Innehållsförteckning för Issue 77 från NZ Hunter

As I write this we are in Covid 19 Level 2 and hunters are allowed to go bush all over the country again, as long as they are sensible about it and follow the Level 2 guidelines. . Thankfully most hunters were seen to be obeying the rules through Level 3 and 4, but there were a couple of exceptions. Hopefully we have no major community outbreaks and we will be able to continue to get back to normal both in work and recreation where possible. Under Level 3 we were able to stick to our North Island and South Island NZ Hunter bubbles and get out and film a couple of late roar episodes day hunting on private land – which was a real change for us and a…

It’s a race against dusk as I bounce up the riverbed, trying to find the best track and stay on it without rattling my truck to bits Finally, right on dark, I crack the well-formed track that takes me on the final leg to the hut. No one’s in the hut tonight and there’s not many logbook entries recording animals taken in the last year. Checking the logbook is one technique for helping to judge how much pressure a hunting spot has had – although I’m not naïve enough to believe that everything in a hut logbook is true! My first couple of days out in the hills on this August solo hunt are uneventful, with only four deer seen. I miss a tasty-looking spiker and spend many hours waiting…

We all hunt a little differently. This is due to our varying ages, levels of fitness, where we live and the terrain we hunt in Some of us will routinely climb 1000m vertical when we go hunting, others view the truck or quad bike as more of a ‘mobile hunting blind’. Whatever your approach, having a versatile yet simple layering system means you will be comfortable and you will also be able to do more with less. It’s a crisp May morning high in tahr country and you’ve spent the last three hours sweating your way uphill to get in position to get at that big bull you saw last night just on dark. You’re cursing the last few beers and ports you had in the comfort of your heated…

To make the most of our adventures in the hills, having the right body composition can play a big part in the whole experience Being able to move freely, with less effort and energy is a significant factor that we must all consider with our preparation for hunting. Our bodies are made up of four elements – water, muscle, minerals and fat. To go stronger for longer on the hill, we can all benefit from leaving unnecessary weight behind. If we carry more weight than we need to, we are making our bodies work harder. Everything we carry can be considered as load (or weight) – our own bodyweight, packs, clothing, boots, food and water, cooking kit, rifle, optics, camera, navigation tools and hunting accessories. It all adds up! With…

Bushnell is a familiar and trusted optic brand to any Kiwi who hasn’t been living in a cave That same company integrity can be extended to their trail camera range, which began decades ago. When Nic Burgess from Ampro let us know there was a new kid on the block for the Bushnell series I was very excited to test it. Trail cameras are a powerful tool for scouting, particularly in bush hunting areas. When I think of trail cameras my first thoughts go to huge Sika stags ghosting through trails in the kanuka, tantalising and teasing hunters for years. PHYSICAL The whole unit comes in at 309 grams without batteries or strap. If you’re planning on leaving it in the bush for extended periods of time or carrying a…

It is time to raise your game! What I mean by that is your upland game, and in the middle of winter, what better dish to make than a roast? You might be thinking that roast pheasant is a bit fancy or extravagant and difficult to cook and you do not want to stuff it up. It isn’t at all difficult and you may find this recipe one of the easiest to follow. Once you have hung the birds for at least three days with the feathers on and guts in after the hunt, you need to pluck and gut them. Keep the feathers for any angler who fly fishes or anyone who ties their own flies, as pheasant feathers are sought after for making the well known Mrs Simpson…

HI GREG I’ve just bought a Tikka T3 in 270 cal. Some people say not to cut them down, I’m thinking I should. My question to you is will it still be a great gun with factory ammunition if I get the guys at DPT to set it up like your one? I don’t think I’ll be getting into reloading my own ammo, but I was watching the show last night and if I heard right, you are getting 2900fps out of a 16 inch .270? I was wondering if I could get some advice on what to try if I get in to reloading. THANKS, BRIAN HI BRIAN, Our 270 for the TV Show has an 18" barrel. If cut to 18", it will work fine with factory ammo.…

Having successfully drawn a tahr ballot block for 2018, I thought the hard work was over I soon learned this was not the case as DOC had decided they would be doing aerial 1080 work in my allocated block at the same time my party would be in there. To their credit they came up with an alternative landing site so we would not have to deal with the green lolly scramble. To say we were excited about the new site would be an understatement – we were to hunt the same catchment that the NZ Hunter Adventures crew had referred to as the ‘holy grail’. The long awaited day arrived and after picking up my brother Sam from the airport and doing a last minute check of gear and…

Here's how I went from being a trail bunny adorned in all hues of fluoro activewear who has never fired a rifle, to a bona fide huntress sporting waterproof boots, a multi-camo shirt and branded cap. For those of you who are also green and keen, I'll share a few tips for getting started in hunting. I grew up in rural Southland, and while I was always active and thrived in the outdoors, I never had the opportunity to get out in the great hunting areas close to home. There was a hiatus from most physical activity through university, but once I entered the real world and started earning some real spending money, I dived into the realm of off-road triathlons and multisports. Training and competing took me to some…

Let’s just say this roar could have gone better Unless you had a stag walk into your back garden, you probably didn’t get that all-important first deer. However they are still roaming the hills, and stalking in the winter is a good option. While you are out and about this winter, you might just come across an animal that was designed for bowhunting in a lot of ways – the good old pig. What makes a pig such an ideal critter to hunt with a bow? Pigs have poor eyesight, so this makes stalking in close easier than with other big game. Also, they can make a lot of noise as they go about their day – rolling rocks or communicating with each other as they cruise about feeding. And…

People might be excused for thinking that this writer never gets out of his little patch of remote hut heaven in Central Westland, and mostly they’d be right There are a couple of lifetimes worth of adventures in there, so don’t get me started; however, every now and again I do get dragged off to do something a bit different – usually by one of my mates. In this instance, a friend from Nelson who is a self-confessed hut bagger recently invited my partner and me to join him on a trip into some of the small side catchments of the Clarence River on the Seaward Kaikoura Range. Our goal was to visit (and yes, bag) a couple of remote bivouacs that I hadn’t previously heard of. ‘Small’ is probably…

If you have read any of my previous articles you will see that this one doesn’t start off like the others There’s no eager Lab bringing back ducks and no rain slashing down my neck. There’s not even a mob of ducks or geese back-pedalling over the decoys. I had actually planned on writing about the first week of my duck hunting adventures for the 2020 season. I hunt from the very bottom of the province on big water to near the top of it on grain hunts and everywhere in between and I thought that would make great reading. There is a huge number of birds in the south this year due to the wet weather we experienced over spring and early summer, which was perfect for rearing ducklings.…

Hunters and hunting groups united and with the help of the Game Animal Council (GAC) we met a compromise with DOC. This was a breakthrough in NZ game management and the first time in recent history that the government and hunting groups found a middle ground for control work. Like many others, I was doing all I could to try and halt the impending doom of the tahr herd. Part of this effort involved raffling off one of my wilderness hunts with all donations going toward the newly formed Tahr Foundation. As I drew the name of the winner for the hunt, one thing surprised me. Not the number of people who donated, but their locations. I expected a large number of locals and a few international hunters but there…

Smoke rises from the barrel of the 7mm-08 and disappears into the canopy of the ancient forest. The adrenalin starts pumping. The shining cuckoo, who’s been narking on us since we started climbing the tree-covered hills, finally shuts up. Everyone is awaiting Sam’s next move. He starts sprinting – not quite the move we expected – and after 50 metres of ‘Usain Bolting’ through the bush, he stops. “Phew – thought I’d missed it” Sam says and puts his hands on his knees to catch his breath. On the forest floor, between two massive decomposing logs, on a bed of moss and ferns and lit up by the few rays of sun that manage to penetrate the awning of treetops, lies the body of a Sika yearling. A picturesque sight,…

Kia ora readers. I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. So much has happened and changed since I last wrote to you and it will take time to return to some sort of ‘normal’ Most of us have made significant hunting sacrifices in the past few months and like you at the time of writing, I am eagerly awaiting the green light to get back in to some real bush and do what I love to do. Our view of the world has already changed and as hunters it may also be time to rethink what is actually important to us. And that is what I want to talk to you about. I was born in the shadow of the mighty Southern Alps and…

Photo Gallery 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 for printing - a minimum file size of 1MB is preferred.…

When I came on board as General Manager of the Game Animal Council in December 2019, I knew this would be a busy role and I was prepared for that However, nothing could prepare me, or I guess anyone else, for the events of the past few months. Just imagine if a year ago someone told you that you would be made to stay in your home for seven weeks. You wouldn’t have believed them! COVID-19 LOCKDOWN The reality is that the COVID-19 lockdown could not have happened at a worse time for hunters. Just as we were gearing up for the roar, we were made to cool our heels. There was little debate about the merits of going hunting or any other outdoor activities during Level 4. I think…