go shooting or some even make it to the river in Ireland where some stretches open on Boxing Day. I often would slip off on my own with a few dogs and a gun or sometimes just a few dogs! Having had a particularly busy summer and winter this year I decided after many enjoyable days before and after the Holidays I would enjoy a port or three by the fire and give the Teckels short legs a rest after their “incident” with what we thought were Wild Boar but turned out to be Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs that had been dumped, but more about that next month!
Niobe Vom Gesselner Feld -Carcass inspection
As I wrote last month, 2023 was an eventful year for country sports in Ireland and this was reinforced again that same month by the announcement of a deer cull on the cards for 2024. Following a report from a group called “The Irish Deer Management Strategy Group” who have recommended extending hunting seasons for male and female Deer, appointing a national programme manager to set up local “deer management units” and looking at the feasibility of a national deer management agency. The report contained 15 recommendations which were presented to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland. Mr McConalogue said that based on the report, he will appoint a team leader first thing in the New Year who will set up local deer management groups in areas with large deer populations and he will then look at adjusting national laws in relation to expanding the shooting season for deer culling.
The minister said: “The growing deer population is a considerable problem, and I will be actioning the recommendations immediately in the new year. “For agriculture, our natural ecosystem and our forestry ambitions it is important that we have sustainable management of the national wild deer population. “However, the impact of deer proliferation extends far beyond this to road safety, animal health, public health and not least the health and welfare of the deer themselves.”
From the outset, I didn’t personally like the sound of this entire proposal – There were many aspects that didn’t sit right and those were just my own personal thoughts, but I was quite pleased to read a statement from the NARGC (National Association of Regional Game Councils) in December that stated:
“We will be pushing that all Hunters and Deer Stalkers will be involved and not organised groups so that the local stalkers in the area can be involved in the culls.
Currently, it looks like the culls will be only in hot spot areas listed which are Tipperary Wicklow Cork Waterford and Galway. Our deer committee are working out the next steps involved to make it a success for local hunters and Deer stalkers.”
We could produce a three-volume book on the subject of Deer Management, populations, culls or whatever you wish to call it in Ireland and argue all day on the requirement or lack of for a Deer cull and adjustment to open seasons, however that is a discussion for another day. This is in my opinion is a move to, in some way privatise deer management in Ireland and squeeze out the ordinary recreational stalker who could (as the NARGC have rightly stated) have been involved from the off. I feel with a different approach and in cooperation with the hunting and stalking community, a reduction in Deer numbers could be achieved cooperatively and without any strain on the public purse.
While we are on the Deer subject, I slipped off one grey Monday afternoon before Christmas in pursuit of “something for the freezer”. A farmer friend I had met in the shop one evening told me he had spotted a few Deer on his land and I was welcome to visit anytime should I wish. With my usual permissions not looking too lively I decided to take him up on his offer and my daughter and I visited early one morning and late that evening but had no success. That particular Monday evening had an “air” about it and I just had a feeling. I keep all my gear in my truck all the time so its just a matter of loading the rifle, bolt and ammunition from the safe and we are away. I arrived at the location at 3.30 and was well prepared and dressed for an hour or so sit into darkness. My plans were thwarted however when going over the hill I was presented with three red Hinds, two of which took off leaving one staring straight at me. I didn’t even have the cover off the scope and immediately ducked down (although it was pointless) to remove it and set down my sticks. I stood up and the Deer was side on and within the squeeze of the trigger had gone a few yards and dropped. I returne3d to the truck for my rucksack in which I had rubber gloves, knife, bone saw and plastic bags as well as a large 250 litre game bag with an attached drag. As the light dropped, I had the animal gralloched and in the bag and on my way to the vehicle. It was a good heavy pull and took me the best part of 40 minutes. I enlisted a rather perplexed cyclist at the roadside to assist in lifting it into the back and within fifteen minutes I had it home and on a gambrel where it hung for a week or so until my butcher friend “Seamus” made a fine job of it and my daughter and I packed it into the freezer. It was a nice to harvest a nice Deer before the holidays but disappointing that my daughter wasn’t there at the time after her earlier efforts.
Until Next time…Happy New Year