Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 96 i NZ Hunter

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To In its most basic definition, being a ‘professional hunter’(PH) means you are paid to hunt, but hunting has many faces both here and internationally, so there is no standardised form of the PH, and the role changes over time. Here in New Zealand this job has taken many forms and continues to change to this day. When our game populations were established in the early 20th century the first PHs were guides. Men like Jim Muir are synonymous with the early guiding industry and the halcyon days of deer stalking in this country. The role of the PH in New Zealand soon changed from that of guide, to the predominant position of the infamous ‘deer culler’. From the 1930s through to the 1970s this role…

Destination: Rakiura (Stewart Island) – Little Hellfire. The morning had finally arrived. We boarded a small, single-engine Cessna A185 – enough room for just four of us – the pilot, Steve, Eric and I. I couldn't help but be excited as I reminisced about childhood memories of flying in the old fertiliser planes as a toddler back on the farm (some 40 years prior). It was cool in Invercargill the morning we left, but clear skies gave us an awesome view of the small Southland city. Twenty minutes into our flight a slight drizzle left droplets of rain blurring our vision of the rough terrain below. By the time we arrived at Little Hell Fire the rain had set in. The pilot kindly helped us unload our gear onto the…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To However, how many of us ponder over our environmental impact while gearing up for our next hunting adventure? Do we contemplate what we purchase and our actions upon returning home? There is a lot we can do to reduce our footprint to ensure the planet remains a great place for our children to hunt. Here are a few tricks and tips that might help you reduce your footprint for your next adventure. DEHYDRATED AND FREEZE-DRIED FOODS Freeze dried and dehydrated food are a light and super convenient for longer trips into the hills. If you do not have a dehydration unit at home, you are likely buying dehydrated food in easy-to-use pouches that only require the addition of hot water to create a warm, nutritious…

GWYN THURLOW - NZDA Rusa Deer Cervus timorensis Male = Stag Female = Hind Young = Calf Rusa deer are widely regarded as one of the hardest deer species to hunt in New Zealand. Their extremely sharp senses, combined with the difficult habitat they live in and their very limited overall range, make rusa deer a real challenge to pursue. Rusa were initially released into the Galatea region in 1907; the deer originating from a population in New Caledonia, which in turn originated from Java, Indonesia. Today, they have the smallest range of all New Zealand deer, occupying only certain areas of Te Urewera near Galatea and along the Whakatane River. Characteristics & Behaviour: One of the most interesting characteristics of rusa deer (similar to sambar) is their fur. Being a tropical…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE Testfire The idea being that you ease your investment in packs by purchasing the Arete frame, and then your selection of a 25l, a 45l and/or a 75l pack. They also offer the advantage of in-trip modularity, so that you can pack in with the 75l, set up basecamp and then continue to hunt with the 25l or 45l. This means you have a heavy duty daypack that can realistically bring home a load of meat without demolishing your back and shoulders as it has a proper aluminium harness frame. The range offers the three packs, but also the option of a quiet Hydrafuse in Desolve Veil camo or the more hard-wearing 500D Cordura in Stone Green. With alpine hunting in mind we used the 45 and…

Who's got your vote? The Game Animal Council has dedicated this month's column to providing an insight into the policy of our major political parties as they head into the election. In July the GAC wrote to the Conservation, and Hunting and Fishing Spokespeople of Labour, National, ACT, The Green Party, Te Pati Māori and New Zealand First to provide information and help hunters understand the various party positions on questions regarding game animals, their management and hunting. We have presented the responses in alphabetical order based on party name and without any commentary, allowing you to judge for yourselves the merits of each party's position. Thanks to ACT's Nicole McKee, Eugenie Sage of the Green Party, labour's Willow-Jean Prime and National's Todd McClay for participating. Unfortunately, Te Pati Māori…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To Despite my age, the event must have had quite an impact on me. I saw our neighbour as a huge, strong adventure man who hunted deer and caught marlin. How could he have drowned? I remember all these people turning up at my neighbour's house, where there was a great deal of sadness, and my mother spending a lot of time there, consoling the family and helping them, as arrangements were made for the funeral. I knew my father was also very sad during this time as he was very quiet as he tended to me and my siblings. Ever since then, I have known rivers were dangerous and as I grew up and started exploring the back country with my rifle, I was already…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To Many battles were won due to the arrow, and the very existence of villages and tribes heavily depended on what is still known today as an arrow. The arrow today is different to the arrows of the past. At the risk of starting to sound like an old timer, arrows nowadays look very different even to when I first started using them. SHAFTS My arrow setup in the beginning was an aluminium shaft that, at the time, was the ducks deluxe. Of course, being aluminium, they would bend and dent easily, and they could snap easily too. But that was nothing compared to the issues of wooden shafts that some even older timers would tell me about. Looking at arrows now and seeing what they…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To It's inspiring country, even if these days the lake is more of a flat patch of gravel and the glaciers no doubt a fraction of their former selves. This has to be one of the more scenic landing sites with its dramatic topography, and it's even more so in a storm with water just streaming down the steep sides and the river rising quickly. Being more comfortable in steeper terrain will open up a bunch more scope from this landing site, and with camp being about 1000m above sea level it's certainly a place for axe and crampons if we get early snow - unlike this year. The campsite is exactly where you land in the helicopter, on a flat piece of ground that's clear…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE Testfire The brand is proudly Chinese owned and operated, and has a twenty year heritage in the LED lighting industry. They supply a vast array of products, from tactical and work to sporting and camping, with hunting and fishing needs specifically catered to. With flashlights, headlamps, lanterns and even bike lights they really do it all. Fenix unashamedly embrace that they are made in Shenzhen, China, but most importantly in a dedicated company-owned facility. This means there are no contractors or sub-contractors, what they make in their own factory is their livelihood. They were also one of the first manufacturers to embrace ANSI American National Standards Institute, the main organization supporting the development of technology standards in the United States. This is similar to the international ISO…

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NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE Food & Fauna I am going to talk about smoking, slowcook barbeque or barbeque smokers as there as been an increase in the popularity of this style of cooking. In this edition, I will talk about choosing a smoker or barbeque as there are now so many options on the market. To be transparent, I am not an expert on this topic. However, the information I will share with you comes from industry leaders who specialise in this style of cooking and a friend who has won competitions in New Zealand and qualified for the world championships in Texas Hopefully, this guide will assist you in choosing a product that you will be proud of, and you will enjoy cooking on it for your family and friends,…

Before I started my hunting journey, I went on countless hiking trips but had never encountered anything bigger than a possum. So, when I finally saw an old roaring stag, I couldn't believe how majestic he was. It was so captivating watching him. I started to understand how lucky we are in Aotearoa New Zealand, and why it's so important we protect and manage these big game animals. It also triggered the start of a dream that would eventually turn into reality two years later. At the beginning, when I thought about taking my first stag, I felt this sense of determination and excitement. I would soak up all the knowledge the Great Dane Emil would share with me and watch countless episodes of NZ Hunter Adventures. I may be…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To STOCK The first step was the stock – the last of many options we've trialed with this action, it's certainly customizable! Howa have now released a range of carbon stocks for numerous rifles in their line; offering the Superlite (a brand new action to sit between the mini action and the short action – but only in chrome moly for the moment), the Elevate, to pair with a carbon-wrapped barrel, and the Stalker – the carbon stock Mini Action. This now gives us two options for the Mini Action. The Kroseg Precision we profiled last issue and the Stalker profiled this issue. See the attached photos for a comparison between the two. The new stock weighs in at an impressive 450 grams, and comes in…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To The surrounds are alpine peat bog with scattered scrub and open tussock patches, and there are great views out over the Toaroha Valley to the coast. Yeats can be done as an overnighter from the Toaroha roadend, or day trip from Cedar Flat Hut which is the first hut in the main valley. Access from Yeats onto the Toaroha Range is relatively straightforward and there are good tops routes to a number of other remote huts and bivs in the area. Yeats has never been high-use despite its relative ease of access however visits have increased significantly lately, topping the 30 per year mark. Much of this is due to a growing interest in some longer alpine circuits in the area, the most common of…

NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE Testfire It is also the most controversial, but there is no doubt that it is an absolute game changer. Ultimately the degree of challenge you want to have in your hunting is your own personal choice. In recent years, thermal has undoubtedly become more mainstream, advanced and affordable. There are a lot of people using it, but not all are open that they do. Many in the hunting industry were also once more cautious in their acceptance of thermal. NZ Hunter is a magazine that promotes free range, fair chase, and ethical hunting. We are also open to technology and equipment advances and believe in everything having its place and people their own freedom of choice, where it doesn't impact others. The reality is that when carrying…

If you're anything like me, you've been looking forward to that sacred day since last year's opener. Also, if you're anything like me, you'll find it's also the busiest and most stressful time of the year!. By the time the roar is over, it's time to start actioning the plans made last season. Maybe you&339;re been wanting to cut down that irritating willow tree you've been cursing for years, or maybe you've been putting off repairing the maimai that always seems to slip your mind until a few days before the season starts, only to be forgotten about again for another year. Then there's the ongoing stuff like scrubbing the blinds, reweighting decoys, getting the dog back up to speed and preseason scouting. I'm not only considering the opening day,…