NZ Hunter

The other big breaking news as I write this is the Prime Minister retiring and National announcing a hunting and fishing portfolio. Congratulations to Todd McClay on being the first spokesperson. It's really pleasing to see all the hard work we've all put in to this space including at the recent Sika Show leading to more and more politicians across the political spectrum recognising how hugely beneficial hunting and fishing is to New Zealand – both physically, mentally and economically. As with all these: sorts of initiatives, the devil will be in the detail, but it's another step in the right direction. The hunting sector is working on a bunch of game animal management initiatives that will be hugely beneficial to both hunting and conservation. When these projects are made public and…

HI GREG Firstly your show and magazine are fantastic and I greatly enjoy them. I have bought a new Tikka T3 in 6.5 Creedmoor with a Nightforce scope. I had put 26 x 3 shot groups (only 2 went over 1MOA) with 4 being factory and 22 being handloads with two different projectiles and different charge weights. Once I settled on two powder charges and one projectile, I proceeded to try and get closer to the lands. I expected my already tight groups to get better. However the exact opposite occurred. The groups went from 12mm out to 31mm as I got closer to the lands. I increased the OAL .5mm/20 thou over 4 different loads. Is this a normal thing to happen, or have I somehow mucked up something else? The…

After another year of an unsuccessful Wapiti ballot entry I planned a four-to-five-night trip into the Canterbury high country with my dog, Flint. The weather forecast was wet for my four hour walk into camp, so my plan was to use the average weather to get there and set up, ready to be into the action the following morning. On arrival I was chilled to the bone and had to set the tent up bloody quick to warm up and wait out the rest of that first day. Thinking the weather had cleared and all had gone quiet I was surprised to unzip my tent the following morning and find it surrounded by a foot of snow – it was only April 2! It This was the first trip for my new…

As we are now in the period leading into the rut, hunters will be most interested in stags so this article revolves around them. After all, Sika hinds are not so hard to find and shoot! Early in March, Sika will still be seen feeding out in the open, but by the middle of the month, stags will be heading back to areas where they intend to spend the rut. March is the time that I like to setup my trail cameras overlooking wallows. Stags begin to use them around the middle of March, but I will mention more about this later. Mid to late March is also a good time to shoot a Sika stag free of any antler damage, because as the rut progresses, they become more vigorous in scraping…

Another roar boomed from ahead and I caught a glimpse of movement; an antler brushing against a young beech tree. As quickly as I spotted him, I'd lost him again – which tree had I seen move? I signalled to Chris to stop moving as the stag was within 30 metres of us. After a painstaking couple of minutes Chris picked him out from the dense forest in front, trying to put me on without making a noise or moving too much. Why couldn't I see him? I'd just spotted him, how could he possibly disappear again? I risked another step and there he was, staring straight at me. The moment during the roar that all hunters dream of was upon me, a rutted-up stag in close with a loaded…

I remembered it well – thick bush right down to the sandy beach, kiwi, penguins, birdlife, sandflies and seeing only fleeting glimpses of white tails as the deer bounded off through the crown fern. This trip was going to be different as we were heading for the western side of the island. After much research the old hunting gang were heading south away from their usual trips to the Ruahines (chasing Reds) and the annual Kaimanawa Helisika block (Sika – obviously) to check out the deep south – a block bordering Mason Bay on Stewart Island. Shiv, his partner Sue, Big Russ and I all met at Invercargill airport, and with all the gear sorted and checked in at Stewart Island Flights, we were loaded up and off. The 30 minute flight…