Stag import ban?

monster

monster

Joined
Jun 13, 2001
Messages
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Does anyone really know what the reason is behind this ban? Some of my favorite knives have stag handles.
 
The import of stag has not been banned by the US. It is the export of stag that has been banned by the Govt. of India for the past few months.

I assume that other types of stag are still available from various sources.
 
Kinda on the same topic, has anyone else noticed the Department of Fish & Wildlife stepping up their public advertisements of import bans? They have put up posters in all government buildings here in MD, and on all mass transit systems. Are the import bans not working lately?
 
Yeah I meant the India Stag export...I know of European stag but is there really a difference between the two that it would impact the blade industry custom or production?..Nemesis, to date I haven't noticed anything here in Kalifornia.
 
Last November, I had a conversation with the lady(don't know her name) who was at the table for Masecraft knife supply. She told me that in India they have been piling up the stag(it's harvested as it falls off every year) and burning it! It seems the whole thing has something to do with India's politics. In the scheme of things, stag is a very small business for India and doesn't effect their economy in any significant way. While it's big to us, the knife business is really a cottage industry. The ban is already over 3 years old, it's just being noticed more now because suppliers have finally run out of it. I know that the guys that own Natural Products handle supply here in NJ and several other suppliers have gone to India to try and work out some kind of deals, but haven't been succesful. India stag is much prettier and dense than European or American deerhorn.

Dave
 
The rumours of a ban on exports were around for the last couple of years so a few of us stocked up on stag to be able to ride this out. Others who did not can still find some on the market but the days of sorting through boxes of it at shows to find a perfect piece is over I think. By the way If you find any the price has gone through the roof.
 
We sell a lot of production stag slipjoints and Case is generally accepted as having the most consistant stag. As Case collectors recall this export embargo happened back in the '70's and eventually the supply resumed. As with us, most Case stag inventories have been dessimated this spring. Many of our customers are trying german stag handles knives, but I have found major inconsistancies with scales on H&R et. el. Sides do not match, fit is lacking, and swells and thin scales are the norm. I have not read anything that indicates significant new supplies of India stag are in the future...we just gotta ride it out. Meanwhile, Case stag prices have "firmed up" real nice for collectors wanting to sell their extra pieces. md
 
I think "India Stag" is Sambar deer stag horn. I wonder if Sambar deer are wild in any other country. That would help ease the need for stag.
 
sambar
Encyclopædia Britannica Article

(Cervus unicolor), widely distributed deer, family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), found from India and Nepal eastward through Southeast Asia. The sambar live in forests, alone or in small groups. A large, relatively long-tailed deer, it stands 1.2–1.4 m (47–55 inches) at the shoulder. The coat forms a ruff around its neck and is an unspotted, dark brown in colour. The male sambar bears long, three-tined antlers. Several races of sambar are recognized, among them the large Indian sambar (C. u. niger) and the smaller Malayan sambar (C. u. equinus).
 
There are a LOT of sambar in New Zealand. I saw some nice stag at the Blade Show on a guys table that seemed reasonable... didnt buy any as I have plenty and dont use it much...but he looked to be pakistani or indian.....
 
The stag export ban is said to be to prevent the poaching caused by natives. The extreme poverty makes quite a lot of these poor guys to take a chance and earn a few cents by any possible way. It is easier to shoot a deer than search the forest for the antlers. They don't think for the tomorrow, they just see a few cents at the moment.
What I've read this is the OFFICIAL argument for the reasons of the ban.
 
Poaching Stag, wow! I kinda thought that was the main reason, well at least we dont have to worry about stag going the way of ivory...do we?
 
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