Innehållsförteckning för Issue 104 från NZ Hunter

The Sika Show was another resounding success last month, with steady support over both days National and Act politicians were there in force, with the Prime Minister even signing up to the Sika Foundation! Hunting and Fishing Minister Todd McClay released his new access charter to ensure public land becomes more accessible, Minister Tama Potaka discussed potential amendments to conservation legislation, and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee was talking about the changes in the Firearms Amendment Bill. We have a new record Sika head with a Douglas Score of 243 ⅜”! Congrats to Teariki Ama on a magnificent stag! It had 13 points but was based around a typical large 8 point Sika frame, with mostly matching tines. There were some stunning in heads in most categories, and it was…

It originated from the military collaboration between ArmaLite and Sierra who were trying to design a smaller cartridge to replace the 308/7.62 Nato, basing it on the 222 Remington, but it still needed to penetrate a soldier’s steel helmet at 500 yards. Testing showed that the 222 could achieve this if a 55gn bullet could be driven at 3300fps, but at this velocity the pressure proved to be too high. In 1958 Remington created a larger capacity case still based on the 222 called the 222 Special which proved to have the required performance. To avoid confusion later that year the name was changed to the 223 Remington and testing continued. In 1962 Remington Arms submitted the new cartridge to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI), followed a…

When I told him I was going to drive down to South Westland and chase tahr around for a week with my fiancée, Natalia. He replied with “we’ll come!” It hadn’t exactly been intended as an invite, but I was stoked that they were keen. Neither he nor my step-mum had ever taken up any sort of hunting, but they get a kick out of watching the Duleys on the telly. Fast forward a couple of months and we found ourselves crossing Cook Strait on the ferry and staying in Nelson for the night. As the ferry had been fully booked, my parents had to fly down, and we met them there. We spent the next day tiki-touring our way down the coast and parking up at James Scott’s heli…

From February through to March bucks will be as fat as they will ever be for the year. This need to gain weight is essential for the upcoming rut and to replace the minerals in their skeletons they robbed to grow their antlers. It is for survival and dominance which affects their behaviour during this period. With over an inch of fat cover they overheat quickly, so they must not only escape the heat of the day but find a way to disperse their diet-induced body heat. Damp areas such as swamps are popular in the summer months. Bucks love the tall grasses that grow there. These grasses offer outstanding cover as it can grow to around five feet in height and is cool for the bucks to lie on.…

Think speed backpacking, or multi-day trail running. It suits outdoor adventurers and hunters who, at times, want to cover as much ground as possible. For me, this generally means hiking the uphills, and jogging any flat stretches and downhills. Some fastpackers choose to go fairly far, while others can go really, really far! Why Try Fastpacking? If you’re checking out new country or you want a quick recce of an area for a later hunt then fastpacking is for you. You get deeper into the backcountry and cover more ground for the time available. Additionally, if you want to get more familiar with routes in an area you can check off more of those at one time. Perhaps you’re covering ground across several catchments to see what the area is…

It is tucked in against the alpine scrub on a small bench at 1050m, just under the ridge that leads up to Lathrop Saddle. It is a tranquil spot that has panoramic views of the alps and the coastal plains and from the edge of the bench you can look right down on Grassy Flat in the head of the Styx River. Browning Biv is part of a moderate difficulty Department of Conservation maintained circuit that starts in the Styx Valley and finishes in the Toaroha. The two alpine saddles on this loop, Lathrop and Zit, both demand reasonable levels of experience and fitness, and appropriate snow gear in the colder months. The circuit is fairly popular but had a brief drop in use after the Styx Valley routes were…

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.…

This trip was certainly going to be no exception. I planned to walk from the Lakes car park off the Napier-Taihape Road over to Makahu Road in Puketitiri via the Manson country. I had six days up my sleeve, so packed very light, hoping I’d shoot a deer or two and catch a few trout in my travels to boost my food supply. It was late February and dry. Stags had velvet antlers, so I wasn’t overly worried about spending too much time glassing for deer. Leaving the big cannon and binos at home I decided to take my battered old .308. I threw my gear in my pack and had Dad drop me at the Lakes car park. It was a half hour climb up to the ridge, then…

I’d had meetings about tahr with people who like tahr, meetings about tahr with people who don’t like tahr, and meetings about tahr with people who don’t know what a tahr even looks like. I was up to the eyeballs with legislation, up the wazoo with management plans and up the proverbial creek when it came to a good night’s sleep. Despite a complete and utter mental overload of shaggy mountain goats, what did I decide to do with some spare time on the coast earlier this year? Go tahr hunting. It was on the back of one of the Targeted Harvest operations the Tahr Foundation undertakes in Management Unit 6 - South Westland under a Community Agreement with DOC. Previous Chair Kaylyn Pinney and the team correctly identified that…

Better Hunting is a free online training platform built by the NZ Game Animal Council to help aspiring hunters improve their skills and knowledge, while helping them understand their obligations and responsibilities as hunters and firearms users. The courses are intended to provide a pathway and support hunters who go on to do practical training, such as the NZDA HUNTS courses. The content is designed by New Zealand hunters, for New Zealand hunters. You can do the courses on your phone and even download them for offline viewing using the app. For new, inexperienced and casual hunters, the two main courses, Hunting Essentials and Firearm Essentials, cover foundational hunting and outdoor skills. We’ve also just released an Introduction to Pig Hunting course. More experienced hunters will still find useful information…

A strong sector I often talk about how strong the hunting sector is as a collective. For this column, I thought we could expand on this and look at some of the key groups contributing significant effort to strengthen, unite and grow the hunting sector. At the heart of these groups are the volunteers who put countless hours into delivering on-the-ground projects that provide positive outcomes for conservation, meat donation, hut and track management, game animal management and more. Collectively, these volunteers, the groups they belong to and the work they are delivering, are contributing to cementing the hunting sector as a strong, proactive and important part of New Zealand’s social fabric. Without this collective effort, the things that make hunting in New Zealand so special – the outdoors, the…

For men it offers a tee, a polo, a long sleeve crew, a long sleeve collar and now a hoodie with inbuilt modular buff, the ‘Vantage’ - all in Desolve Veil camo or green. Some V2 options also have camo/fluro and a desert tan. The singlet is still a V1 as there’s not much need to improve the ventilation there! The Vantage hoodie became a particular favourite of mine. A lightweight hood attached to a baselayer is highly convenient. I’ve never been a hoodie person, but I do get sunburnt at the drop of a hat (literally, get it!), so having a lightweight hood to protect my ears and neck that I can’t possibly forget is very useful. It’s also great for blocking glare into the sides of your eyepiece…

SIGHTMARK LATITUDE SPOTTING SCOPES THE SIGHTMARK LATITUDE 20–60 SPOTTING SCOPE HAS AN IMPRESSIVE 80MM MULTICOATED LENS SYSTEM WHICH OFFERS BEAUTIFUL CLARITY AND LIGHT TRANSMISSION. It is a rugged scope with a built in dual tripod adapter system or picatinny rail mounting. Complete with a lifetime warranty this spotting scope is great value for money, and offers all you will ever need. RRP: $2499.00 www.nzammo.co.nz RAB SONIC HOODY ON FRESH MORNINGS WHEN A TEE WON’T CUT IT, THE SONIC HOODY IS THE ONLY LAYER YOU NEED. Layer on cool mornings or cover up for extra protection, this lightweight, technical baselayer uses breathable, high-wicking fabric to keep you comfortable whatever your fast-paced mountain pursuit. With a close-fitting wrap-style hood and excellent articulation, this lightweight baselayer adapts to a range of activities where…

Frankly I’ve never given much thought to the question of whether moose continued to survive in Fiordland, or if they’d become extinct following the last official recorded sighting in 1952, - despite living a stone’s throw from Fiordland National Park. As a born and bred Southlander, I’m hard-wired for scepticism. Yet, I’m also generally an open-minded and curious person. Little did I know how captivating the moose story would become, or how much I’d be drawn in by the wonderful people behind it. You’ve spent decades researching Fiordland moose. What are you asked most often? The most annoying question is: “So you really believe there are still moose in Fiordland?” Would I really waste my time if there wasn’t? You say you know moose continue to exist. Can you summarise…

For the last 18 months I’ve been a full-time hunting guide, and was part time prior to that, and in that game I see and hear all sorts from ballistics to animal biology to hunting gear. Some is true and helpful information, and some is absolute rubbish - which is what got the ball rolling in my head to start writing an article on one of these subjects. About a year ago Marc Nel from the Napier NZDA and I had a conversation about these points, and he asked if I would like to come do a talk on one of them at one of our Monday meetings. Public speaking isn’t a strong point, so luckily for me only a dozen or so people turned up that night. I decided…

I was similarly concerned as I looked across at Reuben and Ronan, but luckily for us both, we were heading to different spots, and not only that, but our meeting would spark a new direction of adventure for us all. My cousin Bailey and I walked up the track with our new mates Reuben and Ronan for about an hour before parting ways, and in that time, we all briefly discussed our interest in mountaineering. I had instantly clicked with these guys over our shared desire to embark on long trips on foot, pushing bodies and minds to the limits in the most remote parts of New Zealand. We kept in touch after our trips, and as none of us had previously worn a harness, decided we should sign up…

The stags are coming back into hard antler so old boys are on the menu and chamois are sporting their summer coats. With five nights up our sleeves my mate Raddy and I planned to explore an area we’d wanted to get into for a while, an area packed full of history. The Poulter has produced some famous heads over the years but of late it hasn’t been known for its deer hunting. Because of the biodiversity values through the remnant populations of orangefronted parakeets, the area gets a lot of conservation activity. A great cause that unfortunately results in the deer numbers also being considerably reduced. But deer are pretty hard to get rid of and they’re not the main target; there’s still enough poking around in there to…

Most readers will be aware of the NZDA Hunter National Training Scheme (HUNTS) and the certified volunteer network that facilitates a syllabus covering the knowledge and practical skills necessary to operate safely as a hunter in Aotearoa New Zealand. This course can also now be supplemented by the online training and certification programme provided by the Game Animal Council via the website at www.betterhunting.nz A hybrid model has been successfully trialed over two courses that combine elements of ‘special character’ alongside the NZDA nationally approved curriculum and its safe management practices. This new one-month course is part of the vision of Steve Wilson, a hunter from the top of the South who, like most hunters, got yarning with others about and some of the deeper connections, and relationships formed while…

“Aciphylla aurea, commonly known as golden speargrass or yellow spaniard, is a striking perennial native to New Zealand. This plant is notable for its sharp, sword-like leaves that form a dense, spherical clump.” - The Plant Store knows it well. If you’ve hunted the South Island tops, then speargrass needs no introduction. Just bear in mind it’s usually the small ones that you don’t see when you sit down to glass that get you the best. The Aciphylla Creek landing site is fairly sheltered and well up in the tussock country at about 1250m above sea level, and with plenty of scope and easier going terrain in most directions, it’s a great place for those less sure footed. There’s also an alternate landing site by the tarn on Eblis Tops…

Many stories are told of this dog working in harsh sub-zero conditions across the rough waters of the Chesapeake Bay, icicles hanging from its coat, smashing its way through reeds and ice to retrieve as many as 200 ducks in a day. The breed started in 1807 when an English brig loaded with salted cod and bound for Poole, England, sank in the Chesapeake Bay. Along with the crew, there are two puppies aboard. Mr George Law of Baltimore, who was aboard the American ship Canton that came to the rescue, recounts the following. “In the fall of 1807 I was on board the ship Canton when we fell in, at sea, near the termination of a very equinoctial gale, with an English brig in a sinking condition, and took…

Who would want to be one of those right now? Talk about a price on your head! I haven’t hunted turkey (although my American friend says it’s a lot of fun) so by default, pig it is. This dish will look a million dollars and is simple to make. Don’t be put off by the complexity of the finished dish photo - you too will reap the praise from your guests and it can be served as an entrée or as a canapé at this festive time, or can be vacuum packed and frozen for a later date. Paté and terrine are undeniably among the great classics of French gastronomy as they are seen to be culinary specialities and part of their culture. The word terrine dates back to the…