Issue 80

NZ Hunter

New Zealand’s premier hunting and outdoor magazine . For everything hunting - adventures, tips, how-tos, and reviews of the latest products

NZ Hunter3 min read
Q&A
I was just wondering what your thoughts are on a Tikka 6.5PRC with 20" barrel as an all-round cartridge for shooting all NZ deer, chamois and tahr. I currently have a brand new Tikka 7mm Rem Mag (never been fired) and I’m trying to decide whether to
NZ Hunter4 min read
Word From The Editor
This spring has had the usual mix of weather so far, but we have had a few cracker days in between fronts that we’ve managed to get up high on the mountains and down low in the rivers and make the most of. By the time you read this the deer should be
NZ Hunter1 min read
NZ Hunter Magazine
Greg Duley Luke Care Fi Duley Andy Lyver John Bissell, Andrew Buglass, Corey Carston, Richard Hingston, Michael McCormack, Hannah Rae, Roy Sloan, Points South, Cody Weller, Matt Winter ■
NZ Hunter7 min read
West Coast Summer Chamois
I figured the best thing to sort that out would be a solid summer hunting mission. With the freezer pretty stocked up on venison and stags still being in soft velvet, I decided a South Island alpine hunt would be the ticket. I gave my mate Liam a c
NZ Hunter11 min read
The Midnight Bull
The U-shaped valleys carved by ancient glaciers tower over me, covered by dense podocarp forests that climb up the imposing granite bluffs reaching to the sky. This is where the keas soar above the windswept tussock and snowcapped peaks. The echoes o
NZ Hunter5 min read
Stewart Island Cherry Popper
Two weeks later Dan popped into work for a chat and I mentioned I wouldn’t be focusing on the Sika roar next year; I was looking into Stewart Island. Straight away he was in. Sweet, two people confirmed, nine months to go and four more people needed.
NZ Hunter8 min readFashion
Hunting Overnight
There is no doubt that we often seem to be a bit ‘time poor’ these days and longer trips can be beyond what we can do too regularly. The answer to this, as well as day hunting, is more local overnighters. An overnight trip can put you inside good hun
NZ Hunter8 min read
Solo Wandering
In March I scored a set of free ferry crossings that gave me five days in the middle to get some hunting done, so to make the most of my time I thought I was about due to explore some of the southern Marlborough tops country I’d had a taste with th
NZ Hunter6 min read
REDEMPTION Alpine Double
Monty was as keen as mud and was already in the valley with his old man Garth. I was to meet them a few hours up the valley and then we would continue on to a head basin we had talked about visiting, and where Monty had previously seen some good-siz
NZ Hunter7 min read
The Anatomy Of A Rifle Cartirdge
Each component has a critical part to play in the firing of the cartridge, and as a hand loader, you have the opportunity to customise these components to maximise the performance of the ammunition you produce. This is a small explosive cap that’s p
NZ Hunter1 min read
Bushnell® Live Animal Gallery
Bushnell are proud to promote this page aimed at celebrating our game animals. Send in your photos of live game animals to luke@nzhunter.co.nz to go in the draw to win an exciting product each issue. The prize for this issue is... Bushnell Prime 10
NZ Hunter9 min readCrime & Violence
Hunting In Africa
Well that’s what western media would have you believe from their far removed, ideology driven seat in a London cafe… Here’s my story, a girl who grew up on the land in Africa, was raised with the locals and best of friends with their kids, someone
NZ Hunter5 min read
South Westland By Jetboat Then And Now
On any fine weekend you’ll find trucks and trailers at any number of the places where you’re able to drop a boat in. Pre the helicopter hunting era the jet boat was a key tool, often in combination with horses and fixed wing aircraft. To this day,
NZ Hunter4 min readEarth Sciences
Top Tuke Hut
The Tuke is the main tributary of the Mikonui River and is in fact the bigger of the two streams. There are three major gorges with resident waterfalls that bar any kind of river access and all routes in into the upper basin where the hut is require
NZ Hunter5 min read
My Dad Is A Hunter
This is a brief story of Dad’s hunting life. He has been an avid deerstalker since he was sixteen years old, building an early and intimate relationship with the wild Kaweka ranges of inland Hawkes Bay. While reminiscing about these early hunting e
NZ Hunter9 min read
THE HUNTERS GUIDE To Growing Old Disgracefully
Instead it’s about what happens when we hunters – as is inevitable – grow older – and eventually – get really old. I’d love to have a dollar for every time I’ve been at a social function and met someone around my age and got yarning to them about my
NZ Hunter10 min read
A New Approach For Game Management
This article is a generalisation on animal management across New Zealand AND a timely reminder that we need, as hunters, to ask ourselves some tough questions Do we want a future in NZ for our game? I guess the answer is ‘yes’. Then what do we need
NZ Hunter6 min read
Hiding In Plain Sight
And yes, there is no doubt that bi-pods, barrels and bullets are much more successful, but there is definitely a huge sense of accomplishment when I get right in amongst it in the open country with a bow in my hand. I absolutely love playing the ga
NZ Hunter1 min read
Kellys Hut
Hunters huts in Rakiura National Park were built and are maintained by the Rakiura Hunter Camps Charitable Trust and are for accommodating hunters who have booked the surrounding hunting blocks. These huts must be booked and paid for through the Raki
NZ Hunter4 min read
SOUTH WESTLAND With Rod and Rifle
So when a clear spell was forecast for a few days in late November, we didn’t muck about getting over there. Pete made his way up from Wanaka and I shot over via Arthur's Pass from Christchurch. We took up the offer of a jet boat ride upriver from
NZ Hunter5 min readMedical
Is It Safe To Eat? Part Viii Tuberculosis
There’s two reasons for this. Firstly I’ve just had a week away hunting in the bush and I didn’t get it done when I should have – but more importantly – I think the photos will be much more useful in understanding this disease than written text. Le
NZ Hunter10 min read
My Nz Hunter Rifle Build Part One: Calibre Selection
Beginning with the basics like calibre selection, then progressing through the components like stocks, barrels and scopes then assembly, bedding and ultimately some hunting! One of the eternal questions for hunters is what calibre do I choose? And
NZ Hunter7 min read
Women In Hunting
I'll also admit that pre-hunting, my version of the hunter stereotype was a strong, lean man with a big beard who thrived on roughing it in the bush for days on end. So I embarked on a quest to balance the scale by seeking inspiration from several
NZ Hunter5 min read
Well Seasoned
On the last weekend we split the family in two different directions but then we decided to make the most of the final day by organising a hunt together in the Mackenzie Country. At our Saturday evening rendezvous everyone was somewhat weary and the
NZ Hunter2 min readFashion
Ridgeline Micro Lite Top
I have to say I was supremely impressed with Ridgelines offering to this market. The Micro Lite Zip Top is a very comfortable garment. The cut is nice and loose allowing a bit of circulation, the zip is deep enough to let a good bit of heat out, and
NZ Hunter2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Summer Time Barbecued Rabbit Legs
Yes, this dish is usually fried but it’s just as good on the BBQ, or even roasted. First we are going to make a dry rub, or some would say a seasoning, for the rabbits. A dry rub is a mixture of spices and seasonings that is rubbed on the outside (
NZ Hunter3 min readPolitics
The Gac Update
After what was an election campaign that seemed to always have an inevitable result, it was still a surprise to see Labour win a majority in their own right. It is the first time that has been done since MMP began back in 1996, however there are su
NZ Hunter6 min readTechnology & Engineering
GARMIN ALPHA 200i THE NEW DOG TRACKING UNIT
Packed with new features, greater ease of use (and the real kick is the inReach capability) the Alpha 200i is a serious piece of kit that I would not hesitate to recommend to any dog men and women out there. The Alpha 100 had a capable touchscreen

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