NZ Hunter Issue 52 - April/May 2016

Just when we thought we’d be missing out on Fiordland this year, we got a last minute cancellation (of which there were quite a few this year as parties pulled out at the last minute), and we’re heading into the Wild Natives next week for the second period. The weather has been a bit variable for the first period guys, and its looking a bit wet for us too! If you have some success over the roar period, don’t forget to take plenty of photos and we’d love to have the story of your hunt. Don’t feel just because you weren’t good at English at school, that you can’t write an entertaining hunting yarn. I failed English, and now I write quite a lot for a living! And we can…

Hey Greg I’m an avid fan of your programme on television and your magazine. Good to see such a professional take on public land hunting! I have a question in regards to sighting in a rifle. If someone else were to sight my rifle in for me, does it matter to a huge extent in the field where I am only taking shots within 250m? I saw on your programme a couple of weeks ago when you got your father on the rifle to drop a few deer and thought to myself, the old tale ‘never let someone else sight in your rifle’ must be a bit overzealous when it comes to hunting What are your thoughts on the matter? Cheers, David Hi David, Yes, you are quite correct; it…

THE 12 POINTER WAS NO MATCH FOR THE BIG STAG AND HE QUICKLY RETREATED INTO THE THICK BEECH FOREST. TO MY RELIEF, HE WENT DOWN THIS TIME. There was added excitement as I was heading into country I had never hunted before but I had been told it held a reasonable number of Reds. On my way up the south side of the valley, I could hear two stags roaring in the head of the basin. Then I stopped in my tracks when I suddenly saw what looked like a ripper mature stag disappearing over the skyline no more than 100 metres away. I couldn’t help but think that the very trophy I was looking for had just slipped away because of a slight breeze blowing up the face from…

MIKE WAS LEADING THE STALK WHEN HE FROZE DEAD STILL. The urge was growing in me to chase some bull tahr before the heavy snow took hold of the higher slopes in the Southern Alps. Earlier in the year, I had received a letter from the Haast DOC office saying that my tahr ballot application was unsuccessful, but I could wait a month till March 18th and then reapply. It was a ‘first in first served’ basis for any remaining blocks that hadn’t been occupied. Nine o’clock on D-day, March 18th came around pretty quickly. Anxiously, I rang the DOC office, hoping to lay claim to a half decent block. The phone line was busy - apparently every other keen tahr hunter in the country who didn’t have a block…

It seems like a reversal of roles when a normally super cautious animal comes to you – and the hunter becomes the hunted. Chris Crosse from East Kaweka Helicopters and I have a competition each roar –will the biggest Sika come from his Ahimanawa private blocks or the public Kaweka Forest Park? Last year I lost the contest and had to clean out his large chest freezer. It was a whole day job - there was venison from 15 years ago hiding deep within the depths of his electric rubbish bin - as well as other indescribable items. Our dogs and chooks had a varied diet for the next week; from ancient cakes to freezer burnt fish. So would this be my year, when I could get Chris to endure…

WINNER All pictures each issue will go into the draw to win a Buck hunting knife valued at $120 Send your hi-res photos to editor@nzhunter.co.nz…