Deer jaws are a key part of understanding herd health indicators. With the jaws, the animal’s age and relative skeletal size can be ascertained. This is particularly insightful with hinds, due to their limited home ranges.
Recreational hunters are encouraged to drop off jaws at Jaw Boxes located around the Sika range, fill out the jaw card and datasheet to attach to their jaw. Hunter datasheets provide wildlife and general observations, hours hunted, animals contacted, animals shot in areas throughout the Central North Island Sika range.
Understanding hunter habits and the harvest by sex ratio are key parts for understanding the impact recreational hunters have on the herd across the Central North Island.
Jaws get aged by the Sika Foundation and hunters get sent their jaw results back with points of note in comparison with measurement averages.
Jaw boxes are located at Clements Mill entrance/Sika Lodge, the Helisika Hangar and the Tauranga Taupō garage. Jaws and hunter data sheets can also be sent in. For more information, please contact us.