Hunting in the Cobb valley, northwest Nelson.

Since the decline of cannibalism over the last few centuries, social convention has forced men to turn to other fields to satisfy his blood lust. Thus evolved the noble art of deerstalking; in New Zealand a far cry from the horses, hounds and hoo hah of Medieval England, whose legal hunting was restricted to Lords, Nobles and Kings.

Although the term "deerstalker" implies that the hunter shoots only deer, in New Zealand, thanks to the foresight of the pioneers, a great variety of wild animals were liberated for both economic and sporting purposes, and of these a number of different species have established and spread themselves over large parts of New Zealand, some causing considerable destruction of protective vegetation.

Realising this, about 1930, the government labelled all wild introduced mammals "noxious animals" and so started the widespread campaign for "complete extermination." In the last few years the government has realised the recreational value of these animals and have modified the policy to one of "close control, except in critically eroded areas." This situation is still far from being realised.