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History

Deer Wars

by RNZ
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Latest episodes

  • What to Listen to Next: Search & Rescue NZ

    October 21, 2025 · 51 min

    Host of the award winning podcast series Deer Wars, Paul Roy brings you his next series - Search & Rescue NZ. Head to the hills, scour the bush, and dive deep into the caves with a series that takes you behind the scenes of the rescues in…

  • Don't Dream. It's Over.

    November 16, 2023 · 43 min

    The era of live deer capture had an aura of glamour to it. But the reality for those involved was very different. The era of live deer capture had an aura of glamour to it, much as ground hunting and aerial venison hunting had…

  • Getting Away With It

    November 14, 2023 · 39 min

    The success of live capture and the skyrocketing prices inevitably encourage poaching. The success of live capture and the skyrocketing prices in the mid 70's (up to $4-5,000 per animal) inevitably encourage poaching. Opotiki-based Milton…

  • Deer Wars

    November 9, 2023 · 39 min

    By the mid 70's things were about to change dramatically. The hunters had become so efficient they were shooting themselves out of a job. From 1967 on, businessman Tim Wallis had exclusive hunting rights to all of Fiordland National Park…

  • Deer Devils

    November 7, 2023 · 39 min

    The mid 1960's are the golden years for aerial hunters. Venison prices are high, fuel costs low and there seems no end to the deer. But something has to change. The numbers of animals are now dwindling. Deer start to become wise to the…

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  • Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

    November 2, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min

    Shooting from choppers is a game changer but teams are learning from scratch, working at break-neck pace in such dangerous terrain that an accident is always on the cards. Shooting deer from choppers may be a game changer but everyone is…

  • Game Changer

    October 31, 2023 · 35 min

    The arrival of helicopters turns the culling business on its head. Hunters shoot deer from the air and with big money to be made, venison recovery will never be the same. It's the early 1960s and helicopters have turned the culling…

  • Shape Up Or Ship Out

    October 26, 2023 · 40 min

    Suddenly everyone wants to be a culler but who will make the cut? Suddenly everyone wants to be a culler but who will make the cut? Books about culling start to attract all sorts of men to the job. But while some are experienced shooters…

  • Good Keen Men

    October 24, 2023 · 44 min

    The elimination strategy hasn't worked. In 20 years, the cullers have shot perhaps 10% of the deer. It's time to up the ante. By the early fifties, it's become apparent that the deer elimination strategy isn't working. One report estimates…

  • The Last Great Adventure

    October 19, 2023 · 35 min

    Red deer run rampant across the high country in New Zealand, causing extensive environmental damage. A 50-year effort to control the invasive animal gets underway. By the 1930's the deer population in New Zealand was out of control and…

  • Introducing: Deer Wars

    October 5, 2023 · 4 min

    Deer Wars tells the story of the 50-year struggle to control New Zealand's red deer population. Lives were lost and fortunes made. Deer Wars tells the story of the 50 year struggle to control New Zealand's red deer population. Numbering in…

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About the show

Back-country legends tell tales of fortunes made and friends lost. Hear from a rich cast of back country characters who fought NZ's battle with Red Deer.... sometimes by hanging out of helicopters.