NZ South Island 2019

[Born Hunter 17,622]

As I said, I did more things than just Tahr hunting. A few days after I arrived was the opening day of the duck shooting season. I didn't appreciate what this meant before I experienced it so i should try to explain for everyone else that hasn't experienced it. Basically opening day of duck season is a NATIONAL EVENT! It's all over the TV, all over the papers, everyone is talking about it and excited about it. Every pond, estuary or puddle has a mai mai (hide/blind) built next to it and at the crack of dawn on that Saturday the mai mai will be filled with drink, food, cartridges and camouflaged kiwis! That Saturday duck calls and shots are going off all over the country!

I've shot ponds plenty before, never proper foreshore or anything. Kurt's family has a nice big pond that a family friend was going to be shooting.

 But we were going to be out in his mai mai on the estuary and we spent the Friday getting the boat and decoys out.

So Saturday we were up well before sunrise and he had three other mates joining us two. I was handed the face paint (that was a first ) and away we went to climb into the mai mai.

 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Born Hunter

[Born Hunter 17,622]

I don't think I need to go into too much detail. I'm sure you can image what it was like. The crack was savage, the ducks were relentless, the gas cooker kept us well fed, barrels were hot etc etc. The tide came in and went out... It was a full day affair.

Before the tide was high enough to use the boat for retrieving we took turns in the waders.

 

[Born Hunter 17,622]

I think we finished on around 70. Kurt was a fairly talented duck/goose caller and at high tide we'd get a visit from other duck shooters in their boats to see how we were getting on.

On the Sunday we had a 'heap' of ducks to process. His mum had roasted up three for our tea the night before (they were bang on too) but the rest we breasted to be sent to the butcher for salami.

[Born Hunter 17,622]

Before going Tahr hunting I decided to buy a little travel rod set from town to chuck in the truck so I could fish the canals up that way. Not fished in years tbh but I half fancied a travel rod for some opportunistic hunter/gathering on my travels so now was the time.

I struggled in the canals. Had a decent fish follow right up to the bank but nothing happening otherwise. I started off with these fuzzy looking imitation egg things on a tiny hook, not sure what they're called but they're apparently the way to fish the canals with a weight just bouncing them along the bottom. That was hopeless so I changed to lures and that's when I got the follow off the, I suppose, four pounder.

Anyway I had better luck back on the farm at the estuary. Low tide plenty of fish topping as the current starts to run back up the estuary and I banked this little trout on a pink jelly. Two pound maybe? I chucked him back confident I'd get something a bit bigger for the table but that was my lot! 

All the action I got was with the pink jellies or the spoon.

I'm quite keen to do a bit of back country/wild fishing now though. Not sure what options there are out there, it's something I need to look into. Also not sure if there's anything I can do in the sea with this light 7' rod? Maybe from a kayak? Anyone? Please chuck ideas at me!

Edited May 24, 2019 by Born Hunter

[Born Hunter 17,622]

We had a few minor jaunts out pig hunting to kill a few afternoons but nothing much happening on them. The real action was all on the dedicated days planned for pig hunting.

One of these jaunts was driving native bush forestry roads, dogs on the bonnet and they jump when they wind something. If it looks promising we might hunt them on foot for a bit.

Another time we went out to a deer farmer (shit loads of deer farmers in NZ) who's got a pig problem. It was late and the forest is massive so again we blanked.

Next we had a full day at it. 4:30am alarm, long drive to a big forestry block criss-crossed with tracks. We had two teams of dogs that day with a few pups in the mix. This is the first bit of action I got but tbh I found pig hunting this way a bit slow. I'm just not a massive fan of trucks, lol, I like being a bit more active. We only really got on to small stuff but at least it was stuff worth catching and my first experience of successful pig hunting.

 

[dytkos 17,528]

Excellent, this a great thread from the planning stage onward to the end of what must be a once in a lifetime thing

Well done

Cheers, D.

[mackem 23,661]

Very good write up and fantastic pics,did you get a wallaby?How much do you reckon you spent in total including flights mate?

[socks 32,253]

Brilliant thread and great pics ... well done on a cracking trip ... by the way you look like shelldon

[Born Hunter 17,622]

Now for the red letter day! Maybe not for a proper pig hunter, but for a English fella who just wants to experience a proper pig hunt it was!

We were back at the deer farm and on foot hunting the bush. Three dogs, the two experienced trusted pig catchers and a youngster. Basically we set off into the bush and the dogs cast off hunting around us until they hit some scent and then hunt away. Kurt's focus then goes to his tracker and he assesses what is going on. If he moves, I follow.

At this point I should explain a few things. Kurt's dogs are holder/bailers, rather than hard holders or straight bailers, which meant more than I realised until he explained. Basically holder/bailers sort of assess the pig/boars size/danger and bail or hold accordingly. A hard holder always hits it's pig and a bailer almost always bails (there's definitely parallels with terriers here). The adaptive nature of his type of dog tells the human side of the team whether the dogs have got a decent pig or a small one. Also, not running hard holders means he doesn't feel there is a benefit to running protective gear on his dogs. I'm sure there are 'experts' that will disagree but I ain't one of em.

The first bit of action we got was the sound of squealing in the distance. That'll be a smallish pig that the dogs have immediately pinned. When we got there the pup and one of the older dogs were into it. I ended things and Kurt told me what he thought had happened while he whipped the guts out. He reckoned the dogs had split with his other dog on another.

Eventually we had all the dogs back and set off again. At some point I carried that little pig back to the truck but I honestly can't remember when, lol.

After a while the dogs have hit something and we're tramping all over the bush following the tracker. I haven't a f***ing clue where I am so getting lost would be a bit of a f**k up and Kurt ain't one for looking back to check if you're still alright either. When he goes, you're with him or you're left behind.

Now, I was pretty sure I could hear intermittent bailing, no squealing just bailing.... Kurt couldn't hear shit but he was getting way more restless based on what his tracker was telling him. Once I told him what I could hear we were f***ing flying! He knew it was a decent pig, probably the problem boar we were after.

As we came into shot there was grunting and the two older dogs had it lugged up in a creek, strewn with dead-fall. The pup was elsewhere. Sods law! Anyway I was buzzing now we had a proper 'boar'. I quickly checked Kurt was happy for me to get into it and I was down in the creek.... A bit too hastily! The dogs must have let go (maybe as they saw me jump in?) and the damn pig turned to face me and eyed me up. I had no footing at all, lol, with the pig coming at me. Fortunately the dogs had it again and I retreated to the bank to make a more intelligent approach. Picked my footing better and grabbed a leg.

Kurt was cheering me on  and told me to haul it up on to the bank but with two f***ing great lumps of dogs lugged up with it pulling the other way I struggled and decided it wasn't happening. Best thing to do was push back into the creek and deal with it there. I flipped it, pinned it and stuck it. It's not particularly difficult but ya just need to figure it out. It's a new thing and I was 'enthusiastic'. 

 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Born Hunter

[Born Hunter 17,622]

Then the hard work started again. Well it wasn't that hard, it was about a 120lber and not that far from the truck. The boar was gutted, tied, dogs fed liver and we packed out.

 

 

[Born Hunter 17,622]

34 minutes ago, dytkos said:

Excellent, this a great thread from the planning stage onward to the end of what must be a once in a lifetime thing

Well done

Cheers, D.

Thanks mate and I hope not! ha

31 minutes ago, mackem said:

Very good write up and fantastic pics,did you get a wallaby?How much do you reckon you spent in total including flights mate?

No mate, no wallaby. Kurt didn't reckon much to it and I wasn't fussed but he said when he had spaniels he used to basically hunt them like we would rabbit over spaniels. The dogs would flush them from tussocks on the hill to shoot with shotguns.

Under £3k. Bit more if you include the kit I bought, puffer jacket, 4 season sleeping bag, over-trousers, base layers, boots, fishing rod it'd be more. But I don't count that stuff because it'll get plenty of use anyway. Nothing was bought exclusively for NZ. I reckon a self guided Tahr/deer/chamois trip could be done for 2k/person.

30 minutes ago, socks said:

Brilliant thread and great pics ... well done on a cracking trip ... by the way you look like shelldon

Cheers.................. and f**k off! 

[Tyla 3,179]

I can totally relate to what you said, Kurt is fast through the bush and not interested in waiting lol. Getting lost out there would easy to do and hard to live down. I really enjoyed the pig hunting when I was there but we were mostly on foot or the quad rather than the truck. We caught a few pigs but no big boar like yours

[Born Hunter 17,622]

21 minutes ago, Tyla said:

I can totally relate to what you said, Kurt is fast through the bush and not interested in waiting lol. Getting lost out there would easy to do and hard to live down. I really enjoyed the pig hunting when I was there but we were mostly on foot or the quad rather than the truck. We caught a few pigs but no big boar like yours

He seems to have had a few 180lb-ers over the past year or so and maybe some two toners. He's got one shoulder mounted in his living room which must have 4" tusks on it, real brute. He was telling me how pig hunters get to know certain 'educated' pigs which become sort of special to them, worthy trophies, that mounted boar in his house was one of those.

He was also telling me about a DoC contract he had a few months back for experimental pig clearance on one of the small conservation islands. Good earner for him by all accounts.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Born Hunter

[Tyla 3,179]

4 hours ago, Born Hunter said:

He seems to have had a few 180lb-ers over the past year or so and maybe some two toners. He's got one shoulder mounted in his living room which must have 4" tusks on it, real brute. He was telling me how pig hunters get to know certain 'educated' pigs which become sort of special to them, worthy trophies, that mounted boar in his house was one of those.

He was also telling me about a DoC contract he had a few months back for experimental pig clearance on one of the small conservation islands. Good earner for him by all accounts.

Yeah it looked like a dream job, being dropped off by schooner into deserted islands to hunt as many pigs as you want and being paid for it! I could cope with that

[WILF 44,172]

Absolute class !