Thanks Jessie Wright for this- female hunters have increased a lot recently, and its only fitting (excuse the pun!) to have a clothing line especially for women. Make sure to have a look at their website and support them!
Since I was a little girl, hunting and fishing has been a massive part of my life. I came from a family of boys that where avid outdoorsman. I was holding a rod and gun as soon as I was old enough to do so, and as I grew so did my love for hunting and fishing. But as a hunter and gatherer I always struggled with finding good quality built purpose clothing for women, I always had to compromise with my clothing and had to get a size small men, which never fitted right. As a result I decided to start up my own clothing range designed for women. Forever Huntress is an outdoor clothing brand founded by Jessie wright, made by women for women. I strive to make the right quality and design clothing for kiwi women, clothing that looks good and feels comfortable doing the things we love doing. As active kiwi women we deserve a clothing range the fits right, looks good and gives us warmth and support doing what us out door girls love to do.
www.foreverhuntress.co.nz
@forever_huntress_clothing
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​I was first introduced to hunting and fishing as a young fella. I grew up around Taupo, spending a lot of time fishing and shooting rabbits on local farms with my dad. We chopped the roof out of an old Subaru Leone that dad bought for forty bucks off a guy in Tauranga and used it to spotlight our friends’ farms. It was a great way to spend time with my family, learn safe handling and respect for firearms and help our friends keep the rabbit numbers down.
In my college years I started heading down a different track for a while (one with no orange triangles). I wrestled with alcohol, racked up a lot of debt through poor financial decisions and generally engaged in activities that weren’t beneficial. This continued for many years. I developed from a fairly or switched-on and confident kid into someone who didn’t hold a lot of value for himself, others and anything around me.
After coming short of the grade at university and resolving to work full time to pay off debt, I met up with some people who wanted to get into pig hunting. I ended up moving in with them, and it was there that I reacquired my love of the outdoors. Despite being a thoroughly incapable bunch (our best skills were probably smoking darts and eating pies), we pulled up a few pigs with our motley bunch of dogs and endeavoured to spend every moment possible outdoors.
A few years later, I met my friend George who would become one of my best hunting mates. George was a bit older than me and provided a lot of insight and inspiration as to what was possible in life if you were happy to work for it. He was a genuine guy, hilarious and always keen to get out there for a hunt. It was with George that I would shoot my first stag in the Ruahine Ranges. Over the years we would hunt Sambar deer in the Whanganui region, Red Deer in the Aorangi, Tararua and Ruahine Ranges, and Tahr in the Southern Alps. We caught the odd fish too.
Over the last few years I had some wake-up calls. I lost family members in quick succession and began to see a prevalence of mental health issues affecting others around me. With a quick look over my current situation I decided to implement a bit of change in my life. I began by prioritising friends, family, and doing what was meaningful to myself as a person. I chopped out drinking until the morning, started reading a few books and engaging in a lot physical exercise (focusing on fitness rather than beach muscles).
As a consequence, I also started taking hunting a lot more seriously. Developing from the odd day trip or overnighter with mates a few times each year into regular solo trips into the hills. Spending time outdoors slowly developed my skills and knowledge, confidence and mental well-being.
The achievement of a well-placed shot on an animal, carrying the meat out and being able to provide ethical free range for myself and others is a rewarding process in many ways. It helps promote self-worth as an individual, and a sense of community between myself and those I share with.
I developed a love of how hunting demands authenticity. Once you are on the hill, any shortcomings are quickly exposed (fitness is usually first). I describe myself as a “novice hunter-gatherer”. Hunting doesn’t let you get away with pretending to be something you’re not. I have made (and still make) plenty of mistakes: camping on river flats where deer would feed, slicing open gut-bags when processing deer, and missing shots at animals (one of my first trips with my girlfriend involved me missing a hind and under 100 metres). I learned to own my mistakes, learn from them, and improve in confidence as a result.
Be it completing a NZDA Hunts course, accompanying other experienced hunters and picking up tips, reading up on hunting, or just slowly blundering around in the bush until you get the hang of it, skills and knowledge of how to hunt come over time. It’s all part of learning the ropes and encourages you to accept your hunting skills, learn from others, and avoid comparison of those that are doing better than you – a valuable lesson that can be applied in other areas of life.
Hunting helped teach me other important life lessons. I learned that less is more - buying heaps of things to stuff in my pack doesn’t always make for a good trip. I learned that things don’t always come easy - to get that Instagram picture on a main ridge with an animal on the deck, there are hours of effort and practice involved. I learned that you don’t need a lot of friends – just some trustworthy dependable ones. And I also learned about solitude – that sometimes the best conversations we have are with ourselves.
I found that when I could disconnect from a world where I was constantly connected, I was able to take the time to actually think. I was more focused, present and calm when not being bombarded by phone notifications and emails. A summer evening walking the tussock tops of the Ruahine Ranges is one of my favourite feelings. It has the ability to separate life’s trivial concerns and allow you to enjoy the present moment in a way that struggles to be rivalled by any other.
Research has found that spending time in the outdoors has numerous benefits, from immune system health and cancer prevention. But interacting with nature has also benefits on both life satisfaction and relaxation and is strongly linked to better physical and mental health. It assists in the reduction of depression and anxiety, creation of positive moods and self-esteem and helps social interaction and cognitive function.
Our country is now reporting concerning trends of social wellbeing. Ngā Tūtohu Aotearoa – Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand, shows that from 2014 there are trends indicating decreased life satisfaction, decreased sense of purpose, decreased perceived health, increased loneliness, and increased mental health issues across a variety of ages.
Having benefited from the physical and mental health benefits of improving my lifestyle and spending more time outdoors, I decided to start up my Instagram page Equilibrium Environment with the idea that I might be able to identify ideas that help bring a balanced foundation into my life and share them with others. I also began to write online about the struggles and shortcomings I have experienced and ways that they could be addressed.
In an increasingly digital world where success is often measured by jobs and material wealth, I wanted to encourage people to look at the other factors of their life which could be beneficial to developing into more fulfilled, confident and resilient people. I wholeheartedly believe that spending more time in the outdoors is an important component in this.
As hunters, fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts I believe that it is important to advocate the value of the outdoors for physical and mental health. I feel we ought to conduct ourselves in positive ways that promote these activities to others. It is also imperative that we continue to look for opportunities to contribute genuinely to helping those new to the outdoors to grow as hunters, fishermen and ultimately, people.
Ryan Nicholson

@equilibriumenvironment
www.equilibriumenvironment.com
 

Many of you will have heard of Chase & Gather through social media platforms- Michael McCormack is a mad keen hunter and fisherman with an entrepreneurial spirit. I am grateful he took the time to write this for us, and hopefully you guys get something out of it! Please take the time to check out the Chase & Gather website, and follow them on their various social media channels. 

Chase and Gather (CAG) is a community-driven platform to share resource, knowledge, advice and encouragement for people who love to get outdoors in to the wild to chase and/or gather game or kai for the table and whanau. Whether you are a keen hunter, fisher, spearo, hiker or forager then your contribution to the CAG community is welcomed.
My background in the gathering space started around the age of 6 chasing chickens with homemade bows and arrows around the family lifestyle block in Hawke’s Bay. Being one of 4 boys there was often something we were hunting or chasing. From the age of 10 I followed Dad and the brothers along to the mai mai for duckshooting every season and busted a few clays during the year in the school clay shooting team. Another passion I picked up was fly fishing which then lead in to fly tying after my mum enrolled me in an evening course. I actually landed my first trout on my own tied #14 hair and copper fly in the Tuki Tuki River. A real buzz! My involvement with cricket, rugby and rugby 7s probably limited some of my time on the weekends meaning I missed a few opportunities here and there! I also attended some Mountain Safety courses with Rex Hoskins as the instructor and did a few survival courses through their programmes and learnt a lot of bushcraft skills. Along with that I did a few years in the Air Training Corp so was well drilled with firearms safety, discipline, navigation and attended a few gruelling camps at Waiouru. We also had a fair amount of time at the small bore range with the old school .22s. Character building stuff that set a great foundation for future application!
Leaving home after high school landed me in Dunedin to study Physical Education at Otago University. During the years of study and playing rugby for University and then Dunedin I picked up opportunities to shoot some great waterways around Otago and got in to deerstalking as well – frequenting places such as Waikaia, The Blue Mountains, Catlins and the Caples valley. My first deer was shot alongside Jim Brown (who formerly worked in the NZ Forestry Service and had a hand in building the Mid Caples hut we stayed in). Jim guided me around the Mid Caples block – it was an awesome experience and to get two deer on the trip was even more of a bonus. After getting established in Dunedin with a home and getting married, Kat and I decided some overseas experiences were on the cards so I sold the Rem Mag and off we went. We were based in the UK for two years working and travelling throughout Europe, while I was in the UK I had the opportunity to do some hunting of pheasants and small game there. I also helped out a few times with the pheasant ‘beating’ (moving birds from tight cover to flush over the shooters down the gully). I missed home often and the convenience of being able to head out for a fish or hunt. My mate also hunted with a hawk, so that was a completely new experience to be a part of!
After two years we returned back to NZ, with a plus one on the way we settled in Auckland, closer to family. Since then 8 years has passed and with two awesome young daughters in tow and a vibrant wife we have a few things on the go but I’m still often scheduling in time to ‘get out there’ on the chase. After mulling over a few ideas I came up with the name ‘Chase and Gather’ and got a few platforms up online with Facebook, Instagram and a YouTube account (and now website) started. 12 months ago it was time to get a logo sorted so I approached a mate from Church, and he was like ‘yeah, let’s do it’ – so the CAG logo was created and now forms a brand across those online platforms, CAG merchandise and a few other projects and collaborations we are involved with. The logo was created to include elements of nature, hunting, fishing, hiking and camping etc so it encompasses many things outdoors, not just hunting.
For the past two years I have been part of the dynamic NZDA Auckland Branch and enjoyed many new connections, opportunities and learning experiences that the club has provided. I have recently also joined the Sika Foundation as a member so it is exciting to be part of the body to help make some difference across how the hunting community continues to develop and staying well connected to what is happening in the hunting scene. Another role I picked up 18 months ago was a role as a columnist for NZ Hunter magazine, contributing fitness conditioning content – which is my area of study and profession. A great role and one that has produced great rewards with feedback and the way it has helped people connect more with exercise and movement in their lifestyles and how intentional effort and some direction can lead to better efficiency with physical training.
Along the way I also picked up a bug for the Spearfishing life. Funny story really – I, the wife and the kids were at the beach. I was out drifting on a pink flamingo floaty and there was this other chap drifting around on a purple unicorn (his daughters) until we ended up basically bumping in to each other. Got talking and this chief (Rudi) was a mad keen spearfisherman. I had only dabbled in spearo shooting butterfish and kahawai etc but Rudi was a seasoned spearfisherman and targeted the Kingfish. Two weeks later he took me out and I managed to get a Kingfish I think on my second trip out with him, and a handful of scallops. The Spearo bug got me good and we chased Kingies for most of the past summer, boating some nice fish and Scallops as part of the gather. Big respect to that guy, he handled a lot of newbie questions and a few muck ups along the way! Along the way I have connected with many top quality people through Facebook and Instagram and found the gathering community on those platforms to be really encouraging.
Most of my big game hunting is local and public land based in places like Kaimanawas, Kaimais, Pureora Forest and Te Ureweras. I enjoy the challenge of chasing Sika in their environment and the opportunities to also chase a few trout in some of those tributaries. I prefer to avoid huts and often fly or tent throughout the seasons when possible to really connect with the natural elements and embrace some of those challenges along the way and ‘keeping it real.’ I also still chase the ducks throughout the Waikato during the season – it’s been helpful to gather some of those gamebird feathers as well for those fishing flies!
I really enjoy the physical challenge of gathering game while on the hill, putting in the preparation and ‘fitness’ work ahead of time is all part of the Chase and Gather adventure. Along the way I have started filming some of the trips and getting them up to our YouTube channel for people to see what we get up to out there in the wild, it’s also been great for the kids to connect the ‘hunters story’ to an actual video. It is so rewarding to show them and the community how resourceful we can be with the game that we gather and process for the table. Also a strong them through all of the CAG messaging is that we put out is about safety first and also the respect that we show for the game and gatherings. For us the video isn’t just about the gathering but the whole adventure from start to end, and how we process and/or share the kai. It is important that we show the non-hunting or non-gathering community that we are resourceful and conduct ourselves and etiquette in such a way. There has been some really great engagement from doing these videos and blending in a few tips here and there. I’ve spoken on a couple of podcasts now so it’s been good to share the journey thus far but it’s also great to reflect back and show appreciation for the people and organisations that helped get us this far! I see that CAG will continue to grow and engage with like-minded people, not just for the gathering aspect but also how we can all collectively contribute to the maintenance of things in the ‘gathering’ sector but how we can even enhance what we have for the next generation to enjoy as we have and continue to enjoy today. We must all make the effort to enjoy, respect, give back and sow in to the resources that provide us with so much.
Michael McCormack

CAG Founder

chaseandgather@gmail.com

www.chaseandgather.com

Welcome to the first article of Jacks and Bucks! I ran an Instagram page for a year- it got a bit of a following but it became pretty apparent that a lot of other people were doing the same as me. I was trying to find a point of difference, and I ran a few ideas in my head, but it all seemed generic. Now I think I have figured out something, and I feel it will be of benefit to all kiwi outdoorspeople. A lot of people will agree that the hunting and fishing community can be quite divided- partly because of the diverse range of different kinds of hunting or fishing that can be undertaken. The other reason is we are all a little defensive of our favourite spots- as we are all acting to harvest a public resource, this can create rivalry. Everyone knows this and while favourite spots are better left a secret, we can all help each other out in other ways. What I am trying to do with Jacks and Bucks is to create an online presence of hunters and fisherman where people can read stories, how to’s and anything outdoors related. There are some amazing people that love our way of life and I would like to showcase them as well. Contributors are always welcome. You don’t have to be a talented writer; we can always proofread and edit. If you have something you think is of interest contact me.
Now I may bore you with my background- a way of introducing myself, I guess. I’m James Kinsman, and I’m an Agricultural Science student at Lincoln University, Canterbury. I was born into a modest farming family in South Canterbury and was introduced to hunting from a very young age. I had it in my blood- my father is a keen hunter, as well as my great uncle. I was lucky enough to have my father as a mentor from a young age. My first memory was probably before I hit double digits- dad gave me his old slug gun from when he was a young fella. It didn’t work, it couldn’t fire any shots. That meant it could not harm anything or anyone. He gave it to me to get familiar with and he never let me point it at any person, or anything I was not intending to shoot. He drummed it into me pretty well. While at the time, I imagined shooting big stags with it, it was teaching me valuable lessons. Its pretty built into me now, and I do not take any chances with firearms safety. If I think someone’s being careless, I’ll let them know about it. This progressed onto shooting tin cans with dad’s BSA .22. It had open sights, and I started off shooting tin cans with it. My mother always reminds me of the time she had a go for the first time and hit way more than me. Apparently, I wasn’t happy! I then shot my first hares on the farm and I was pretty interested by then. It helped we had my great uncle’s trophies all around the house and I took an interest in them. The first thing I wanted to shoot was a bull Tahr, I thought the coats on them were amazing. While we never had much growing up, a farm with hunting was all that was needed. Things really took off for me when my sister did the NZDA HUNTS course (Hunter National Training Scheme). Dad brought a .223 and told me we could shoot deer and what not with it. I was wrapped! My sister did the HUNTS course but never really showed any interest after that. I shot my first deer when I was eleven (we also had Fallow deer on our farm, something I am very privileged to). A while later I enrolled in the NZDA HUNTS course myself and was hooked on it. I was always doing little jobs around the house to save up for some hunting gear, and we went on numerous hunting trips. We never had much growing up, but my parents did all they could to make sure we had the best upbringing, putting us before themselves. I am very grateful for that. I learnt the value of hard work from a young age and as my old man was always busy working on the farm or taking me hunting, that became the only way to spend time with him. At around age 14 I went to boarding school, which cut down on my hunting time.
A lot changed when I had started high school. I’ll never forget the morning I got called to go to the office and talk to my parents. I thought I was in big trouble, but no it was something way worse. “The house has burnt down. We’ve lost everything”. All our gear, deer heads and the lot. Gone in an instant. It was tough mentally to get through, but it makes you realize what is important in life. While possessions are nice to have, they’re not really important. Looking back, I don’t miss my old hunting gear, but I do miss the sentimental things. Things like my first buck, all that sort of thing, but the main one was my great uncle’s trophy collection. It had a trophy of every game animal in the South Island- a particularly good Whitetail, and heads which by today’s standards are phenomenal. He died before I was born so I never got to meet him, but I’d hear stories about him all the time. A lot of old photographs as well from the previous hunting generation, as well as my dad’s trophies. Then again that’s not even important, people are what’s important. My dad and sister who were in the house at the time were damn lucky to get out alive, and that’s more important than anything else lost. Its one of those things in the family that’s bottled up and not talked about too much, but shit happens. We did bounce back and built a new and better house, and replenished our hunting gear, and I even got a couple trophies now.
In my gap year (between high school and university) I was lucky enough to go to Canada and do a hunting guide course in the Yukon, and work for a season as a guide in British Columbia. This was a fantastic experience and a big learning curve, something I might talk about in subsequent articles.
I’ve always had an interest in fly fishing; however, I’ve lacked a mentor. Dad has always been keen on it but hasn’t had the spare time to get good at it. A lot of the battle is sussing out spots and keep going back to them, and I’ve caught a few fish over my time but never been much good at it. What I love about fly fishing is that you’re always learning, always things fish do where you learn a little more. The day I stop learning is the day I’ll stop fishing. I like the tranquility of it as well, I like having time to myself every now and then. On Jacks and Bucks I hope to get a fishing aspect of it going, with experienced and knowledgeable fisherman contributing. This is one area I see a lack of online presence, in New Zealand Political issues have shadowed this sport for a while, so the more people doing it the more of a voice we get.
Thanks for reading this (hopefully you’re still reading, and I haven’t bored you!). I hope to get a range of content going from different contributors, showcasing a range of topics. As said previously, if you’ve got something you’d like to contribute, don’t hesitate to contact me. Content from people like yourselves is what will keep this website going. I see it very useful for in times when we can’t get into the outdoors ourselves. Come to Jacks and Bucks and you can read up on a range of outdoors related topics! Thanks for the support.

He aha te mea nui o tea ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tanagata, He tangata, He tangata
It is people, it is people, it is people. Maori Proverb.