These two old guys - Rex is indeed nearing 80 and Bob is closer to 70 than 80 I suggest - are the driving force on conservation work in that 1000 acre block. Its part pine forest , mostly gorse and scrub and all bloody steep. They started with a bulldozed , central track and have hand-cut kilometres of tracks on many of the ridges to install their traplines.

Most of this work has been funded by various conservation grants , but no really big amounts of money has been forthcoming. They just keep on chipping away with what funding they have , and obviously they get results.

My small boy and I help them out with some goat control there several times a year , and we often take a quad ride long the main track emptying possums from the killtraps and bagging the odd goat or feral sheep.

The unfortunate thing really is that these two guys are not getting younger , and so far there doesnt seem to be anyone as dedicated as them coming along to replace them.

The reason for no mention of deer in the article is because there are no deer in this block , nearest deer are at least ten kms away on the other side of a hydro dam , and only open hill-country pasture between. It would be brilliant fallow country tho - I suggest it all the time .....