About the Central North Island Sika Foundation
Whether you hunt for meat, trophy or both, there is no denying that Sika present the hunter with challenges and interactions like no other deer species. Their vocal and inquisitive nature, combined with their ability to learn quickly from mistakes and adapt to hunting pressure makes them one of our most exciting and addictive big game animals to hunt. It is these traits that make the Sika one of New Zealand’s iconic hunting resources.
To help facilitate a process of engagement with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Game Animal Council (GAC), the Central North Island Sika Foundation was formed. The Foundation has as its vision:
“A healthy Sika hunting resource, thriving in resilient natural habitats, valued by stakeholders”
One of our objectives is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the Sika herd for recreational hunters – no matter who you are or what your drive is to hunt. We aim to provide better information. Improving access and opportunities for hunters to have better animal encounter experiences. This is a team effort, and sharing experiences is what we’re all about.
Click here to view our latest Year in Review publication
In this video, Wildlife Biologist Cam Speedy talks about the Sika Foundation’s ‘WHY’.
With thanks to Luke Care from NZ Hunter Magazine.
Thinking like a mountain
This is a term coined by Aldo Leopold in his book A Sand County Almanac. In the section entitled “Sketches Here and There” Leopold discusses the thought process as a holistic view on where one stands in the entire ecosystem.
In the book, Leopold reflects on an old wolf he shot and killed as a young hunter and how he came to realise wolves play a critical role between prey, such as deer and elk, and the flora of the forest and other natural habitats. He lamented humans need to learn to think like a mountain, or take a long-term view of ecology, including the value of predators.
To think like a mountain means to have a complete appreciation for the profound interconnectedness of the elements in the ecosystems. It is an ecological exercise using the intricate web of the natural environment rather than thinking as an isolated individual.
When initially published in 1949, Thinking Like a Mountain was the first of a handful of efforts to capture the work and thought of this significant American environmental thinker. Read it here: Thinking Like A Mountain – by Aldo Leopold.
