Tabla de contenidos para Issue 106 en NZ Hunter

It’s that time of year again, as the days begin to shorten and night time temperatures drop, certain species start to think about procreating and the hills are reverberating with their roars! First Wapiti, then Reds, then Sika and Fallow – with chamois only shortly afterwards and finally tahr beginning later in May. And don’t forget the waterfowl and upland hunters also getting underway the first weekend in May. Man, it’s such an enjoyable and busy time of the year! Fi and I spent the weekend running round putting up trail cameras in our Kaweka haunts, and I’m flying south tomorrow to head off on another South Westland Red roar adventure. The only fly in the ointment is I’ll have to leave the rest of the team in the hills…

After a quick stop at the Renwick butchers for a pie or two, we finally arrived at the hut around midday. With a quick brew, and boots loosely tied for the upcoming river crossing, packs were saddled, and we were off for our 2024 roar hunt. The first campsite was only a couple of hours’ walk, so it didn’t take long to reach it. Ash and Jimmy had pre-scouted the area two years ago while I was living in Canada. They had found a good little route through some scrubby bluffs that looked pretty gnarly, so hunting pressure was low. A five minute glass showed a couple of chamois high up in the bluffs that could be potential targets the following day. Camp was erected, and we were off chasing…

The next few months we did a lot of hunting with varying degrees of success, learning a lot together throughout these hunts as I observed Maia grow in confidence. As we developed as a team it was my turn to grow in confidence. As I learnt to trust Maia I was able to start recognising the different types of indications. I slowly begin to understand the subtle changes in her body language, and what all this information means. TEAM BUILDING The very next weekend after our first hunt we were at it again. This time we were able to hunt a private spot. I know this bush very well and was confident we would encounter animals. On this hunt, I thought I would head for a nice ridge that has…

The crackling, noisy forests and oppressively hot days taught this hunter some time ago that summer was better suited for fishing and alpine missions in the South Island, rather than charging around the scrub in a sweaty daze trying to catch pigs! Now our summer hunts are restricted to one or two short jaunts a week - usually early in the morning - to keep the dogs 'ticking over'. More importantly, it is a time for both dogs and hunters to recharge the batteries, and prepare for another hectic autumn and winter slipping and sliding around the country north and south of Kaeo in pursuit of pigs. Last summer was time to take stock of where the dogs were at, and make a plan for 2024. Jazz, the matriarch of…

No other brand or model has been able to match its power range, optical performance, optimum reticle selection and target turret/custom PBC capability in such a lightweight package – and at a very competitive price. So much so that JP, the Swarovski NZ head honcho, has been calling them the “Kiwi Special” for some time now. The 5-25x52 Z5 has also been very popular for those wanting a little more power, and a little better low light performance. So let’s have a look at the features that have made these models so popular, and also what people didn’t like about them. First up, 3.5 to 18x is pretty much all you need at both ends of the magnification range in an all-round hunting scope. I’ve never felt I needed more…

At that moment, there’s a subtle but perceptible shift of power from the gun to the dog. In tune with our dog we feel it - our job is done, the dog’s job has begun. Whether it’s a pheasant tumbling into scrub across a valley or a mallard splashing into a pond, a gundog’s ability to mark that fall is a marvel of instinct and sensory precision. It’s not just a retrieve - it’s a masterclass in how nature equips these animals to complement our efforts. Understanding how a gundog marks the fall and how we can sharpen that skill through training reveals why they’re indispensable in the field and deepens our appreciation for the bond we share. When the shotgun cracks and a bird falls, a gundog’s work begins…

As I said last issue, a trophy stag in classic country, shared with my son – could a moment get any better? On the next morning of our adventure, I photographed a yearling on the riverbed and a few hardy beasts were seen above the beech, but nothing to entice us to climb. Our mission for the afternoon was to lighten our trekking loads, so we headed downriver to where Garth and Tony were camped to take down the antlers, chamois horns and meat for their chopper pickup. The river gorged, but we did a good job of staying on the deer trails and got down there in good time. It was great to see the lads and they were certainly pleased with our success. They were getting onto the…

At the heart of this initiative is John DeLury, a dedicated volunteer, hunter, and author of two books about hunting on Stewart Island, who has played a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining these vital facilities. John has been a member of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association (NZDA) since 1973 and holds both a Southland Branch Life Membership and a National Life Membership. In this interview, he shares the origins of RHCT, the challenges faced, and the ongoing mission to preserve both the hunting tradition and the island’s unique environment. How did your connection with Stewart Island begin? I was living in Greymouth, where I grew up, and along with my brother and a couple of good hunting mates, we’d tried for several years to get into the Wapiti blocks…

This was our third season and in the two previous years we hadn’t got a deer on the deck, but were determined we weren’t going home empty handed this time around. We had three main goals for this trip. First: to shoot a Whitetail deer, second: to film the adventure to show off this amazing paradise and thirdly, to test our new Advenchur 66L chillybin with wheels. Our crew of mates from Waikato, Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury met up in Bluff before jumping on the Aurora charter and heading down to our block for the week’s adventure. The original plan was to spend the week hunting the Big Kuri block, but the weather had other plans. The sea was like nothing that we had ever seen in our lives, and…

I’m always making Dad take me along and have done some pretty cool trips now that I'm a bit older and my legs are a bit longer. Despite taking plenty of Fallow, a few Red hinds and the odd small Red stag, I’ve always wanted to find one of the old and elusive Red stags of South Westland and shoot one for myself. The roar is an exciting time in any hunter's calendar and having Easter weekend on the coast was an opportunity that I simply couldn’t pass up. Another thing on our side was the weather, with a few showers here and there but three fine days over the long weekend. It was time to try and secure a nice, mature stag. This trip started down in Wanaka. My…

The Lord Range with its 2200m peaks provides some shelter from the West, but it also provides plenty of shade making the valley quite a cold prospect, particularly in the latter ballot periods. There’s a choice of two landing sites, with the main one being right by the river at about 1000m. The alternative site is on high tussock bench at 1400m with a tarn for water, and a great view for glassing the whole valley. Hunting from the main camp offers a huge amount of scope, with everything from the open alpine terrain and rocky cliff bands to the lower scrub edges. The alternate site offers a little less scope, but it does make the more downstream faces an easy walk, there’s also no reason you couldn’t hunt the…

It is all happening so quickly. One other change has been the name change from Infiray to Nocpix late last year. With that name change came a number of new items and some significant jumps in capability and efficacy. There is no doubt that when it comes to thermal equipment, you get what you pay for Only a few short years ago, if you wanted top end thermal, the number sat around $10,000! With the release of Nocpix and some neat new options therein, the price seemed to go down not up! Don’t forget to also consider after sales service and reliability of the unit you are thinking about. Don’t ask retailers who might only push one brand. Will the unit last and does the supplier hold a supply of…

1. Get in some pre-season shooting practice eg claybirds, because if you’re like most duck shooters, you probably haven’t picked up your shotgun since the end of last season. 2. Make sure your gun is serviced and in good working order. Make sure it fits you - your eye ends up looking down the barrel when you mount it without having to reposition your head. And test this with your hunting clothes on! 3. Get your maimai ready early. Avoid going near your hunting spot during daylight hours in the build-up to duck season, especially the Friday before opening! 4. Test your shotguns point of impact by patterning it. Also test which ammo works with which chokes. 5. Practice your calling leading up to the opening day and if you…

So, this year I’m getting ‘my ducks in a row’ so that when you have plenty from opening season you can try this dish. Duck season is just about to get under way and what will you do with all those ducks you anticipate getting? Here’s a recipe you’ll find yourself coming back to, time and time again. The last of the season’s figs poached in red wine and aromatics, served with first of the seasons pan-fried duck breast marry very well together, with the addition of other ingredients that also match beautifully with figs and duck. The orange, five spice, star anise, and of course the red wine work faultlessly together. Anyone with a fig tree will know that the trick here is to net the fig tree, or…

This was my first step on the road to subsonic hunting. At the time, I was not setup for reloading so had to rely on ammunition off the shelf being subsonic and with a 225gr offering from Hornady, I committed. The rifle arrived and I sent it straight to Hardy Rifle to have a Stealth suppressor fitted. Then it was off to the range to sight it in. I could barely believe my ears - man, this thing was quiet. Well, an A4 target at 25 yards revealed that not all shots could get on the piece of paper. Some very quick and easy research revealed that the Survivor Rifle was designed to fire a 410 shotshell as well, the one-inch jump to the rifling was not doing my grouping…

Better Hunting is a free online training platform built by the NZ Game Animal Council to help hunters improve their skills and knowledge, while helping them understand their obligations and responsibilities as hunters and firearms users. The courses and resources 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. There’s also an Introduction to Pig Hunting course. More experienced hunters will still find useful information throughout…

From mid-March to the end of July, the roar, rut and bugle attracts many hunters into New Zealand’s backcountry to experience the ultimate animal interaction. Coupled with some long weekends, this is also the time of year when there are lots of non-hunters sharing what New Zealand’s backcountry has to offer. If you’re exploring the backcountry and cross paths with another hunter or a non-hunter, have a friendly chat with them. Ask them where they have been so you can avoid areas where the animals have just been disturbed. Also ask them where they are headed so you can ensure safety all round. If you’re sharing a hut with others, have a chat with them about the seven rules of firearms safety and what you’re doing to ensure they are…

It is located part way up the Roaring Billy valley, a tributary of the Haast River in South Westland. Geoff Spearpoint of Birdlings Flat has a contract with the Department of Conservation to look after Roaring Billy and two other huts in the area, Thomas River and Tunnel Creek. In 2015 he got hold of a Back Country Trust grant that allowed him to make two trips into the valley to carry out hut repairs and track work. Prior to this the hut had received limited official maintenance since DOC took over its running from the New Zealand Forest Service in 1987. The Roaring Billy Valley is on the true right of the Haast River which must be crossed by raft or jetboat for foot access to the hut. As…

Accessing a hunting area can often mean a few, or a lot, of kilometres on 4WD tracks and this is where an electric bike like the Volcon Grunt EVO presents an intriguing alternative to traditional petrol-powered quads and dirt bikes, or bouncing along in a ute or side-by-side Our week of testing aimed to determine how well this bike performs in real-world conditions—covering hunting, commercial pest control targeting deer, and general backcountry adventuring. We put it through its paces, trying it on steep climbs, farm tracks, paddocks, loose shingle, and riverbeds, seeking the variety of terrain that an electric bike must be able to handle in New Zealand. During my night shooting pest control I typically use a side-by-side, so I was interested to see how the use of the…

The following day may see you walking along a small stream with your trusty four-legged companion trying to sneak up on some resident ducks. One thing I have noted over the years is that often you’re doing the right thing at the right time but it’s not necessarily the thing you really have been looking forward to, nor the most exciting. This particular hunt was like that. The weather was dead calm and frosty, ideal conditions for a mallard grass hunt, and I had a couple of paddocks with good numbers of ducks which easily would met the brief. Additionally, as the frost was much heavier up country, I expected there would be more than the odd mallard or two tucked up on some of the neat little creeks and…