NZ Hunter

a word from the editor

Our winter hunting has been fairly eventful to say the least, and we have some interesting episodes coming up for you next season. Spring is just round the corner in the low country but don’t expect to see any signs of it for a month yet in the high country! Some of the most dangerous times of the year travel wise are coming up - with equinoxial winds, unstable spring snow conditions, and rapidly rising and usually high river levels due to snow melt and the generally unsettled spring weather. It is imperative you watch the weather and avalanche forecasts closely, and be prepared to postpone your trip for more favourable conditions. Inconvenient though it may be to have to change time booked off work, family commitments etc, it’s much…

q&a warranties

This issue I’m going to discuss a matter I get dragged into quite often these days, and that’s warranty claims on rifles that “don’t shoot!” Now this is a tricky situation and as with most things, there are two sides to the story. Firstly, you as the purchaser has certain rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act. Here’s a few points from the Act relevant to this discussion: Retailers and other suppliers guarantee their goods will: » Be of acceptable quality. » Be fit for the particular purpose that you told the seller you were purchasing it for. » Match the description given in advertisements or sales brochures, or by the seller. Acceptable quality means goods: » Do what they are made to do. » Are acceptable in appearance and finish. » Are free from minor defects. If something goes wrong,…

one more crack

We had spent many days in the valleys and tops, visiting every nook and cranny, and even more time looking at maps of the area. This was to be a finale trip of sorts, attempting to put all our curiosity and questions to bed. Mid-March was a dog of a time for weather and we had to delay the trip a few times before finally getting a forecast that guaranteed at least a couple of fine days back-to-back. Because of the delays, we had to cut four days off the trip so we chose to concentrate on a section of the planned route that we could play either way, depending on how the weather rolled out. Not an ideal start, but I think we would have died of old age waiting…

a tale of three 13s

It’s the kind of scene you don’t forget, and something that resonates with me to this day. This planted the seed for my tahr hunting career and from that moment on, I was sold. In 2014 I moved to Christchurch for university and with the ability to be in tahr country within a few hours, tracking down a trophy bull became a big part of my life Finding a bull with the age, character and story to make a true trophy is not easy. Four years of regular excursions into tahr country during my time at university showed me this. While I was fortunate enough to personally take (and see others take) some exceptional Red deer, chamois, pigs and wild sheep, and a lot of good bull tahr during this time,…

a trophy for the ages

From witnessing first-hand how devastating venison recovery can be on a West Coast trip to watching a magnificent, thick-timbered 12 pointer get shot in the guts from 540 yards by another hunter. Not to mention walking seven hard hours into a hunting block, only to find two hunters who had been flown in there. It’s fair to say that hunting truly tests your strength of character, your resilience, dedication and persistence. Throughout this tough period, I never once thought of throwing in the towel; rather I knew more persistence was needed, so I kept charging. Weekend after weekend, I was putting in six-hour walks in an effort to get away from other hunters. However, my efforts did not translate into success and nor did I see the animals I wanted to…

bushnell live animal gallery

Bushnell are proud to promote this page aimed at celebrating our game animals. Send in your photos of live game animals to luke@nzhunter.co.nz to go in the draw to win an exciting product each issue. The prize for this issue is... Bushnell Prime 10x28 Binoculars With an RRP of $299!…