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

LOVE OUR HUTS • It’s a really critical time for our backcountry track and hut network, especially given that DOC is strapped for funding

SPRING BULLS ON THE EDGE OF THE EARTH • IT WAS WITH A FEELING OF TREPIDATION THAT WE WALKED OUT OF CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT LATE ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT, HUNKERING INTO OUR JACKETS AS SLEETY SNOW FELL

KEN TUSTIN TALKS TAHR

EATING LIKE KINDS Jetboating, hunting and fishing • Spring time: new growth, hungry deer, longer daylight hours, warmer weather and roaming yearlings

SUNS OUT GUNS OUT SPRING AND SUMMER SIKA HUNTING • OUTSIDE OF THE ROAR, MY SECOND FAVOURITE SEASON IS SPRING. THE BUSH IS COOLER THAN IN SUMMER BUT NOT AS BONE- CHILLINGLY COLD AS WINTER CAN BE, AND THE DEER ARE MOVING ALL TIMES OF THE DAY SEARCHING FOR THE NEW FEED AS IT POPS UP

THE G.O.A.T • Goats are probably one of our most hunted game animals. In New Zealand, apart from just a few areas, goats can be found in most districts

BALANCING ACT IN THE BALLOT BLOCKS PART 2 • This is the second half of my ballot experiences, the 'balancing act'

GOOD FRIDAY • My name is Blue Steele, and I’m 13 years old. I’ve grown up on a 7000 acre sheep and beef farm on the banks of the Whanganui River south-west of Taumarunui, somewhere near where the Ruapehu region ends and the Taranaki district begins

MOUNTAINS ARE GETTING SMALLER • THE MOUNTAINS ARE GETTING SMALLER! DISTANCES SEEM SHORTER TOO . . . AND THE WILD HORIZONS APPEAR CLOSER NOW! I RECALL MY FIRST TRIP INTO A WAPITI BLOCK. EXCITED TO BE THERE, I HAD BUILT UP AN IMAGE OF MASSIVE LANDSCAPES, UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER, AND STRENUOUS GRINDS DOWN IN THE THICK STUFF OF BUSH AND GORGES. AND WE CERTAINLY GOT WHAT WE EXPECTED . . . BUT WE WERE IN AN EASY BLOCK!

A GOOD KEEN PUP • I was incredibly excited for the entire week anticipating the arrival of my new pup, and constantly looking at photos I had received from the breeder, dreaming of awesome training sessions and the perfect deer dog

Planning your hunt • One of the big steps for new hunters is taking the lead and going solo. Often it’s easy to follow our mates on a hunt, but taking the step to plan your own trip, and then executing it, is quite a big leap

SECOND TIME LUCKY • It was a Friday morning, and I woke up to the sound of dogs barking and people talking. After breakfast we took a group of hunters up to Sunny Face Lodge then talked to the guys who were flying into the bush from the farm

WHAT A YEAR • The vagaries of pig hunting so often come down to dogs. Not every one you train is going to be a legend, in fact few of them will. You’ll have injuries, illnesses and strange happenings and it can be very hard to hit your stride. A couple of years ago one of our pups jumped off a bank - at home in the paddock - right into a fallen log and broke its neck. Nothing but a tragic accident. One our dogs turned out to be deaf – no wonder he kept running the wrong way! After a few years of battling odd mishaps like that with patchy successes the winter of 2024 stood out as a ripper. So much so I shake my head a little as I flick back through the memories.

GAME ANIMAL COUNCIL NEWS

ADAMS FLAT TAHR BALLOT BLOCKS • Draining the stunning Garden of Allah ice plateau to the north is the Adams River, which flows down through Adams Flat and from there down through a horrendous gorge to join the Wanganui River

TOP BUTLER HUT • Top Butler Hut is located close to the Main Divide where the Butler River forks into its North and South branches

BERGARA B14 CREST CARBON IN 7MM PRC +...