About the Cover
column By: Staff | October, 26
Our cover in this issue was sent to us by our good friend Mike Gibson from New Zealand. This photo of Conrad Hodgkinson, who was an early-day deerstalker and guide in New Zealand. Early settlers transplanted the red deer (Cervus elaphus) to New Zealand from the Scottish Highlands. Due to the country’s lush flora and the lack of large predators, their numbers grew exponentially. Over time the deer numbers exploded to the point that serious thinning was necessary. Consequently, the Government stepped in and employed cullers to reduce deer numbers before they did serious damage to the native bush. Culling and deerstalking became the choice job for many young men who relished the chase and were looking for challenging employment.
Conrad obviously enjoyed a good deer hunt and we can also tell that he had excellent taste in firearms, as he is packing a very nice Marlin 1893 rifle. This would have been an expensive rifle in his day, so it is obvious that he took his hunting seriously. The nice red stag head and antlers on his back, also shows us that he could handle that Marlin quite well.
Thank you, Mike, for sending us this very interesting photo and a special thank you goes to the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association. Check out their website deerstalkers.org.nz if you would like to know more about deerstalking in New Zealand. The Deerstalkers Association advocates for common-sense firearms law and responsible conservation – something that we should support in any country.