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

THE ELEVENTH HOUR • IN MY OPINION, FIORDLAND HAS GARNERED A REPUTATION AS THE MOST RUGGED AND CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT IN NEW ZEALAND TO HUNT. IT’S PROBABLY NOT THE PLACE FOR COTTON T-SHIRTS, SKELLERUP ASHLEY BOOTS AND NAVIGATOR SOUTH TENTS PURCHASED FROM THE WAREHOUSE

KEN TUSTIN TALKS MOOSE an interview by Hannah Rae • Like many New Zealanders, I’d heard of Ken Tustin, often referred to as “the Moose Man”

Making the most of the LITTLE 223 • The 223 Remington is one of the most popular rifle cartridges of all time. It is regularly used for everything from little varmints to small and medium sized game animals with great success if the right projectiles and loads are chosen

ALL BOXES TICKED THE IDEAL BOW HUNT • Hunting, at its core, is a balance of a few key elements: the company, the trophy, the area, and the adventure. Each of these factors carries a different weight for everyone

SIKA HYBRIDS • I’ve been thinking about writing an article for a while and didn’t know where to begin. There’s a broad spectrum of topics I have in mind

A SOUTH WESTLAND CHRISTMAS • It all started when Dad asked what I had planned for my Christmas break

Kaweka VAGABOND • I’ve always been passionate about doing big solo hunting trips and covering a lot of ground, as I’m not one to spend too much time in one place

HUNTANEERING • In Issue 100, Reuben Jones wrote about arriving at the carpark at the start of a Main Divide Red stag epic, worried about the other hunters who were loading up at the same time

BOWHUNTING HOT BUCKS • Early March had me out chasing Fallow bucks, as summer is my favourite and my most productive time to hunt them. The long hot days and the abundance of food create unique hunting conditions

IT’S OKAY TO GO HOME EMPTYHANDED • Tahr tahr tahr. My life revolves around tahr at the moment. At the time of writing I was six months into the position of chairman of the Tahr Foundation and at least another six months away from getting a handle on things

The LOST BIVS • Late in summer it was time to hit the tops and explore new country. It’s a great time of year to pack light and travel far - the weather’s more forgiving and the steep stuff isn’t as icy

WHAT IS “FASTPACKING” And how might you apply some of these principles to your hunting? • Fastpacking mixes ultralight backpacking and trail running. Fastpackers cover long distances like trail runners, yet they carry enough essentials for a basic camp

Whose hoof? Assessing animals from their prints

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF HUNTS COURSE • Nowadays, HUNTS courses are being customised to different groups. A recent first is a course which sees young people from all over the world descending on Nelson for a programme with special character

WHAT A YEAR • Hunting is a funny old game, and one pig this year really brought it home for me. It highlighted a lot of the classic discussions around hunting that people have had since day one. First of all, that bittersweet celebration when you finally catch up to an animal that’s eluded you for years. And also the lesson in life that sometimes things go wrong, and sometimes things go right. When they go as right as the 30th of June you’ve got to stop and bathe in the smell of success a little - celebrate the wins when they come around!

GAME ANIMAL COUNCIL NEWS

ACIPHYLLA CREEK TAHR BALLOT BLOCKS • Sandwiched between the Adams and Lambert rivers, and with the imposing 2430m peak of Mt Lambert and other peaks hiding the view of The Garden of Allah ice plateau, is the aptly named...