Tom grew up in the Bay of Plenty & developed an interest in deer by the young age of 13 when he spent much of his time in the bush. He liked the nature of deer.

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Tom decided to leave the area at 21 and head west to the Waikato & settled in Cambridge.

 

The eighties were an exciting time for Tom, he purchased his first mob of dear! A very small mob consisting of 30 heins and 1 stag. The mob grew, genetics improved & Tom decided to move everything to Tuatapere (much to the horror of his 15 year old daughter).

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Some of the  earlier stags Tom purchased were Mighty II, Adonis son.

The early Heins were Harvey, James and Buccaner.

This breeding has contributed to the top quality stock at Cruse Deer.

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Tom believes the land in Western Southland is some of the best in New Zealand for farming deer.

He credits this to a good climate and nutrient rich soil which in turn makes great pasture. Tuatapere is also a mans paradise with hunting and fishing right on the back doorstep.

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The nature of deer is something that has always stuck with Tom and he prides himself in having quiet natured stock. Visitors are often impressed with how quiet his deer are in the shed. He invites anyone that is interested in viewing the deer or just want to have a bit of deer chat to give him a bell.

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Although  Tom is very involved in the everyday running of the farm he hit the big 65 a few years ago and he has asked his son Hamish to help out with the sales side of Cruse deer. 

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Hamish has spent most of his life around deer and even spent a year on the farm after university. So although he is based in Wellington he is up to date on everything related to Cruse Deer. He is the man to talk to about anything sales related.

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And that's the story of Cruse deer in a VERY small nutshell......Tom and Hamish are stoked you have come to visit the site and look forward to meeting new and old clients in the coming years.

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