"We knew we weren’t going to go forever."
Tikana Wapiti stud owners Dave Lawrence and Donna Day are usually flat out holding their annual on-farm sale about this time of year in Central Southland.
To get ready for the sale, bedding for wintering fawns is removed from a barn to make way for an auction ring and pens to show 3-year-old bulls and mixed-age cows and place rows of seating for potential bidders.
Those preparations were no longer necessary, as the sale had come to an end, MrLawrence said.
"It is part of our plan. I’m 72, Donna’s a bit younger, and we want to stay here, so we are making life a little simpler."
The pair wanted to continue farming wapiti on the 40ha Tikana farm in Browns, east of Winton, for as long as possible.
Now the primary focus of the farm business was producing velvet rather than selling live wapiti.
Wapiti velvet was different in type and style to red deer velvet and it had a niche market in Korea, fetching $125 per kg.
All of the Tikana hinds and semen had been bought by the Whyte family, of Edendale Deer stud, in Ashburton Lakes.
The Whytes wanted all of the hinds immediately, but Tikana needed to stagger the release so they could breed bull calves in the numbers required to produce velvet.
The dream was to be running a herd of bulls, each producing 20kg of velvet each year.
"It is very realistic."
Consequently, a third of the hinds were trucked to Edendale Deer in July last year, another third of the hinds would depart in July this year and the final third of hinds would leave next year.
The final third of the hinds had the highest genetic value for velvet of the herd.
"I know the genetic values work and we will have 20 hinds you can absolutely guarantee are going to produce a rippa when it comes to velvet."
Also under the three-year contract, Edendale Deer got the first option to buy any bulls sold by Tikana Wapiti.
Since the deal was made, an outside buyer had made an offer on a Tikana sire bull, Crypes, and Edendale Deer bought it.
"We would never go back to a sale again."
Mr Lawrence would miss the atmosphere and adrenaline of a live sale.
"If you’re an adrenaline junkie, it is pretty cool."
The main aim on Tikana was to do the best by the herd throughout the year and the sale result showed if that work had paid off, he said.
"You can’t help but be nervous."
They knew the final Tikana Wapiti auction, which was on this day last year, would be their last, but they kept the news to themselves.
"We didn’t want a ballyhoo."
At the final sale, bull Mitey Green 128 sold for $46,000, the highest price in the history of the annual sale, which began in 2005.
Another highlight of the final sale was fetching the highest average price in the history of the sale, $13,800 for bulls and $7900 for cows.
In 2015, the average prices were $8700 for bulls and $3000 for cows.
Tikana Wapiti bull Yotam won the elk supreme section at the 43rd National Velvet and Trophy Antler Competition in Invercargill last month.
The 10-year-old bull was a back-to-back winner of the trophy, after claiming victory in the same section in 2024.
The "biggest buzz" at the competition was the success of past clients.
Most of the bulls to win or place in wapiti sections featured Tikana genetics, he said.
Yotam was sired by Nepia, a Tikana bull which holds a national record for cutting 30.18kg of velvet, age 13, in 2022.
Nepia had produced 328kg of velvet in his life so far.
"There’s no other animal in the country that would have come close to it."
This season, at age 16, Nepia cut 18kg of velvet.
Nepia would be buried on the farm, rather than put on a truck.
"He will see his days out here. He doesn’t owe us anything."
The couple would enter velvet heads in future competitions, he said.
"We won’t be able to help ourselves because you still get a buzz."
Mr Lawrence bought his first deer in the mid-1980s, after working with the "inquisitive and quiet" animal, during his 25-year career as a vet.
"I got the bug because they were such magnificent bloody animals."
On Tikana, fawns were put in a shed at weaning and fed baleage and nuts for about 90 days from the end of May.
"That seems to quieten them for life."
A storm toppled trees on Tikana in October last year.
Falling gum trees killed a stag and damaged some internal fences.
Despite some challenging spring weather, growth rates of bulls and cows for the season had been the best on Tikana since records began 15 years ago.
Mr Lawrence was looking forward to having more time to attend deer sales, which were usually held in the days leading up to his own auction.
"The beauty of not having a sale is that you can. I’m usually so busy getting organised here, there is no way of being able to go to a sale before."
The pair remain as passionate as ever about farming wapiti.
His strength was improving a herd’s genetic traits, such as growth, eye muscle area, velvet and parasite resistance.
The genetic improvements a deer breeder could make by using national deer recording database Deer Select was "mind-boggling", he said.
"We both work well together."
Results
The results of the 43rd National Velvet & Trophy Antler Competition in Invercargill last month.
Open red velvet: Merrivale Deer (Otautau) Stag 17-152 1; B.A.D Partnership (Riverton) P935 2; Ohurakura Deer (Napier) Gus 3; FJ Ramsey Investments (Rotorua) BR255 4; James and Lucy Hudson (Timaru) Keystone 5; Nelson Farming (Winton) 19-166AT 6; McDunhaven Deer Park (Kimbolton) P177-18 7; Jim Scorgie (Outram) B29 8; B.A.D Partnership (Riverton) P909 9; Rata Peaks (Geraldine) G38 10; Nelson Farming (Winton) 16-302PA 11.
Elk supreme: Tikana (Winton) Stag Yotam 1; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YY546 2; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) GG783 3; Front Row Wapiti (Balfour) Goldtooth 4; Totara Park Wapiti (Masterton) Anton 5.
Four-year elk/wapiti: Mike McBride (Gore) Stag JT 1; Ryenna Wapiti (Winton) 21-056 2; Ryenna Wapiti (Winton) 21-116 3; Tikana (Winton) Jack 4; Littlebourne Farm (Winton) Orange 57 5.
Three-year elk/wapiti: Littlebourne Farm (Winton) Stag White 5 1; Raincliff Station (Pleasant Point) 22-545 2; Tikana (Winton) Zap 3; Tikana (Winton) Cryptic 4.
Five-year red: Dalmore Deer (Otautau) Stag McCulloch 1; Brock Deer (Merino Downs) Tsingtao 2; FJ Ramsey Investments (Rotorua) R362 3; Altrive (Riversdale) 266-20 4; Arawata Deer Farm (Pine Bush) Laurie 5; Jedburgh Farms (Takapau) Balfour 6; Robbie and Bonnie Bruce (Taihape) 20-142 7; Hudson Deer-Blue Willow (Timaru) Kraken 8; Nelson Farming (Winton) 20-364 9; Top Deck (Merino Downs) 438 10.
Four-year red: Merrivale Deer (Otautau) Stag Hugh 1; Brock Deer (Merino Downs) Bullseye 2; Dalmore Deer (Otautau) Gregor 3; D& C Simmonds (Rotorua) 21-173 4; Cruse Deer (Tuatapere) 350 5; Arawata Deer Farm (Wyndham) Glenlivet 6; Forest Road Farm (Waipawa) Valhalla 7; Raincliff Station (Pleasant Point) 21-162 8; Altrive (Riversdale) ALT 226-21 9; Forest Road Farm (Waipawa) Odin 10; Nelson Farming (Winton) 21-324 11; Tayles Deer (Riversdale) 1114 12.
Three-year red: Cruse Deer (Tuatapere) Stag 301 1; Tayles Deer (Riversdale) 2714 2; Tower Farms (Cambridge) 22-217 3; Cruse Deer (Tuatapere) 416 4; Cruse Deer (Tuatapere) 445 5; Front Row Wapiti (Balfour) Black 26 6; Arawata Deer Farm (Pine Bush) YPK17 7; FJ Ramsey Investments (Rotorua) OR281 8; Altrive (Riversdale) 116-22 9; Altrive (Riversdale) 12-22 10; B.A.D Partnership (Riverton) Finnson 11.
Red trophy antler: Chris Peterson (Te Anau) Stag Tom Lee 1; Brock Deer (Merino Downs) Ruthless 2; T&M Stirling (Milton) Barry 3.
Fallow trophy antler: Whyte Farming (Ashburton) Stag Y0305 1; Whyte Farming (Ashburton) YR307 2; Whyte Farming (Ashburton) Y0902 3.
Elk/wapiti trophy antler (typical): Edendale Farming (Ashburton) Stag Tui 1; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YG800 2; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YBK862 3.
Elk/wapiti trophy antler (non-typical): Edendale Farming (Ashburton) Stag Detroit 1; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YG856 2; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) GG608 3; Raincliff Station (Pleasant Point) Prophecy 4.
Open section champion: Dalmore Deer (Otautau) Stag McCulloch.
Open section reserve champion: Mike McBride (Gore) Stag JT.
Trophy antler champion: Whyte Farming (Ashburton) Stag Y0305.
