The Sika

The Sika

D Bruce Banwell

Bruce Banwell has been involved with the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association since 1948. He has been a member of eight different branches, president of three, executive member of four and secretary and treasurer of Southland branch. He is at present Deputy Chief Judge with the responsibilty of training the personnel of the National Judging Panel..

His hunting and interest has found him in almost every corner of New Zealand where deer are found. His research into this animal as a species has taken him to the majority of deer range  of the northern hemisphere from the Hebrides, across the Eurasian continent to Manitoba in Canada and many parts of Asia. He has researched the origins and history of Red deer, Sika, Wapiti, Fallow deer, Rusa, Sambar and Whitetail deer in particular the various species, subspecies and strains that were introduced and acclimatised here in New Zealand.

His knowledge of deer has recently been used to send samples of DNA from Otago Red deer believed to be the last remaining pure strain of Cervus elaphus scoticus in the world to the UK so that they can be comapred to remaining strains of Red deer in Scotland and Ireland. His writing appears regularly in journals and magazines here in New Zealand, Australia and other overseas countries, including regular contributions to the British Deer Association’s journal, Deer. He is a member of the Deer Specialist Group of the I.U.C.N. (World Conservation Union).

The Sika, was the first in a series of books that will eventually form the official N.Z.D.A. record series, covering the top trophies taken in New Zealand for all game animals recognised by that organisation. Each work will look at the origin, liberation, spread and establishment, present status, location and how to hunt information, as well as listing all known trophies and their Douglas Score statistics as recorded by the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association.

Now reprinted and updated to include all the top tropies taken in the past ten years since the first edition.