New Zealand DIY Free Range Hunt of a Lifetime!!

[wilkes]

Ladies & Gentleman!

I have enjoyed feeling part of your adventures here and wanted to share one of my own.
Around mid-2015 I decided that I would organise a big hunting trip for my 30th birthday the following year. After some consideration, I decided the enter the New Zealand Wapiti ballot to try my luck. I decided that regardless of the outcome, I would still go to NZ and do a free range hunt of some sort. I called two of my closest friends who are also my hunting buddies and explained the plan – They could not have been more excited about the idea. The three of us entered the ballot. Eventually the day of the draw came and I was pretty excited… BOOM! We drew the Stillwater Block 2nd period! One of my top picks!

This is what Fiordland looks like (Home of the only free range Wapiti/Elk herd in the Southern Hemisphere)

I called my friends and we got excited. We started to meet up weekly and go over plan, preparation and training. The hills/mountains and forest were going to be one of the greatest challenges of our lives and I wanted to make sure we were all ready for it. I made contact with the hunters going into the same block for the other two periods and also the team going in at the same time. I researched and read everything I could find on Elk/Wapiti and made several calls and enquiries to make the best possible plans. One hunter I spoke with had drawn that block 3 times and gave me a huge amount of info. I priced up Helicopter drop-ins and made plans A through E by pouring over topographical maps and hunting reports… I stepped up my daily training routine. We were going to be as ready for this adventure as we possibly could be.

Gear Dump

I organised a preparation hunt in the Alpine National Park in Victoria, Australia. We hunt Sambar deer (Third biggest species behind Elk/Wapiti). I had done a 6 day backpack hunt in the mountains for Sambar the year before but never pushed very far. This time, I wanted to test my gear and my fitness.

 

[wilkes]

Top one is me – Bottom two are my hunting mates

To be continued… Please feel free to ask questions and comment as I go.

 

[Dinger]

Keep it coming!...I'm in the ballot this year.

 

[wilkes]

You will find it fairly interesting for reasons that you cannot yet predict...

 

[Lockster]

Awesome mate, definitely looking forward to hearing more about your adventure.

I'm based in Sydney, I didn't realize we could go into a ballot in NZ, will definitely have to check it out since I'd love to do a trip like that, probably once in a lifetime!

 

[ozyclint]

it's been 6 hours since your last post. that's long enough, bring on the story...

 

[Dinger]

^^ What he said!

First question...what time of year did you hit the High Country with the Lost Parka in your kit? Any feedback you'd like to share?

 

[Shrek]

This is a great story ! New Zealand has some epic country to hunt. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

[wilkes]

Part 2

The Sambar backpacking hunt was great fun and gave me plenty to think about regarding preparation.
- It was the middle of Summer, so we were far too noisy to creep up on the nocturnal deer. I took an hour to cover 20m and it only took one leaf cracking to see the deer take off.
- I realized I was too heavy to move at steep inclines. Fiordland mountains are close to vertical. I had to cut weight.
- Some gear was essential and other items were just 'nice' to have. The nice stuff was out.
- The heat prevented a lot of ground cover, but I felt with less weight and cooler conditions I could move indefinitely.

Adjustments were made. Flights were booked. Helicopter was organised and payment pending. Donations had been made to the Wapiti foundation. Gear changed up.

I was ready... This adventure I had dreamed of for years and spent 6 months preparing for was one month out. It occupied my every thought. Would I see a mature bull?... Can I really handle one of the wettest and harshest climates in the world? Full of nervous excitement.

My friends called me and said we should meet and talk about the plans. What a great idea! I thought. These guys could really use some advice on a tent and sleeping gear. No matter how much they told me the weight didn't bother them, I knew better. I got together a huge amount of information from different sources on the best gear and value for money at the right weight. We sat down and I laid out all the info I had dug up and then...

"Ughhh yeah about the hunt... We had a talk and we aren't going."

Stunned. Heart sinking in my chest. I couldn't speak. All I could ask was why? They just didn't feel like it and figured it would be too hard.
I won't say too much more on that but I did learn a valuable lesson that day I won't share here.

I was the party leader of 3 and the draw rules state that you cannot change more than 50% of your hunting party. Even if I was able to find another hunting partner in time, I would change over 50% and therefore forfeit the block.

My dream was over. No adventure for me this time around. Or.. was it really over? Continued shortly.

 

[wilkes]

This is a great story ! New Zealand has some epic country to hunt. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

Thank you my friend! I hope you enjoy the rest as it unfolds. NZ is unlike anywhere I have ever been (I have been to over 18 countries.)

^^ What he said!

First question...what time of year did you hit the High Country with the Lost Parka in your kit? Any feedback you'd like to share?

Honestly, evenings and mornings up high enough in VIC really demand good insulation. The Lost Parka was perfect. I would never cover ground wearing it to prevent it from getting snagged and also because it hardly breathes = sweat. But Sambar hunting means a lot of mornings and evenings hardly moving. This jacket is a great fit.

it's been 6 hours since your last post. that's long enough, bring on the story...

Sorry brother. You are a great story teller, I will get on with it as time permits.

 

[Dinger]

Honestly, evenings and mornings up high enough in VIC really demand good insulation. The Lost Parka was perfect. I would never cover ground wearing it to prevent it from getting snagged and also because it hardly breathes = sweat. But Sambar hunting means a lot of mornings and evenings hardly moving. This jacket is a great fit.

I run a Kuiu down puffy for the same job in the same area, it does the job fine.....but for Fiordland, given the environment I will go all synthetic for my insulation layer and bag. The Lost Parka has been in my sights for a while.

 

[wilkes]

I run a Kuiu down puffy for the same job in the same area, it does the job fine.....but for Fiordland, given the environment I will go all synthetic for my insulation layer and bag. The Lost Parka has been in my sights for a while.

I couldn't agree more. One of the biggest gear mistakes I made in NZ was a down bag... Go all synthetic and don't look back.

 

[semperfidelis97]

I am really enjoying your journey, thank you for taking us along.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

 

[Jtelarkin08]

Sweet Im going over In June for Tahr and Chamois. Im hunting with a buddy who is from there however. Awesome that you were able to plan this trip.

 

[Jaker_cc]

Ok I'm following along on this one. Great story so far

 

[vanish]

Love stories like this (as long as it doesn't end with "dream over" )

 

[ozyclint]

you find out who your mates are don't you! looking forward to the rest. i sure hope you were able to salvage something out of it.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Man this is great so far! I can't believe your buddies bailed out on you like that. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[wilkes]

you find out who your mates are don't you! looking forward to the rest. i sure hope you were able to salvage something out of it.

This is true... I don't know if it's human nature or hunting but there is one thing I have learnt. There are very few times when you can trust another man when it comes to hunting. It really bugged me for a long time.

Thanks everyone for joining in on the ride... I do have a ride to share.

 

[wilkes]

Part 3

I had one month to try and salvage an overseas free range hunt. Everything I had planned and prepared for Fiordland and the Stillwater block was instantly scrapped... What were my options?

The research grind began again. Red Stags, Chamois and Tahr were all on my bucket list and a crack at any of them would satisfy. I called outfitters all over the NZ South Island and typically the conversation would go like this:

Outfitter "Yeah we can do trophy Tahr no problem."
Me "That's great, how does it all work?"
Outfitter "We just head up to the hills, shoot one and come back. We do it in 2 days and have a 100% success rate over the past 3 years."
Me "Oh ok... It's that simple." *Sigh*

I spent some time really confused. Am I after a trophy animal or an experience of a lifetime? I wondered. I started to worry that the best I could hope for was an overpriced walk in the hills with a professional holding my hand and telling me to point and shoot. (No offense intended to outfitters, I do value their services.).

Now I know there are options out there to go on 10 day long adventurous free range hunts with outfitters. I also know that these outfits pre-plan and prepare areas with all the scouting done to ensure you get the trophy. Is that what I was looking for...?

I can do this... I'm no professional, but I can make this happen. I may need to move slowly. I may need to carry extra items in case of emergency and I may not even see a trophy animal... THAT is the adventure I need!

Trout, Chamois, Red Deer, Tahr, Scenery - It no longer mattered what I saw. The adventure of being there and the possibility of seeing the animals was the dream. Full steam ahead with DIY planning once again and back in good spirits knowing that I was willing to make this happen solo if required.

It was only a few weeks out when I called another one of my closest friends. We had grown up together, trekking across his family farm looking for trouble. He taught me how to shoot and hunt. I moved across the country as an adult and he came to visit and took me on my first deer hunt. We are like brothers. I asked him if he was interested and he said: 'I'm in!"

This mate of mine is a wild one. He works 3-4 months a year then disappears around the world. He has lived with the Aboriginals on islands, trekked across jungles in Thailand and lived with the Sherpas in Nepal. If there isn't a chance of death or adventure he has no interest. He pushed himself base jumping until one day his shoot didn't work and he face planted a granite mountain at near terminal velocity. He broke his back and smashed his pelvis into dust - He re-learnt how to walk and 6 months later you would never have known! He was the perfect wild and tough partner I wanted.

When I called, he was in the middle of a trip around Australia. Hunting and exploring as he went. He took between 100-200 animals (I'm not being conservative) on his way around including camels, donkeys, buffalo, boar and deer. He helped station owners remove problem herds of all of the above and filled cool rooms around the top end of Aus.

When he finally came around the country and made it Melbourne, Victoria I gave him some of my favourite hunting spots and he headed out. He took this malform Sambar stag and carried out the meat from the entire animal in one go - Roughly 50-60kg. Also took a few Fallow deer and some fantastic capes for rugs.

He came back to fill my freezer and tell some tales. There was something else he brought back on this trip though. His new girlfriend came with him on the trip and I met her for the first time.

"Mate, I'm gonna bring my Mrs with us to NZ on our hunt too."

To be continued...