Innehållsförteckning för Issue 69 från NZ Hunter

In an attempt to keep costs down, we were doing fly-in, walk-out trips, stretching the funds to make a few trips each year. It was pre-roar and this particular trip had been prompted by a fine spell forecast for the next 3-4 days. After a bit of time in the chopper, we were put down on a flat area next to a series of tarns sitting right under the eastern side of the main divide. It was late afternoon and things were starting to cool down as the sun slowly slipped away. With the chopper still in sight, I glanced over to a nearby ridge to see a nice chamois buck silhouetted on the ridgeline. Spotting animals early on is always reassuring when you’re breaking into new country. The rest…

When my good friend Alfonso asked me whether I would like a permit to hunt in the Gredos mountain range to the west of Madrid, I did not take much convincing. He actually had two permits available for Gredos ibex, one of the four species of ibex in Spain and I was able to convince an equally driven friend, Jonathan to join me. The ibex in Spain all tend to rut at about the same time, and having seen the billies rutting before in the Beceite-Tortosa mountain range, I was keen to time my trip to watch this awesome spectacle again. The sight and sound of two or more dominant males clashing is simply awe-inspiring. Mid-rut was chosen and flights were booked for Madrid. Then disaster struck. The National Parks…

Ideally an adventure boat can handle everything found in Kiwi rivers. The biggest challenge is swift, shallow water with sharp rocks lurking below, although big pressure waves and rapids are also pretty common hazards. Get the right hull The most important thing in an adventure boat is a hull that is resistant to rolling over when it hits the riverbed. Two factors are important for this: a low centre of gravity and a wide shallow-deadrise hull bottom. It is even more important to get this right in small boats (<4m) as they are generally narrower but capable of the same speed as bigger boats. The driver and passengers also need to sit low in a small boat as they make up a larger proportion of the weight in a little…

Lazy blowflies buzz past while a tui darts overhead and the tussocks bend slowly in the light wind. Jem, Hayden and I had been flown in a couple of hours earlier by East Kaweka Helicopters to the basic little shelter famously known as Backridge Biv. Soon we are out on the hill, our eyes straining as we sweep every corner. We pay particular attention to areas in shade as there’s still a bit of heat coming from the sun at 5pm. We continue to look while chewing the fat, but no deer poke their noses out of the beech forest as we play the long game of waiting and looking. After an hour and a half of this and a couple of small shifts to change the angles, we decide…

It is located at 870m altitude at the top end of a large tussock flat in the hanging basin portion of Mullins creek. It is a beautiful and tranquil spot that doesn't get a lot of traffic despite being accessible in a day from the Toaroha roadend. Sub-alpine forest cloaks the surrounding hillsides and there are views out over to the Toaroha Range. Mullins creek drops from the basin into the Toaroha River over a spectacular waterfall. A small population of blue duck inhabits the basin and the birds can often be seen in the creek's deep clear pools and rapids. A number of interesting tops journeys can be made in and out of Mullins Basin. Accounts of these can be found in the hut’s original NZFS hutbook, an entertaining…

It's been around since 1983. The story goes Dan Shepherd, the inventor, had a dream about looking through a scope and seeing a bright light in the centre and another star light some distance away at about 10 o’clock. In his dream he turned a dial and the star light moved to align with the centre light, and from this the idea of his dual reticle scope was born. That is one of the things that strikes you the first time you see a Shepherd scope – it has two windage and two elevation dials – a big set and a smaller set. What Dan did was combine a first focal plane (FFP) and a second focal plane (SFP) reticle in the one scope, giving the advantages of both systems.…

I looked back along the ridge where I had seen some hinds, and standing there alone was another deer. Through the binos it looked like a very good, mature stag. With two heavy clubs protruding from his head, he definitely had antlers worth investigating. A quick set up of the spotting scope revealed a beauty of a stag. He had plenty of mass on his tops and two huge brow tines. I quickly counted four on each top and knew then he was going to be a shooter. He was about 2km away so I wasted no time packing up my gear and dropping over the ridge to head in his direction. I had one last side creek to move around to get to where the stag was, when –…

Over previous years I had roared at plenty of stags, however none of them had ever come in on me, and would only reply from a distance. Any stags that I had secured during prior roar trips had either been shot in the open or bush stalked the same as any other deer at any other time of the year. I had seen many videos and read plenty of stories about hair-raising encounters with Red stags in tight bush during the rut, and was determined to make it happen for myself. Early on in April, I managed to tick the box with two young 8 pointers in the Tararuas and Ruahines. Both stags came tearing in as I had been roaring at different animals across the gully and in my…

We unloaded the gear and waited for Dad and Tom to arrive. They were delayed as they had to grab some last minute supplies. We had a good chat to the chopper pilot as we waited for them to turn up. Once they arrived, we had all the gear ready for the chopper. We got into our hunting clothes and were finally ready after a long drive from Hawke’s Bay. The chopper started up and we loaded all the bags in. The ride in was awesome, as we took in some amazing scenery. The rivers, glaciers and mountains made it a truly breathtaking experience. As fast as it started, the flight was over. We jumped out of the chopper and pulled the bags over to where our campsite would be…

But let’s not fancy it up – you ain't there for the tranquility! Somewhere nearby is a large four-legged beast, belly covered in mud, wet nose sniffing the air, practising his fighting skills on a pepperwood tree, smashing it to bits with the sharpened daggers he carries on his head. The guttural roar of a Red stag at close quarters is so deafening it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You know that he's there somewhere. But the stag also knows where you are, in fact he knows the exact spot where you're standing, he’s stood there himself many times before. Even if you think you've been stealthy, he heard your boot crack a twig and followed your movements with his ears. He knows all…

Many of you reading the title of this article might be thinking ‘Didn’t Matt talk about this stuff last time?!’ Generally the terms ‘landscape’ and ‘scenic’ would go hand-in-hand but I see them as different subjects and would like to treat them as such here. Let me explain how and why I see them differently. During our hunting trips (especially the overnight or multi-day trips) we often cover vast amounts of country, some of which is high up on the open tops while some is at lower altitudes and deep in the bush – and then there’s a lot of ‘in-between’ country along the way. I believe the views and vistas we encounter while out hunting can be categorised into one of two types – landscape or scenic. To me,…

I'm going to stick to my usual 'facts and information' format rather than a 'how to hunt' series as I'm sure Paul Stenning, Hunter Morrow and others are able to enlighten everyone on the ins and outs of hunting birds a lot better than I can. "Just go and sit in those rushes on the edge of that open area, keep still and wait. Something will come over just before dark. I’ll go downstream a few hundred metres and park up there." These were the instructions from my good mate Aaron. We were out on a casual after-work hunt for ducks with the shotguns one evening and he was referring to a section of willow-lined, spring-fed stream that flowed down through scrubby riverbed country of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough.…

The morning had started at ‘obscene o’clock’ to ensure Murray and I were ready for the three hundred-odd geese that were supposed to have beat their way into the strong wind to feed on the paddock we were hunting. Alas, the wind died down right on first light and then it started to rain. The geese that did fly headed to a property to the west of us where other hunters had permission to shoot. Eventually the sun came out, the sandflies started biting and the remaining geese could be seen through binoculars contently feeding on the lake edge. They looked like they had no plans to go anywhere so we decided to admit defeat and head home. With our decoys and all our gear soaking wet, it seemed pointless…

We were all lean, keen and quite fit and because we were hunting regularly such trips just got more and more ambitious in terms of how much country we anticipated looking over. This trip was no exception and we planned to cover a considerable chunk of the tops between the Nina Hut and the Nina Biv before heading down the valley floor. We set off at a good clip to make the bushline by daybreak. It took me some time to appreciate that being in good physical shape just meant we tended to walk or climb faster and we would still arrive at the bushline covered in sweat. To shorten this tale considerably I shot a spiker not far out from the bush edge, which we gutted and hung in…

One of my top picks for comfort food always involves a wholesome stew of some type and if you top this off with some tasty herb dumplings, then you have a feast to behold. If you are on a weekend wander then the stew can be prepared at home or alternatively you can pack some fresh meat, and vegetables, and cook it up in camp. However, if you are on a multi-day adventure, where weight is an issue then this recipe below made with dehydrated ingredients will better suit your needs. Minestrone with Herb Dumplings This is a favourite Italian vegetable soup recipe that can be easily turned into a full meal with the addition of some plump herb dumplings. It’s great for multi day hunting/camping as it can be…

Most are familiar with the venerable golden ring range, beginning with binoculars in 1992. That range has since expanded hugely, now including the new top shelf ‘Santiam’ line of optics, BX-5 Binoculars and SX-5 Spotting scopes. NZ Asia recently sent a set of 10x42s and an 80mm spotter in 27-55x to evaluate. With a summer trip chasing tahr and chamois (which always require very careful evaluation) planned I was quick to swindle these from Greg. Amongst other things, we targeted bull tahr feeding on valley bottom flats. These were superbly wily old creatures who would come out long after sundown, while there were only minutes of useable light left, so it provided a great test of twilight performance and optical ability. Binoculars Released in June 2018, these slotted into a…

BBQ meat and salads tend to be the food of choice. This recipe doesn’t require much cooking at all, just sear the outside of the meat and then mix it with a dressing. There are generally three varieties of poke: Poke bowl - tuna, mango and avocado. Poke noodles - tuna and noodles and Poke salad - avocado, watermelon etc The other component is the dressing which you can buy in the shops now – try an Asian store – or you can make your own. Store any leftovers in the fridge in a sealed jar. The Venison The method is the same for all three varieties. Use venison loin or fillet, depending on the size of dish you are making and/or the number of people you are feeding. Trim…