Thanks to Mark Hubbard (@kiwitroutstalker on Instagram) for sending in this wrap up of the last fishing season- hope everyone else's season was enjoyable and you improved somewhat. I can't wait for next years one!
As promised, the 2019/20 trout fishing season produced some very large trout due to the beech mast in some locations around New Zealand. With mice numbers exploding eventually, they are forced to swim in search of more sweet tasting beech seeds. As they enter waterways and lakes, the tables are turned in the trout’s favour to which the rodents become food. With all this added protein, trout reach trophy size (10lb+) quickly, gaining weight as the season progresses. I saw some impressive pictures of these monsters last season with a lot above 15lb.
Sadly, I only managed one trip into the mice zone territories late in the season, so the fish were very spooky. They weren’t so eager to hit the small nymphs as I’d hoped, but a lovely young brown landed tipped the scales at 9.5lb…. oh, so close!
My district still produced a few personal bests from favourite rivers although due to a few large flood events over the off season, this resulted in fewer numbers seen than in other years.
I generally fish locally, mostly day trips with a few three to four-night exploratory trips further afield.
These are special times for me and no doubt other keen fisho’s as the season seems to race through quickly, never having succeeded in searching all rivers on my “to fish” list.
One trip done annually to the remote wilderness became my most memorable for the season, I got dropped off on the lake edge, full pack and gear with the plan to head up a valley to a hut, stay a night then head back down to search a waterway up another valley the next few days.
With a boat tied up at the river mouth and obvious fresh boot prints following the water’s edge I skipped the lower water, hiking up the valley an hour and a half over a gorge to avoid the guys already on the river and hopefully finding undisturbed fish.
This proved correct although the fish were few and far between, I was almost at the hut before finding a good fish feeding in a shallow run, these offer the best chance of a hook up as they have little time to inspect the fly and  also the ripple can disguise a sloppy cast which may normally spook a fish.
Well after what seemed like hours and hundreds of fly changes and accurate casts the fish moved off to the center of the river, “spooked bugger”, but as I was about to head up I thought bugger it one last shot. The tiny nymph was removed, and a large cicada terrestrial fly was attached. It floats nearer the fish’s large snout. It breaks the surface to take. The strike was timed just right and the result a 9 lb jack brown, the largest fish I’ve ever landed from this river.
The remaining few days bought a few more great fish to the net, but this guy topped my trip and just maybe he will be there again next season.
Another nice surprise was finally exploring a lovely small spring creek, looked at for the last thirty odd years. Discovering lovely golden browns in such a small clear stream was a magic experience, and with some pushing 5 lb making more trips back a no brainer.
Another special part of the season is also hooking up with mates to wander the valleys and rivers with, two of which live well outside my district so it’s a great excuse to catch up, camp out, drink a bit of whiskey and of course have a fish as well. If you wish you can, check out some of our adventures (link at the bottom of the page).
The season for me ended March 25th, the day before the COVID-19 level 4 lock down came into force, to which I landed a nice fish from a new river close to town, so am thankful for that last shot.
I feel I had a very good shortened season with many cracking fish landed, not the elusive 10 pounder but close, as well as the newly discovered streams, campsites, and most importantly newly formed memories. 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtXcYKZa2TUtASM0t-wSJKw

Ethics around hunting is discussed all the time, and there are many different viewpoints on what people perceive to be right or wrong. Ethics are defined as being the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity. As hunting is largely an individualist pastime, it is often up to the person doing it (or people) doing it at the time to make a call. It is the same with fishing, however it’s a bit more regulated, leaving less up to the individual. Hunting in New Zealand is one of the most unregulated in the world- where else can you simply get a permit online, grab your rifle and ammo, for only the cost of food and fuel for their vehicle and go hunting or fishing? I believe this also comes at a cost because there is less trophy quality around, which again comes down to people’s ethics. This is where it pays to match up personalities when in the hills. For the aspiring trophy hunter, they are likely after the big stag or the big bull and are likely to leave everything until they come across the big one. On the other hand, someone might just want to shoot something, that will be anything. It’s always the classic argument amongst New Zealand hunters about young stags- leave them or shoot them? The trophy hunter says leave it, it’ll be a trophy one day and pass on his genes. The meat hunter will say that you can’t eat antlers and proceed to shoot the animal. The latter in my view is more detrimental to the future of the population, but I understand that hunters who don’t get the opportunity to hunt often will often want to shoot the first thing they see- I notice this on the farm bringing people out. I’m lucky enough to go out there pretty much whenever I like, and I often forget that. Taking someone inexperienced I might get them onto a young buck, but once they’ve got one under their belt, they should be aiming for something a bit bigger. Being fussy won’t sit well with them for a start, so I’ll get them onto a deer then encourage them to get onto a bigger goal. Where I was guiding in Canada it was a much easier explanation- in the area I was in, anything with antlers was legal, so no cows or yearlings. In New Zealand if someone is on public land and has a permit or private land with permission, they can shoot any game animal they want. A quote from Aldo Leopold has a good point- “A virtue in wildlife ethics is the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than a mob of onlookers.” Especially if one is alone, they don’t have to tell anyone anything they did if they don’t want to. Exaggeration of stories seems a result of this, and its easy to pick after a while if people say every time “it’s the hugest stag I’ve seen” all the time. The one that got away always seems to be the biggest one! Where your ethics lie depends on most likely one’s upbringing, background and what their personal situation. Someone who’s struggling to make ends meet is hardly going to be picky about what they take, and that’s all understandable. We also don’t need people getting up on their high horse telling people what they should be doing- you don’t know their story and what they’re going through. The New Zealand outdoors environment is a unique one in that none of our game animals are in fact native. All were introduced with the early settlers from Europe, Asia, and North America. As a result, we are less sentimental about them, and North America is at the opposite end of the spectrum. For Canada, the Moose is pretty much their national icon. This makes the subject of Moose hunting a slightly sensitive topic amongst the public. And credit to them, they have the best game management system in the world. Wildlife biologists are surveying numbers in the area before the season opens and they determine how many individuals can be taken out, and this translates to how many tags are issued. Here, the public has had different viewpoints of them. In the early days until around the 1930’s, we had protection on game animals with a licence system. This worked alright until numbers got large with no natural predators. Government cullers were then employed to take out deer. One of my great uncle’s was one of these. He used to have bomb up’s on mobs of Tahr and shoot a whole heap then the barrel would overheat. They’d then put it in the snow to cool down! They’d have another bomb up after that. Helicopters came out and they realised there was money in venison, so populations were decimated. Attitudes now have changed to somewhere in between. Most people realise they provide recreational value to Kiwi’s, but they need to be managed appropriately. We still have diversity of opinions however, but that’s not going to change no matter what the issue is. Anyone whose hunted with me knows I’m pretty picky. When I first started, I was a lot different- I wanted to shoot anything and I kept a tally of how many deer I’d gotten. Now I’ve got a bit more experience, shot a few deer and what not, so I’m quite choosey. I need to justify in my head as why I’m taking it- is it to control the population, get some meat, take a less desirable stag out of the gene pool and so forth. Taking an animal’s life is something I don’t take lightly, and with it brings a bunch of responsibility. It feels like nature gives you a certain privilege to take an animal, and I don’t want to abuse that. When its with other people the excitement of getting them a deer takes over, but with myself I always immediately reflect on what I’ve done. Was that the right decision? Taking an animal’s life is a big decision. I’m very much a trophy hunter now, so I’ll often leave young bucks in search of an older one. I could be a lot of years before getting a big Red stag for example- but when getting it I’ll be content that I’ve earnt it and made more opportunities for others by leaving young ones. When meat hunting, I seem to get more of a buzz from seeing someone else shoot the animal. Especially if they’re not very experienced. Wasn’t like that when I started out though! I could never understand that when I was younger- my old man would always make me do the shooting. On a Tahr hunt I’d shot one, and he was lining me up for another one. “Don’t ya want to shoot one?” I protested. “Nah. Your right, you do the shooting”. I’m understanding that more and more now. When I was younger, I would often know the size of my biggest Tahr, Fallow and so forth and how many. Now it doesn’t matter to me- I’d rather just get out into the back country. There’s different phases people go through in their hunting careers and its normal for people to change. We’re meant to- its an essential part of being adaptable.
Like everyone, I’m not perfect by a long shot. I’ve got regrets about how I’ve handled situations, what I should or shouldn’t have done, not only in hunting but life in general. Cock ups are all apart of it, I’ve made my fair share of them. You can’t get too down about those sort of things, shit happens and that’s how you learn. We’re all learning no matter how long we’ve been hunting. I’ve also done it numerous times when I thought I’d lost an animal, only to find it dead a few days later. When I first got my Sako .308, I wasn’t used to deer dropping so quick. Previously I had used a .223 on Fallow deer. My fifteen-year-old self stalked up on a yearling in the grass paddock, getting to within 100 metres. Not bad I thought. Then I shot at it, and the whole mob ran away. I looked up and was used to seeing something slowly falling, and I didn’t so I presumed it was unscathed. It was just a bad shot. “Bugger, I’ve missed it” I said to myself, then headed home. I think I remember getting a shock off the fence as well, probably pay back! A couple days later Dad was out and about and told me there’s a dead yearling that’s been lung shot. So rather than missing it, it dropped stone cold! That was a waste of meat and we gave what we could to the dogs, but I learnt to check the area after that. More recently I shot a red hind and couldn’t find it. I was searching until dark, presuming it had gone away. Came back the next day and it had done a similar thing, in the same spot I’d shot it! It had just gone into a hollow and died, something any wild animal will do. I’ll always check the hollows and low points in the ground now if I can’t find it. The list keeps going on, but if you have good intent and learn from cock ups, there’s no problems.
It’s up to people individually to decide their own ethics. As deer are a public resource and many are trying to get the same thing- one must be considerate towards other people. It’s a definite grey area for outdoorspeople, and individuals could argue all day long about what’s wrong and what’s right. Let’s be real, that’s not going to achieve anything. When people get ideas about things, they are always looking for evidence to back up that viewpoint, often subconsciously. Viewpoints need to be respected, and if one is concerned about another’s ethics when hunting or fishing, take them out and do your best to show them your so called “moral high ground” rather than tell. They will most likely take it in a lot more if they follow someone’s example, rather than being told.

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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​Wallabies are becoming an increasingly destructive pest over the South Island of New Zealand; their range appears to be spreading at an alarming rate- it’s clear the current plan is not working. I remember seeing my first Wallaby up the creek behind the house. I was out there with my .22 shooting rabbits- now their everywhere. Good target practice, however they’re a bad agricultural and ecological pest. They compete with livestock for pasture, browse seedlings in forestry plantations and browse native bush. They can also cause erosion leaving bare ground. Forest and Bird claims “their like giant rabbits eating their way through native bush, reducing plant species by 57%”.  My family is on a farm in the foothills of South Canterbury, and I think the economic effects will be felt shortly.
New Zealand effectively has four sub species of Wallaby. The three other sub-species were introduced on Rangitoto and Rotorua. This will mainly focus on the Red-Necked Wallaby, which was introduced to South Canterbury in 1874. They can weigh up to 18 kg and eat six times more than a rabbit. The Otago Regional Council (ORC) states that a Wallaby makes up 0.33 of a stock unit (meaning it eats 33% of a mature sheep with twin lambs at foot). This makes it a serious pest, as imagine how many Wallabies a sheep station would have on it at any given time.
A male and two females were introduced near Waimate, South Canterbury. The numbers reportedly increased dramatically to the first world war. By World War Two, they had extended their range slightly further south to the Waitaki, and north to the Rangitata watershed. Just after the war, they realised numbers had exploded. Control was necessary. Wallabies were reportedly all the way down to the coast as well, and cullers from the wildlife branch of the Department of Internal Affairs “didn’t cope with the natural increase and had the undesirable effect of spreading them to a more extensive area” (Victoria University, 1967). A Wallaby Destruction Committee was eventually set up (a branch of the Rabbit Board) at Waimate. Extensive aerial poisoning followed up by shooting, reduced the population of 500,000-1,000,000 Wallabies on 1,886,000 acres to 1,000-2,000 individuals (Victoria University, 1967). That is a solid effort to reduce numbers. Since the Wallaby board was dis-banded, they have once again spread as the responsibility of control is left to the landowner. In our area, Environment Canterbury administers this. If a farm hasn’t been controlling numbers, ECan will force them to poison their land.
 History has shown that shooting on its own is not effective. For many landowners this is the only method of control, which clearly is not going to work. Its not as simple as dropping 1080, Pindone or Cyanide on the hills either. Forest and Bird claims 1080 takes only two weeks in warm moist conditions but can be up to months in dry or cold conditions. Farmers would go with the latter to avoid poisoning stock, meaning they might not be put back out on the hills for a year. Good luck telling the bank manager that! Not sure how they did it in the 60’s but they did well. Heli hunting has proven an effective method of control. Once a big dump of snow comes along, they’ll shoot a whole heap from the helicopter as their easy to spot. If it was so effective with deer (to many hunters’ disgust) why can’t it work with Wallabies? I can think there’s two issues with that. The first is a cost point of view. Many of us who fly into roar blocks and the like know all about helicopter charges, however the bigger stations seem to be able to afford it. Smaller hill country runs (one-man operations for example) can’t really afford it, as there’s a lack of cash. The second issue is it needs to be a team effort. If one farm does it and not the neighbours (which does happen) then the individuals from the neighbours will come back and we’ll be back to square one. They don’t appear to have a fast breeding rate (1 offspring per doe) however their ability to move around and spread their range seems to be the problem. All farmers in each area aren’t going to magically decide overnight their all going to band together and crack down on the numbers. This will need to come in from a higher level (i.e. local councils and government funding).  
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Their natural containment range from ECan is from the Rangitata to the Waitaki. Their main objective is to prevent the spread of them outside this area. Sightings have been reported at Mt. Oxford in North Canterbury, Banks Peninsula and Lake Hawea, even down in Southland. It is thought hunters might be releasing them in these areas to hunt them, which I hope isn’t true. It is clear this current management plan isn’t working; we need to try something different. Government funding needs to be used, as leaving responsibility up to the landowner hasn’t worked.
Anyone who’s keen to shoot Wallabies on most properties are welcomed, provided their responsible and courteous. We often see them in scrubby gullies meaning you might encounter them at close range, hence why some use buck shot. Rifles are more versatile however, with the most popular being .223. I’ve been using a .17 HMR which works well. The smaller calibre also means I need to place my shot. Mainly a nocturnal animal, many have the most success night hunting them. I have seen them a lot on dawn and dusk, and I have shot the most this way. This is when you’ll see them shifting to and from feeding grounds. Walking through scrubby gullies all night isn’t most practical with a spotlight, and on our farm, I haven’t seen many either.
Where they defecate, no other animal will graze near that area for a given period. I can’t find any details on why, but I’m guessing its due to odour from their digestive tract. This is what makes them probably the worst agricultural pest. Where we are in South Canterbury also has Fallow deer, and this may drive the Fallow deer out, or create competition between the two. As we try look after the Fallow deer, this is another negative consequence. This creates further issues if we go back to the idea of poisoning. The poison will kill off deer as well (not that DoC cares about it on public land). Their worms are something else- if someone gut shoots one or you cut one open, it looks like a bunch of spaghetti coming out of them! This also makes them bad for being carriers of worms (nematodes), allowing more to complete their life cycle and end up in livestock. Some people seem to ask if I eat Wallabies- my answer usually is that I’m not that desperate for a feed, I’m not living in the great depression. If they still question why not, I’ll tell them about the worms. I don’t want to touch them!
Where we are situated in South Canterbury, we also have Fallow deer sharing the same area. It is most frustrating when chasing Fallow. Anyone who has hunted Fallow knows how flighty they are, and the need to be quiet. Wallabies typically will sit in a ridge, sit there and look at you. Scanning around for deer in the thick scrub, you’ll head down the gully then across the ridge to see what’s over the other side. Wallabies will sit there and look at you. They get to kicking distance and I usually look them in the eye and think “I could so smoke you right now”. They look back presumably laughing at me. The classic “thump” you always hear when their running away alerts everything else in the vicinity. Sometimes the deer won’t stick around, other times they’ll put their head up and you’ll freeze. They’ll then go back to feeding and you can stalk that little bit closer or take a shot.
Murphy’s Law works against me so often, and when I take the .17 HMR I don’t see near as many. I have countered this by taking the .17 HMR and going out like I’m hunting deer, and the Wallabies must think I’m after deer, until they get a nasty surprise! We’ve got a black huntaway whose got an energetic personality. When we’re mustering, a Wallaby will pop up out of the scrub and she’ll be off like Beauden Barrett after it. She’s never caught up with one, but she always comes back drooling and keen to do some work.
It is clear Wallabies need a different management approach, as the current one is not working, and Wallabies are spreading. It is desirable to act early, so we want to do something before they become a serious problem. Us hunters can assist with this. Particularly in the case of landowners, if we whack some Wallabies, they might give us a bit of mutton or shoot a deer if available. Humans are particularly good at teamwork, so let’s put it to use.
It is good there is some more government funding ($27 million) to go towards Wallaby control in Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Canterbury, and Otago. No-one benefits out of Wallabies (except for pest controllers) so the time to act is now before it becomes a much bigger problem. Especially after the COVID crisis, we can employ people in these kinds of jobs. It appears the government is looking at this, and I think its sensible as we can “kill two birds with one stone” so to speak. We are creating jobs, getting money going round the economy while we’re controlling pests. This should pay dividends further down the track when we have less pests competing for forages with livestock. 

​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
 

Thanks to my friend James Wideman for sending this in- I worked with James for a few months guiding in BC, Canada. Many of us have dreamed of going on a mountain hunt in North America, so here's a taste of this demanding but rewarding style of hunting!
Mountain goats (Oreamnos Americanus ) are sure footed climbers that live in the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range of North America. They mostly stay in the alpine or subalpine, sometimes exceeding 13,000 feet. Goats feed primarily on grasses, herbs, sedges, ferns, mosses, lichens, twigs, and leaves on low growing shrubs and conifers of their high-altitude habitat.
      Both male and female goats have beards, short tails, and long black horns. They have a woolly white double coat to protect them from their harsh environment. A fine dense wool undercoat and an outer layer of long hollow hair protects them from very cold (–46°C) conditions, and extremely high winds found at these high altitudes. Goats also have cloven hooves that spread apart, the inner pads provide traction and dewclaws on the tips to prevent slipping.
Hunting these animals is challenging even for the fittest of hunters. In British Columbia, Canada, populations exceed 50,000. Though many places have limited entry draws to help with conservation, availability of these tags is considerably good.
This was true for Zach and I on our 2019 goat hunt as we both received tags we applied for. We spent the summer months preparing our gear for our August hunt.  The day before our hunt we prepared and packed our food and gear. Keeping your pack as light as possible is important for a mountain hunt, and it was approximately an eight-kilometre hike in steep terrain. We packed dehydrated foods for each morning and evening of our ten-day hunt and high energy foods such as chocolate bars, nuts, and salty snacks for throughout the day. Packing electrolytes is also important for these high-altitude hunts. With our lightweight tents, sleeping bags/pads, binoculars, spotting scope, and the rest of our gear, packs came to about 30 kg each (including our guns). We were ready for the adventure to begin!
We had about a four-hour drive and a forty-five-minute quad ride to the subalpine to start our eight-kilometre hike.  With our packs loaded we began our hike into goat country. The beauty of the landscape is breathtaking. If you have never hiked in the alpine of the mountains, I would highly recommend it. It’s a sight that will leave anyone in awe. In our hike we crossed a rockslide to reach our destination. Safety is no joke in a mountain hunt, and although we packed a satellite phone, help would have been hours away if something were to happen.
As night approached, we came to a flat spot surrounded by small shrubs with a stream. It was nestled in the mountainside with 180 degrees of rock cliff behind and 180 degrees of valley and far mountainside in front. A perfect spot to rest up for another days hunting. As the sun set, we spotted goats on the far hillside; we were in goat country! With our temporary tarpaulin setup, we fell asleep with the peaceful mountain atmosphere surrounding us.
   With a cup of coffee and some oatmeal to wake us up the next morning, we packed up camp and set out to the mountain top to our first glassing spot. As we neared the top, we came across a group of about 12 goats!  A couple of Billie’s were in the group we watched them for a while, but according to British Columbia law you cannot shoot a goat in a group of nannies and kids. Nevertheless, it was a treat to watch these amazing creatures. We hiked to a high point with a 320-degree view around us and set up for a day of glassing. With miles of country to glass, a good pair of binoculars is essential. Although goats are white and relatively easy to spot the strain on your eyes is far less with good equipment.
I watched the herd of goats travel swiftly up the steep slopes with a mixture of amusement and slight envy. As evening came, we hiked down to the valley bottom to set up our main camp. A couple of trees surrounding us and stream nearby it was a perfect spot. With our tents set up and a campfire going Zach and I discussed the following day’s hunt. There were three valleys to pick from in front of us we decided to take the one to our left, to explore the following days.
 The next morning with only three days of food, we began our hike up the valley. As we stopped to glass the hillside, we caught a glimpse of a wolverine as it slipped through the brush about 300 meters away. We were not the only ones hunting this morning! Moving on we decided to hike over the mountain in front of us to see what the other side had to offer. Just as we started off, a spot of white caught my eyes on the cliffside to my left. There were two goats! I got Zach’s attention quickly, then we slid behind the rocky hillside and carefully set up our spotting scopes to take a closer look. After carefully examining the two goats we realized they were two Billie’s. A stroke of luck this early on! The goats were about 500-600 meters up the mountain side. The stalk was on! We decided on trying for a doubleheader. Zach taking the one that had longer horns.  I would take the one that looked older and had a bigger body. The opportunity was perfect! The goats were high above us this giving them a sense of security and we began our stalk. The sun was warm as we crawled closer to the goats. With their amazing eyesight they were bound to see us, but they stayed bedded together. Suddenly my goat stood up and walked across the cliff. Busted. At least I thought. But after moving about 100 meters to the left he found a shady cliff above a patch of snow and lay back down. The stalk was back on! At about 400 meters Zach felt comfortable and confident shooting from there. He stayed and I decided to try for a closer shot. Our plan was that if the goats decided to leave, he would shoot. I crawled on. I moved out of Zach’s line of fire. Then I crawled closer. After crawling to about 200 meters I came up a slight rise where I could get a perfect shot. With the goats laying down, Zach and I waited in the warm sun for the perfect shot. Making a bad shot on these mature goats was not an option.
   After what seemed like hours he finally got up. I was ready! I shot. The goat’s head dropped hard. Clearly a good hit! I heard a shot from Zach’s gun. I shot again. As any hunter knows, it’s not always a quick death, but we try our best. After another shot the goat dropped to the snow below. I heard two more shots from Zach, as I turned to look his goat had fallen too! It was a blur. A rush of emotions hit me. We had just harvested two mature goats! I have so much respect for those creatures. I had a mix of emotions. Happy to have harvested this animal, but sad to have taken its life. However, the nourishment it provided us made it worthwhile. Adrenaline pumping made an easy task of getting the goats off the cliff. I had just harvested my first BC big game animal! As we got our goats together for photos, we talked about the crazy experience we just had. We were truly blessed! After lots of pictures the work began. In the warm August heat, we had to skin and debone these animals quickly. Nothing would go to waste. Hours later, they were skinned, deboned, and in our packs. With a setting sun we had a 30-minute hike to our camp. Two days into our ten day hunt we were successful! Back at camp we unpacked to let the meat cool for the night. We needed it as cold as possible for the next day's hike out. With a campfire going and goat tenderloin roasting we spent the evening talking about our amazing experience.
    I slept well that night, knowing we had a hard day ahead packing out two goats. With the rising sun we packed up camp, filled our packs to the brim and set out. Although the pack out was brutal, we were happy to have to have experienced this opportunity. Staying hydrated is important. A lesson we almost learned the hard way as Zach was getting lightheaded about halfway out. We spend time resting in the shade and rehydrating before moving on. After about 12 long hours we made it to the quad. We packed our gear on the quad bike and rode down the mountain to the truck. The hunt was over. We were beaten up, and tired, but happy with our success. Driving home the next day, we talked about the hunt and how we could not wait to do it again. Zach’s goat was 254mm long with 153mm bases, while mine was 207mm long with 147mm bases. As any mountain hunter knows, being in the alpine is the best feeling. Something you need to do again and again and again.
Written by James Wideman, hunting with Zach Logan

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

​Back in March this year, the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation was in dire straits. The Wapiti ballot was cancelled, and a lot of successful applicants weren’t happy. And understandably- I know a lot of people who have tried for years to get a block and getting one this year is only to have the ballot cancelled. Fiordland is the pinnacle of NZ hunting- it requires every bit of mental and physical toughness, bush craft, skill, and experience to be successful. However, no-one could have predicted the outbreak of COVID-19 and the consequences. The Department of Conservation effectively put a stop to the ballot. The much bigger concern however was how to manage the herd- the foundation must remove 1,000 animals from the herd each year, as part of an agreement with the government. These are animals with not desirable heads and/or Wapiti/Red hybrids.  The wild venison market had collapsed, and the foundation was told it wasn’t likely to get going again until at least 2022. Then a pandemic showed up, throwing in a lot of uncertainty. In the meantime, they had to pay for 1,000 animals to be removed from the Wapiti area, and because there was no market, left on the ground with no opportunity to even break even with costs. The cost of killing a deer is $100-130 per animal, so 1,000 animals is $100k-$130k. It’s a huge cost for the foundation to cop. The new initiative is providing game meat to foodbanks, supplying more than 18,000 families around the country. It is in partnership with the game animal council and Department of Conservation. It will benefit families in need especially in the current circumstances, as well as providing jobs to meat workers. It will also be beneficial for our image- which has been under pressure in New Zealand over recent issues. This could be rolled out in other areas where high deer numbers are a problem and are causing damage to crops or eco-systems. The current circumstances seem a perfect time to have a crack at solving issues in our own backyard. 

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.