Innehållsförteckning för Issue 61 - October/November 2017 från NZ Hunter

I got in touch with some of my close hunting mates and the initial contact was positive, with Phil, Carl and Ant claiming their places in the crew. Bugger, the bullet had flown over his back. We searched for any sign of a hit, but it was obvious I had missed. Fast forward to October 2016 and we all flew in from our various regions, meeting Phil at Queenstown airport in his old school Hilux ute, complete with muddies, a snorkel and a dogbox on the tray. A true southern bloke is Phil. It took us around 6½ hours to reach our destination and then we added a five hour walk on top of that to reach our intended campsite – a big day. I had hunted this valley a…

We reached a high ridge and Dad gave a roar as we all paced ahead. So on the first of April I was up and at ’em because the men don’t muck around when there are deer to be shot. They were early and at 6.03am Poppa Jono’s Colorado rolled up and the headlights blinded me as I walked towards the gate. Every minute counted as Dad went through a quick checklist off the top of his head to make sure I hadn’t forgotten any essentials, like warm clothes and hot cross buns. The journey began. We were on our way to a friend of Dad’s who was two hours’ drive away so I claimed the back seat to try and catch some zees before our busy weekend. “You can…

We left on horseback. It was late September 2016 (their autumn) and the temperature was a mild 18°C, vastly different from the frozen sub-zero temps of my first trip in February 2015. The next day we collected supplies and started the 10 hour drive to the Arpa Valley on the Kyrgyz/China border along the second highest mountain range in the world, the mighty Tian Shan, with elevations up to 7500m. Along the way we passed through the military border guard where my passport and identity were checked, then drove a further 50 kms to arrive at the hunting base at 3000m altitude well after dark. The next morning I woke to meet my guides Ekes and Ulan, who were preparing the horses for hunting and fly camping. There was no…

These two factors are the main things that can ruin your meat, and they are especially important to watch for in the warmer months to come. Luckily, a lot of the measures you take to prevent bone taint also apply to maggots, but there are a few more tips and tricks that can really help you get the most out of your meat. So, what are maggots? Maggots are the larval stage of flies, between eggs and pupae. The average blowfly lays around 250 eggs at each of her three cycles, typically on wetter, warmer areas. Eggs can be laid as soon as an animal has died and they typically hatch into maggots 12-24 hours later. Maggots will feed until they reach a certain stage before moulting into second, then…

Consider these simple things: choosing a good area, watching weather forecasts, making sure your rifle or bow is shooting straight and getting the wind right. When these factors are all put together, your chances of coming away with an animal are greatly increased. A good photograph has the same type of pre-image basics that determine how that image will turn out. In fact there are three basic variable ingredients that have a huge effect on the success or otherwise of your image. They are shutter speed, aperture and ISO, or 'the big three' as I call them. The Basic Principles A photograph is created by the camera recording the light (scene) that 'hits' the digital sensor. The amount of light (and corresponding data) hitting that sensor determines how the image…

The trip had everything I love about duck hunting: big water, wind, inclement weather and awesome decoying birds. It also involved the things I wrote about in the previous article: good quality decoys placed in a well thought-out way and calling that suited the conditions, as well as the elements that will be discussed in this article – weather, location, concealment and motion and thinking on the fly. A quick breakdown will show you the key parts that made the hunt successful. I had left this particular spot alone, waiting on a westerly wind to hunt it, which luckily arrived on a Saturday. There hadn’t been many ducks in residence and it was a big walk to get there so I used just 12 good quality decoys that I placed…

With the days getting longer and warmer, spring offers a good chance of snaffling young animals as they venture out to gain fresh feed and put on some condition after winter Why this recipe? Well, when I was in Singapore with the NZ culinary team, we stayed in the Nanyang Polytech to prepare for the cooking competition and I caught up with a guy there who used to work in Christchurch but who now runs the cooking side of the polytech. This is one of the dishes he made for our dinner while we slaved away into the wee small hours. This recipe is also for Tony Smith, mate, chef and previous NZ Hunter writer who is heading to Singapore to work for a couple of years. Now you’ll be…

The walk by the light of my head lamp gave me too much time for thought. What if this place was a dud? However, one of the best times to bag a nice set of antlers is in the early weeks of February. For the patient hunter who wants to get in early, the ideal situation would be to put in some serious groundwork in January, locate some promising animals in velvet and keep an eye on them without that urge to squeeze the trigger. The time will come when they will harden up and be ready for the taking in the following month....should they still be there! Now although I did manage to put in the footwork throughout January (during the worst summer of all time) I had yet…

Some hunters think anyone who spends time on the range instead of in the field will be a poorer hunter, but that isn’t necessarily so. The hunter who spends enough time on the range to really know what his rifle/load is capable of, and a significant amount of time in the field - will always be the more successful hunter across the wide variety of hunting locations and situations in New Zealand. But once you have spent the time on the range finding out which are the most suitable bullets for your purposes and what shoots best in your rifle - whether it be factory or handload - and carefully sighting it in, there is still more you need to do to ensure that your first shot counts. Bore condition,…

As I got serious about a replacement rifle, I found I really had to question what I was doing, but more importantly WHY I was doing it…why I’d let the BSA Hunter go and why was a lighter rifle possibly better for me, or even necessary? The guts of Sinek’s message here is that at the core of decisions there always lies a ‘why’ that is fundamental to what we do and how we go about doing things. I do know I believe in a lighter-weight approach to hunting! And here’s why: » I’m more nimble and efficient on the hill, and have more energy in the tank when required. » I can hunt with all my gear on my back, meaning I can be right in the hunting grounds…

Whether it’s a base camp for ten days or just an overnight excursion using a bivvy bag, being aware of your surroundings will see you blissfully dreaming of game-rich gullies instead of worrying about making it through the night. It seems a bit pessimistic but if you can imagine the worst-case scenarios like floods, wind gusts, rock falls, avalanches or breaking tree branches, then staying clear of these potential hazards might just save you from misadventure. It is also a good idea not to ‘stink up’ your intended hunted area by selecting the position of your camp after considering the prevailing winds and the forecast wind direction. This can get a little more complex in still conditions where anabatic and katabatic winds come into play.These winds occur in calm periods…

There are some real challenges around the control of rodents, so I want to discuss the main methods used. Poisons There are a number of poisons that have proven to be very effective on rats. They mostly fit into two categories: anticoagulants (A/Cs) and acute poisons. Let’s have a quick chat about them. Anticoagulants A/Cs are slow acting poisons that usually kill mammals through internal bleeding. They work extremely well for two reasons. When the rat tests the bait, it will go away and feel no ill effects. It will then start to feed steadily on the bait, but by the time it feels sick and stops feeding, it will have received a lethal dose. The second reason is that while the rat is feeding on the bait over a…

Aegis is basically a windproof, waterproof and breathable three-layered membrane. The folks at Swazi reckon that it is the most breathable membrane they have ever incorporated in their garments and they sent us two of their newer offerings to put through the wringer. Let’s take a look at them. The Kagoule RRP: $619.99 Kagoule is the British term for a lightweight, weatherproof raincoat or anorak with a hood. The Swazi version is a little bit of ‘old’ and a bit of ‘new’ in the design. It features a half-length zip in the front with a central ‘kangaroo’ pocket. This can be accessed from the sides with hand warmer-type zips, or from the top with a single bigger zip with a storm flap over it. I don’t know if Davey would…

Aside from enjoying a new working environment in a completely different landscape to what I was used to, I wanted to make the most of a few hunting opportunities that only the South Island could offer. I had set myself an unofficial list of goals that I was hoping to achieve before I had to return to the North Island and start the new semester at university. This list of dreams included my first tahr, first chamois and first South Island deer. With the full-time work and enough pigs, goats and rabbits to keep me busy throughout each weekend, I was quickly realising that my time was disappearing faster than I had anticipated. Before the New Year, I had managed to shoot my first South Island deer, a Red spiker,…

WINNER Jonny Christie shot this ancient looking Red stag in the Nelson Lakes area this winter The prize for this issue is... A 45l Barrel Bag from Tatonka - Valued at $159 RRP…

Upon arriving back in New Zealand, I started by doing some day paddles with more experienced boaters. Every new plan to get deep into the jungles of South East Asia was stifled by lack of funds or got put in the ‘too hard basket’ due to time constraints. I missed New Zealand and the ease with which we lucky Kiwis can access our wild place. Like the middle-aged man who goes out and buys a Harley Davidson, I needed a new toy. While lying on my bed in a stifling hot backpackers’ in Indonesia and trolling through the depths of YouTube, I found a new tool which has revolutionised my backcountry travel. A packraft is not impressive to look at. In fact it looks more like a bath toy than…

Grand Winner Seth and Cody Hodge with a Seth shot in the Wairarapa Josh Fenwick with his fi rst ever Red stag shot this roar at 409 yards using a 300RUM. Animal shot in the Blenheim area Charlotte Jephson with a spiker shot with her Dad and Uncle on a rainy day in the Wairarapa Kellen Dodunski, aged 9, with his fi rst duck shot with his 410 Kordell Ross 6 years old, with his fi rst catch. Three good sized possums Geri Plant eradicating some pests on a private property in Marlborough. Shot using a .22 magnum The winning photo receives a Hunting & Fishing voucher to the value of $100. Send all your photos to editor@nzhunter.co.nz Note: Photos must be of a suitable size…

On we went, slowing right down as we approached a well used wallow that we’d found on a previous hunt. After double checking we had all our gear, my girlfriend, her brother and I headed off to Lake Tarawera in anticipation of bagging my first Red deer with the bow. We got to the boat ramp at 7am and I had a quick yarn to some other hunters there. The excitement was building after we heard that the Red stags had been roaring the day before. Off came the strops and with the bung in and gear loaded, we launched the boat into the cold blue water. It started like new and we headed across the lake in search of the elusive Red deer. We tied up at the bush…

They have now been replaced by new models in the Leupold line – the very impressive Mojave Pro Guide HDs which we reviewed back in Issue 55 last year, and now the BX-2 Tiogas. These fall into about the same price bracket as the old Cascades, whereas the Mojaves are around $1,200 RRP. The Tiogas are single bridge, roof prism binoculars, with a rubber armoured alloy body. The optical system uses the now fairly standard phase-coated Bak4 prisms, and multicoated lenses for maximum light transmission. They have the dioptre adjustment on the right eyepiece, robust twist out eye cups, simple objective lens and eyepiece covers, a neck strap and cordura pouch. The rubber amour finish is available in two colour options – either Mossy Oak camo or plain grey. Optical…

R8 Carbon Success The R8 has again raised the level of performance you should expect from your hunting rifle: Introducing the R8 Carbon Success! Fresh from the Blaser Custom Shop, it is 300 grams lighter than the R8 Professional Success. With a Blaser fluted barrel the possibility exists to shed a full pound from the standard R8 rifle. Pair it with the Blaser Carbon Bipod for the ultimate lightweight hunting tool. Made in Germany, the handmade one-piece stock offers ultimate thermal stability due to the end-to-end orientation of the fibres and is protected by a UV layer for protection against the harshest environmental conditions. Weather-proof leather is added in the grip, forearm and cheek piece to blend a natural element to this modern marvel. The R8 Carbon Success comes standard…