Friday, March 29, 2024

Three-way mix

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A three-way trophy, genetics and velvet buying business makes life hectic at times for Kelly Bennett, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He loves the hands-on side of growing trophy stags, grins and bears the compliance requirements of international semen selling, and takes great pride in the many national trophy winners produced by the family company Deer Genetics NZ.
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The sale of trophy sires has been the mainstay of the business for the past 15 years. Every year the heads of 140 two-year-old stags are grown out and if suitable, sold as sires.

Each stag’s antler is scored then removed; it’s a time-consuming exercise but the measurement and genetic information gained is invaluable.

“Sometimes the data you get back is astounding because often it doesn’t come out the way you think it will,” Kelly says.

The maternal genetics behind the best scoring antlers are identified and bred to specially chosen sires to produce a particular antler style.

Furzeland, Warnham and East European genetics have been used to develop a composite breed that leaves stags with a distinctive style of antler.

Up to $60,000 a year is spent on the artificial insemination (AI) of 200 hinds and embryo transfer of another 15 hinds.“What we’re after is width and length with big open tops.”

The embryo transfer (ET) process, carried out by Deer Reproduction Service and South Canterbury vet Noel Beatson, usually nets 4.5 to five fertilised eggs from each hind.

“The payback takes three years but when you analyse what’s coming through at our stag sale a high percentage are directly or indirectly from ET.”

Semen straws are stored in liquid nitrogen.

Kelly and his partner Felicia were conveners of the first South Island Xcell Rising Stars hard antler and velvet competition showcasing antler and velvet from one, two and three-year-old stags.

In the past the event has been held in the North Island but the intention is to regularly rotate between the two islands.

The competition, held at the Woodbury Hall near Geraldine in February, ran smoothly thanks to assistance from the North Island organising committee of Graham and Shelley Lawson, Bill Robinson, and Hub Hall, Kelly says.

The recognition by the NZ tourism industry of professional guided hunting as a Qualmark-endorsed visitor activity was good news for deer trophy industry, Todd Stewart, a professional hunting guide and executive committee member of the NZ Association of Game Estates, says.

“We used to work alongside the tourism industry but official endorsement means we have more avenues of support from them.” 

He said demand for NZ safari hunting experiences had picked up with the strengthening US economy and professional guides were reporting solid demand this year and for the following season. 

According to the NZ Professional Hunting Guides Association, the 70 member operators generate $45 million of revenue.

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