NZ Hunter

New Zealand’s premier hunting and outdoor magazine . For everything hunting - adventures, tips, how-tos, and reviews of the latest products. A great read with something for everyone.

NZ Hunter

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Q&A

SIKA ADVENTURE WITH THE FAMILY • AFTER A BUSY CHRISTMAS PERIOD FOLLOWED BY A TRIP INTO THE BUSH AND A FEW LAKE DAY TRIPS, WE CONTEMPLATED WHAT WE SHOULD DO FOR WAITANGI WEEKEND. WE LOOKED FOR A BACH TO HIRE AT LAKE ROTOITI, BUT MOST WERE BOOKED OUT, AND THE ONES THAT WERE AVAILABLE WERE CRAZY EXPENSIVE FOR THE LONG WEEKEND. SO WE HATCHED A PLAN TO TAKE THE KIDS BACK INTO A PART OF THE COUNTRY WHERE I CUT MY TEETH LEARNING HOW TO HUNT SIKA DEER. IT WAS NOT JAMES OR FLETCHER’S FIRST TRIP INTO THE BUSH AFTER SIKA; BOTH OF THE LADS HAVE BEEN ON MANY ADVENTURES, AND WE ALWAYS TRY TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF ONE WEEK IN THE SCRUB TOGETHER IN EARLY APRIL

THE ULTIMATE, ALL-ROUND NZ HUNTING CARTRIDGE IS IT THE NEW 7MM PRC? PART 3 • This time up for the 7mm PRC we’re giving its 24 inch barrel the chop – firstly to 22 inches and then on down to 20 inches

BALANCING ACT IN THE BALLOT BLOCKS PART 1 • It was a chance conversation with my wife when we were on holiday at Totaranui one year

Optimal tahr management • TAHR HUNTERS, WHETHER SELF-GUIDED OR COMMERCIALLY GUIDED, ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED BY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOOT A MATURE OR TROPHY BULL. THE WORD “TROPHY” CAN BE CONTENTIOUS OR MISLEADING BECAUSE IT IS USED DIFFERENTLY BY DIFFERENT HUNTERS, AND SOMETIMES NEGATIVELY. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME HUNTERS USE AGE AS THEIR CRITERION FOR WHETHER TO HARVEST A BULL TAHR, WHILE OTHERS MIGHT LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THE MANE, “CHARACTER”, OR SOME OTHER CHARACTERISTIC

LAND OF THE FREE • It’s amazing what a little confinement will do

NEVER SAY NEVER • A low groaning roar floated across Lake Te Anau from Fiordland National Park, wafted across by a gentle westerly breeze

PIECING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER • Bowhunting in the bush is like one of those huge puzzles that takes the entire week to assemble

BRITT DAVIES ON ADVENTURE AND EMPOWERMENT • Britt Davies embodies the spirit of adventure and empowerment

HUNTING THE TOPS WITH KIDS • As each of my children was born, the dream of one day hunting the tops with all my children grew stronger and stronger

A beginner's guide to pig hunting • Better Hunting is a free online training platform built by the Game Animal Council to help hunters upskill and hunt safely and successfully

WHAT ELSE IS NEW ON BETTER HUNTING?

MENTAL HUNTS • Lived experience informing new mental health resource for the hunting community

GAME ANIMAL COUNCIL NEWS

SPECULATION CREEK TAHR BALLOT BLOCKS • Sandwiched between the Wilburg Range and Speculation Range and draining into the mighty Wanganui River is the Speculation Creek landing site

TOP WAITAHU BIV • Here’s one for the serious hut baggers. Remote and challenging to access on foot with no cut tracks or marked routes. Located in the head of the Waitahu Valley, a tributary of the Inangahua River, Top Waitahu Biv sits just on the bush-line at 1260m altitude

QUIETKAT E-BIKES • I first stumbled across the QuietKat brand a few years ago on social media when I saw some images of American hunters using their bikes to access hunting areas, towing dogs and lugging game meat around on the bike trailers

STONE GLACIER TERMINUS ULTRALIGHT PACKS • Back in issue 97 we reviewed the Stone Glacier Col 4800 (79 litre) and the Sky 5900 (96 litre) packs, and I ended up by saying I was looking forward to reviewing their ultralight and voluminous Terminus 7000 and 8700, at 115l/1.79kg and 142l/1.93kg

NEMO SLEEP SYSTEM • Regular readers will recognise Nemo from last year when we reviewed the...