News

Our Stag Team
21 Jan 2004

title

Deer Improvement Stag Team 2004

 

Key Points

 

  • Deer Improvement recognises that the industry is experiencing a cyclical low, but this was obvious when LIC made the decision to invest in the future of deer. One consequence of the downturn is the effect on stag prices. This has enabled Deer Improvement to secure ownership of virtually every stag targeted by our buying team in the auctions just completed, and the good news for commercial deer farmers is that these genetics are now available.
  • This is just the start. Through a combination of breeding in our own nucleus herd and progeny testing in commercial herds under contract, Deer Improvement will quickly identify the best of the best. It will use the top performing progeny in future stag teams, as well as continuing to source the cream of the crop from the rest of the industry.
  • Stud selection criteria
  • breeding goal (venison growth rate, temperament, early maturation)
  • availability of Deer Breeding Values (DBVs are an essential tool to enable accurate prediction of the genes transmitted)
  • a special effort was made to identify stags from a variety of bloodlines
  • Auctions attended
  • Raroa
  • Doncaster
  • Canterbury
  • Stanfield Bushey Park
  • Peel Forest
  • Black Forest
  • Remarkables
  • 20 stags purchased
  • All stags rank at the very top for venison growth rate
  • 12 of these stags also rank highly for dual purpose (venison and velvet)
  • Main bloodlines represented in the group
  • Heinrich (Heinrich V, Koros, Esther Hazey, Laszlo)
  • Nelson
  • Alexei
  • Neskey
  • Goldie

The Stag Team

 

Raroa, Cambridge

 

One of the larger breeding herds, Raroa has used its size to apply substantial selection pressure for desired traits. The stud has a strong foundation of Heinrich, but we were particularly interested in the exciting dual purpose opportunities presented by the Goldie bloodline which is based on Danish, German, and English genes. 

  • PLATINUM (Raroa 84)
  • Sired by Goldie, out of a Massive (Yugo)
  • Highest ranked sale stag at Raroa for venison growth rate
  • 132 kg as a yearling
  • Identified by the breeder as having the best temperament of his 2 year olds
  • Strong, even head
  • Ideal dual purpose sire
  • SILVER (Raroa 76)
  • Goldie son out of an Esther Hazey dam (Esther Hazey is a Heinrich son with an extremely high BV for growth rate)
  • His dam was also the dam of Platinum
  • 131kg as a yearling
  • KARAPIRO (Raroa 66)
  • An Esther Hazey son
  • Dam by Cambridge, the English dual purpose sire
  • Maternal Grand Sire Famous (Heinrich son)
  • The heaviest in the sale (214 kg on sale day)
  • 135 kg as a yearling

Doncaster Partnership, Gore

 

The outstanding progress in venison growth rate at Doncaster has been clearly identified in the genetic trend calculated by Invermay. Strong representation of Heinrich sons including Koros who carries an exceptional BV. 

  • CARL (Carl)
  • A 7 year old Koros son that has sired numerous progeny
  • The highest BV of any animal in the Doncaster herd, and high reliability as a result of progeny numbers in the calculation
  • Thanks to Lindsay for releasing this exceptional animal which was not included in the auction
  • FAVOURITE (Doncaster 1203)
  • Top price in the Doncaster sale
  • Yearling weight of 135 kg
  • Cut 3.0 kg A2 velvet
  • An ideal dual purpose stag
  • Sired by Koros out of an Izach (Heinrich) dam

  • WAIPAHI (Doncaster 1165)
  • Our third Koros son
  • Highest yearling weight at 143kg

  • LEGEND (Doncaster 1051)
  • A Heinrich son out of an outstanding 147kg dam via AI
  • The highest BV in the sale
  • Dual purpose

Canterbury Imported Red Deer Stud

 

A strong representation of Heinrich blood in the Easterns which were originally sourced by the Canterbury Stud from Stanfield.  

  • CRUSADER (Canterbury 533)
  • A Heinrich V out of a Romany daughter
  • His grand dam is a full sister to Maximillian
  • The highest yearling weight at the stud at 133 kg
  • A tremendous stag” (comment from the Canterbury catalogue)

Peel Forest Estate

 

One of New Zealand’s leading studs and a pioneer in the use of DBVs. Home to Nelson, an outstanding sire for growth rate, and cutting 8.8 kg velvet. Nelson’s Warnham/German bloodlines complement the strong representation of Romanian/Hungarian blood in the industry. Nelson died in 2002 and we are fortunate to have been able to source this valuable bloodline. We made the most of the opportunity, securing 5 Nelson sons. 

  • ADMIRAL (Peel Forest 264)
  • An all round stag ranking in the top 1% for velvet at Peel Forest, and a yearling weight of 143 kg (top 5%)
  • Cut 4.6 kg A2 velvet as a three year old
  • A particularly valuable addition to our dual purpose team
  • HORATIO (Peel Forest 458)
  • In the top 5% for both yearling weight and velvet
  • Cut 4.3 kg A2 velvet as a three year old
  • Dual purpose

  • VISCOUNT (Peel Forest 225)
  • Out of a Bondi dam, Bondi is a huge German bred sire
  • In the top 5% for yearling weight, and 2% for velvet
  • Dual purpose

  • TRAFALGAR (Peel Forest 162)
  • Yearling weight of 130kg
  • Ranking in the top 3% for venison, and 6% for velvet
  • Dual purpose

  • VICTORY (Peel Forest 99473)
  • The ultimate growth rate sire
  • In the top 0.2% for yearling weight BV

Stanfield’s Bushey Park, Palmerston

 

The highest profile stud in the country, having a proud history in the introduction of new blood to the New Zealand industry. 

  • COLOSSUS (Stanfield 392)
  • An Alexei son out of a Heinrich dam
  • 153kg as a yearling
  • A colossal 241kg on sale day
  • “Very good antler, even and correct B.B.T.”
  • Second highest growth rate BV in the sale
  • A valuable addition to our dual purpose team
  • A highly sought after animal achieving the second highest price in the Eastern offering

Black Forest Park, Otago

 

An outstanding stud for in both venison and velvet traits. We targeted Black Forest this year with an eye on sons of Alexei and Neskey. Alexei is the superior Romanian stag at 348 kg cutting 8.2 kg SA2 velvet. Jointly owned by Black Forest and Stanfield, Alexei was lost to the industry in 2002, making our purchases even more critical. Neskey (German/Hungarian) has an exceptional growth rate BV and cut a phenomenal 10.28 kg SA2 velvet as a seven year old. His dual purpose attributes make him an obvious target for Deer Improvement.  

  • LEGACY (Black Forest 452)
  • An Alexei out of the dam of National Velvet Champion Neskey
  • The highest auction price achieved by any stud in 2004
  • Cut an incredible 4.8 kg velvet as a two year old, greater than 50% more than Neskey at the same age
  • Exceptional BV for yearling weight
  • Clearly an outstanding dual purpose sire 
  • ACE (Black Forest 484)
  • An Alexei out of a Karlov (Laszlo son)
  • 118 kg in October of his first year
  • Second highest growth rate at Black Forest

  • ALPHA (Black Forest 471)
  • An Alexei out of a Laszlo (Heinrich son)
  • 119 kg in October
  • The highest growth rate BV in the sale

  • MIDNIGHT (Black Forest 660)
  • A Neskey out of a Cobalt (Laszlo son)
  • Cutting 3.2 kg velvet as a two year old
  • In the top 5% for growth rate at Black Forest
  • Dual purpose

  • BLUEMOON (Black Forest 675)
  • A Neskey out of a Cobalt (Laszlo son)
  • Cutting 3.0 kg velvet as a two year old
  • In the top 5% for growth rate at Black Forest
  • Dual purpose

The Remarkables Park Stud

 

Owned by industry pioneer Alastair Porter, the Remarkables Park is renowned for exceptional growth rate animals with very good temperament. 

  • HERITAGE (Remarkables 1179)
  • A Bernard son combining English, German and Danish blood
  • Outstanding growth rate BV
  • 129 kg as a yearling

 





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