gday folks, myself and mate, paul rea just got back from New Zealand. we went for a another backpack hunt in the wild and rugged westland region for tahr. again, all public land by backpack! it was just the pair of us this year since our other companion, mark pitts who i went with last year wasn't able to make it this trip. this was my 4th trip in as many years to this rugged yet beautiful part of new zealand in pursuit of the game animals that inhabit these high places.
it has become an all consuming pursuit for us and somewhat of a pilgrimage each may.
"The mountains song
is not heard by all
but the lure is strong
who hear it's call."
pretty much sums it up for me.
the traditional "ready to go" photo. i'm on the left paul on the right.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7025_zpsfc3d87f4.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7025_zpsfc3d87f4.jpg.html) CM
we went into a different valley this year as we were primarily targeting tahr on this hunt. we didn't see any chamois this year where we went, while paul glassed a red deer hind and yearling on a river flat from the tops. the kings of the mountain world were our focus.
brew yourself a :campfire:
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7026_zps7943cf69.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7026_zps7943cf69.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7029_zps5827abaf.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7029_zps5827abaf.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7030_zpsfc2c51b1.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7030_zpsfc2c51b1.jpg.html) CM
i'll intial the pics. credit where it's due.
I remember last years hunt, Clinton.
What country! Looking forward to the story.
Thanks for sharing.
:campfire:
:campfire:
Absolutely stunning country. Can't wait to see more of this adventure hunt.
Looks like it's that time again for my favorite hunt of the year :thumbsup:
:campfire:
:campfire:
Now this is going to be a good read with great pics. I would love to hunt there. I have my coffee ready!
BRING IT!!
:campfire:
:thumbsup:
Looks like a fun hunt :thumbsup:
Exciting
Good stuff mate!
NZ... I must get myself back there next year I'm thinking...
Keep it coming mate!
ak.
Cannot wait to read the story! :thumbsup: :campfire:
we left the road end at midday on the 1st day and arrived at the 1st hut at 5pm. NZ has arguably the best public backcountry hut system in the world. they are used by hunters, hikers and government staff who maintain the trails and the huts themselves. the 2nd day involved a bit of elevation gain on the trail to get around a gorge in the river. after another days hike we arrived at the 2nd hut along this trail. we spent a comfortable night here before heading off trail, fording the river the next day and making our way up to the high country via a side creek.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030671_zps5025178f.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030671_zps5025178f.jpg.html) PR
a welcome sight for anyone in the in the bush-
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030674_zps983b339b.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030674_zps983b339b.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030677_zps64729382.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030677_zps64729382.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030678_zpsfb85363b.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030678_zpsfb85363b.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030679_zpscbe8268c.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030679_zpscbe8268c.jpg.html) PR
here's a pic of the river after we crossed. painfully cold, straight off the snow!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030683_zpsfd16e05d.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030683_zpsfd16e05d.jpg.html) PR
here's paul fording the river. we kept our boots dry since we were headed up to the snow for a week or more and wet boots equals cold feet!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7032_zps8c987341.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7032_zps8c987341.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7033_zpsfc74ca0a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7033_zpsfc74ca0a.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7034_zps95f8f22a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7034_zps95f8f22a.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7035_zps0502f6bf.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7035_zps0502f6bf.jpg.html) CM
after perhaps a couple of hours of hiking up the creek, nearing the bushline, we chanced upon a couple of younger bulls. here's one of them.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7044_zps14579670.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7044_zps14579670.jpg.html) CM
they just stood there and let us take photos of them at about 100 yards. they are truly magnificent animals.
Beautiful! :campfire:
here's your typical westland 'creek bed'-
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030685_zps2377bf00.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030685_zps2377bf00.jpg.html) PR
from whence we came-
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030691_zpsac913c60.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030691_zpsac913c60.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030695_zpsb598fe87.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030695_zpsb598fe87.jpg.html) PR
up above the bush now. heading up to find a camp somewhere- (i'm center frame)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030704_zps4e909dc7.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030704_zps4e909dc7.jpg.html) PR
myself again, bottom center frame.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030706_zps5792a9f2.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030706_zps5792a9f2.jpg.html) PR
Awesome boys.
Clinton,yours are some of the very best threads here on TG.
KEEP IT COMING,THANKS.
we bumped into this lot before making camp on flatter ground just beyond the ridge behind them.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7052_zps8d7f9c6b.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7052_zps8d7f9c6b.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030720_zpsc4fda669.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030720_zpsc4fda669.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030721_zps6969603a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030721_zps6969603a.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030723_zpsabc350e3.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030723_zpsabc350e3.jpg.html) PR
needless to say we were all smiles with anticipation in camp that night.
sorry, damn double post.
All I can say is......WOW, what country!
Clint,
Looks like you could've used some skis on that incline. What elevation are you guys camping at?
Love these NZ stories.
homebru
This is becoming one of my favorite yearly stories Clint. Love the read and the pictures.
Your tahr and chamois threads are hands down the best on read gang. Thanks for taking the time to snap photos and post. Looking forward to the conclusion.
Clint, as always - excellent photos and kudos for sharing.
A question: do you have snowpack or some source of water up above bush line? Water always seems to be difficult to find if there's no snow to melt.
:campfire:
Unreal countryside. What is the approximate elevations are you hunting for Tahr?
elevation wise we saw tahr from the river at about 500m elevation to watching wandering bulls cross snowfields above 2000m. the highest i got was about 1750m. bushline is about 1000m. the road end is about 100m.
water can be hard to find above the bush away from creeks. this area was full of gullies with running water though so it wasn't a problem.
This is great....
Keep it Coming Clint. Great Photos!!! Great job with the recap!
Wow, Clint! Looks like another great adventure unfolding! I'm tuned in for the rest!
Bisch
Great story! :coffee:
it`s soooo nice
Great stuff. Just beautiful country!
The story is coming along nicely Clint, it's great to see the photos on the big screen, I haven't had a chance to look through them yet.
We certainly had another great adventure in the New Zealand Southern Alps this year, probably a bit more adventure than usual with the weather we experienced towards the end. We got to see and stalk a lot more Tahr in this valley compared to the other areas we'd hunted in previous years.
The hike in was as tough as usual but we had to stage it over 3 days and we had plenty of time to rest and recover during the long nights. 5 hrs of hard hiking the first day, 6 hours the second and 7 hours the 3rd. Our packs contained everything we needed for 14 days and weighed between 28-30kgs (we didn't have a scale to do the final weigh in).
What Clint didn't mention was that we had a very steep 1000m elevation gain from the river crossing to our camp with a rather scary last 50m climb over the lip. We had put on our crampons to help grip in the steep tussock grass and they helped find purchase in the cracks of the smooth rock for the last push over the edge. Even so I still had visions of tumbling end over end all the way back down to the river below as the large and heavy pack on my back changed my center of gravity for the worse. I for one was very relieved to crawl over the lip and stand on relatively flat ground again. We set up camp 50m from the edge on a flat bench with a snow melt stream running close by. As was already mentioned water was not an issue for us in the area we were hunting. We didn't need to carry any with us as it was in plentiful supply with snow melt streams running down the slopes on this side of the range every few hundred yards.
I'm going to sit back and let Clint continue the story.
Paul, feel free to add whatever you please. As you mentioned, things can be overlooked. Like 1000m elevation gain at about 60 degrees of slope! I must have been too focused on not taking all fall and becoming the next 'otzi' the iceman. Lol.
It's been said but thanks for sharing these stories and pictures. Amazing Hunts & Great Adventures. Can't wait to hear the rest...
Great start Clint and Paul. Its a grand piece of country that. That climb, for the readers out there, its worse even than it looks. Its certain death if you slip.
I'm eagerly awaiting the rest. I'm off for a week in the hills on Sunday...... Just saying :goldtooth: its going to be hard waiting 2 weeks to read the finale.
A majestic place where guarded memories a born.
You guys are the real deal. Thanks for sharing!
Clint and Paul,Thanks ever so much for taking us all along,for most of us our dreams are through your eyes and camera,Kudus my friends.
Great hunt story and photo's.......eagerly awaiting the rest of the story.
Darcy :campfire:
:coffee:
Great thread!
Will be able to post more in a few days. I'm away from home at the moment.
the wait is painful! cant wait to read some more!
L.R.
Looking good!
sorry for the delay guys. life gets in the way sometimes. death of a grandmother, losing my job because of employer going broke and having a house built= little time for anything.
we made a comfortable camp. handy water sources close by.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7053_zpsd2880545.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7053_zpsd2880545.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7054_zps9996771e.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7054_zps9996771e.jpg.html) CM
1st day of hunting i when high above camp for a look over into the next valley. i was getting towards a saddle and just as i was about to crest it a bull and some nanny busted at from behind a big boulder infront of me. full stride in the snow. a magnificent sight! only 10 yards away!! tahr tracks everywhere.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7064_zps90e73ac9.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7064_zps90e73ac9.jpg.html)
bull tahr tracks. they are not happy unless at least one toe is hanging over a 1000ft drop. tahr- "i think i'll walk along the very edge of this ridge and look down a 1000ft drop just because i can" you just have to admire their surefootedness. they never cease to amaze.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7066_zpsbba9a652.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7066_zpsbba9a652.jpg.html) CM
unhuntable country full of tahr. haven't worked out how to abseil into range yet.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7056_zps8b5bc3c7.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7056_zps8b5bc3c7.jpg.html) CM
the quick way down the other side!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7055_zps2b7a5e2a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7055_zps2b7a5e2a.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7063_zps3cd30077.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7063_zps3cd30077.jpg.html) CM
aussie guy + crampons = "i'm going to walk up frozen streams just because i can and because i can't do this at home" i love crampons!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030726_zps0b0bbd1a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030726_zps0b0bbd1a.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030728_zps537a3f23.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030728_zps537a3f23.jpg.html) PR
Spectacular as your adventures always are! I don't think I've ever seen more beautiful pictures. You are fortunate (and sturdy) men to be able to experience that country.
How flat is that campsite ????????
Awesome pictures Clint, will be good to be on the mountain again next year.
Mark.
Beautiful pictures! Stunning.
Thanks for sharing and I love the story
:bigsmyl: :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl:
Beautiful country! What an adventure. Enjoying the story... :campfire:
:campfire: :coffee:
That last section before you got up top looks crazy steep and slippery! A true adventure.
:campfire: :coffee:
Sorry to hear of the loss of your Grandmother and Job.
mark- we had to spend a couple of minutes clearing out a few pebbles from where the tent was going to go and the running water source was about 10 yards away. just more hardships to have to endure........ :biglaugh:
Back upp the creek we did last year for you I think, you need to be brought back to NZ reality.
:biglaugh:
Mark
:notworthy: This makes me dizzy just reading.
Awesome, Clint!
Keep it coming!
Bisch
way cool clint thanks for taking us along .Hell i live here and i don't even go down there as its to freezing for this old kiwi :thumbsup: :campfire:
let's play spot the wandering bull tahr.
he's there somewhere. yep, that dot center frame is a bull crossing the big ice field. you can see the trail he's following too.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7078_zps48906981.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7078_zps48906981.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030762_zps69fcf085.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030762_zps69fcf085.jpg.html) (http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030794_zps829faf6f.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030794_zps829faf6f.jpg.html) PR
after a few days of exploring we found a good area which held good numbers.
paul had a stalk on a group but didn't have any luck and i left him to try again on them and moved along the ridge a bit. in a brief break in the fog i glassed a bachelor herd down a gully. i could see 4 bulls at first and was lucky enough to witness a fight between two of them before i set off down the steep slope towards them.
with the fog cover and some convieniently placed house sized boulders it was easy to get into about 35m of the closest bull. i watched him for about ten minutes and he wasn't moving into a better position for me so i figured i'd have to move around the boulder into the gully to get closer. a younger bull came into view now just when i didn't need more eyes, ears and noses. then more bulls appeared, they were everywhere. suddenly i was amongst the mother lode. i was high on the stink of tahr!
i was very carefully getting closer to the bull when the younger one caught my movement and bolted up out of the gully and whistled, stopping at about 30m. thinking it was over i decided to take the rushed shot at him as he was the only one i could see. not suprisingly it missed. then the bigger bull ran in front of me and stopped for a brief moment at close range. another 'quick, hurry up and shoot him before he's gone' shot and another arrow disappeared down the mountainside without doing any harm. i couldn't help but curse myself for blowing a golden chance at a trophy i've spent over 40 days over 4 years in the mountains trying to attain. 'never give in' is a good motto to follow though. as luck would have it they just joined the bulls in the group below them and started feeding again. i managed to get in on them again and ran out of cover at about 25 meters. i was perched on a ledge looking down at a mob of bulls numbering, on a rough count, about 12 animals.
this time the ball was in my court. i had time to shoot a proper shot. as i slowly stood up and peered over and got set, 3 bulls came into view on a small flat below me. i picked the closest one, which was quartering away (as if by some devine intervention) and went through my shot sequence. the arrow blew through him right where i where looking, though he did move slightly at the shot. still the intial reaction was- :eek: 'i just killed a tahr!' i firmly believed he'd soon be dead. at the shot tahr went everywhere but not real far. the bull disappeared behind a boulder and didn't come out the other side, that was a good sign i thought. then i could see the others close by looking in his direction and i took that as meaning he'd gone down or was acting oddly. i let 15 minutes go by and nothing walked out from behind that boulder and the others had calmed down again. i could have taken a shot at two other bulls but i dared not get greedy. after all the effort over the years one bull would be more than enough reward and i didn't want to cause any more chaos, lest it disturb the bull i shot, since i didn't know if he was dead yet.
time was getting away on me and by now it was late afternoon and camp was over an hours hike away. i had to push the other tahr away to go and see if my bull was down. with extreme caution i rounded the boulder. :scared: , he wasn't where he should be! my heart sank. where could he have gone to. then i saw some fluffy hair in a small chasm a few meters further on. there he is!!
slowly i peered in there.....and what lay before me was the trophy of my dreams. 40 days in westland is what it took to get that tahr. blood, sweat and unashamedly, tears were shed in those days. i thanked him for the sport and sat for a brief moment as i reflected on what i'd been through in the pursuit of these mountain dwellers. on reflection, i realise now that the pursuit of this tahr and the chamois i was lucky enough to take a couple of years ago have taught me more about myself and my capabilties than i ever thought possible. it has tested me physically and emotionally and friendships have been forged through both shared hardships and triumphs. you'll never know what your capable of if you don't push your limits and get out of your comfort zone.
my long awaited bowhunting goal-
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030818_zps90e17c64.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030818_zps90e17c64.jpg.html) PR
with my pack up the hill behind me, having dropped it for the stalk, i had no option but to leave him there and come back the next day to recover some camp meat and the skin and horns. it was just too late in the day. it wasn't until i got back to camp just before dark that i realised i'd left my head torch in the tent for the day. had i decided to try and recover the tahr that afternoon i'd have spent a very cold unpleasant night on the mountain, since i'd have never been able to get back to camp without it.
it was simply, my lucky day. about time...
the following day we headed over towards my bull to recover it but hunted as we went. another break in the fog revealed a lone bedded bull. paul's turn. he got in real close-
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7121_zpsdeae8dd8.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7121_zpsdeae8dd8.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7123_zpsde81b299.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7123_zpsde81b299.jpg.html) CM
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7124_zpsabb3cd28.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7124_zpsabb3cd28.jpg.html) CM
Awesome animal, Clint! And an awesome adventure too!
Congrats, my friend!
Bisch
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Beautiful bull! Congrats!! Your story was inspiring!
Awesome once again Clint. Its a real achievement to do what you have done.
That last series of photos of Paul and the bull are trophies too.
That's a wicked picture of your friend "really close" to that tahr.
Great and I really enjoyed the whole story.
Success after 40 days over a span of 4 years in some of the toughest terrain known to man....that is an awesome feat. Congratulations.
Well done and congratulations mate! Heck of an accomplishment for sure, looking forward to some more. :campfire: :campfire:
:clapper:
Oh man. Just AWESOME! That really looks like an adventure for sure!
OzyClint, you DA MAN! Congratulations and thank you very much for taking us along.
homebru
OH BABY!
WAY TO GO OC!
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
That is AWESOME! Congratulations!
:jumper: :jumper: :jumper:
Lookin' forward to hearin'/seein' the outcome of Paul's stalk on the bull!
Enjoy the feast!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
ultralight is great but sometimes it's good to be burdened by a heavy pack!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7148_zps62aaaf69.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7148_zps62aaaf69.jpg.html) CM (http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7155_zps184265a3.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7155_zps184265a3.jpg.html) CM
Of all the hunt stories and adventures I have ever read on Trad Gang this one easily takes the cake. What an outstanding trophy Clint! I couldn't be happier for you! The amount of effort you have put into this over the years is justly rewarded with the trophy of 100 lifetimes. Simply outstanding!
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Of all the hunt stories and adventures I have ever read on Trad Gang this one easily takes the cake. What an outstanding trophy Clint! I couldn't be happier for you! The amount of effort you have put into this over the years is justly rewarded with the trophy of 100 lifetimes. Simply outstanding!
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Congratulations, because the adventure, the story and of course, because the dream animal, perseverance !!
What a hunt, and what a story. Congrats. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Epic........so much like mountain goat hunting............ I can't wait to get to the high country again........thanks for posting. Beautiful photo's and great storytelling. :thumbsup:
Darcy :campfire:
thanks for the comments guys. i'm humbled.
D.ellis- i'd love to hunt Mtn goats too. it would be great to compare the two, though for me my self guided options for mtn goat are few. i'd like to hunt them like i hunt tahr. self guided DIY. same for sheep.
It's just a fact of life that we all have limitations to what we can hunt, and how and where. I can hunt sheep and goats without a guide. I likely will never get the chance to arrow a hammerhead shark :D , or chase water buffalo :( . It's great that we can take each other along on our adventures right here. :campfire:
Darcy
This is such a great thread.
ellis- your right. we should be thankfull for our own unique opportunites. like you said, it's great to have tradgang as a medium for everyone to share their experiences.
congratulations,you are an example for me
Incredible adventure. Congrats on a true trophy which you worked hard to attain.
Looking forward to the rest of your adventure.
Clint, did Paul get a shot at the tahr he stalked?
Now that is a hunt ! Big congrats.
Unfortunately there was no luck for me this year on killing a Tahr although I had some close stalks and closed to shooting range a couple of times which I take as some personal success.
When I worked my way into my final position on the bull I was stalking in the above pictures, it was laying down and facing away from me at a very steep angle. I was only 12 yards away but the angle was terrible and I would have to try and slip an arrow down beside the vertebrae if I took a shot from there. I decided to wait until the bull stood up and so the patience game began. These animals have fantastic eyesight and after about 5 mins of waiting the bull swiveled his head in my direction. I guess he caught sight of me slowly peaking over the rock to check on him, I don't know how as he was facing almost directly away, but he did. The bull turned back around and I quickly ducked back down. I was half crouched behind the rock and decided that I was going to take the shot so I drew and slowly stood up. The bull mustn't have liked what he saw as he was standing up at the same steep angle with his head craned around looking directly at me. He immediately whistled loudly and burst into a run. I had already released my arrow, but due to the speed of the bulls take off it wasn't to be. I was pretty high still on the feeling of making a cool stalk and being so close to an unaware huge bull Tahr. I still get a stupid grin on my face now reliving the memory.
It was awesome to assist Clint with the recovery of the bull he'd shot and I tip my hat in respect for his success. Well done mate! The fresh meat was fantastic too!
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
AWESOME!!
WOW! one of the best threads ever. Love the pics and the whole story. Congrats guys! You guys are a great team!
That country - takes my breath away.
Congratulations on all levels. Thanks for sharing.
Paul & Clint....what can I say....just hardcore to the bone.... Thank you so much for livin the dream & and taking us along.
You deserve it Clint.
Hardship + Effort + Persistence =
Humble Achievements.
Well done wish I could have been there to taste it.
Mark.
mate, i wish you were there to taste it. we were living it up in a warm hut eating tahr with onion gravy and fried bread. yes, you heard me right, some other hunters or hikers left onions and flour in the hut!!! :campfire: :coffee:
Congrats Clint!What a true hunting adventure.
Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Super,Clint,Super.
we'd been listening to the mountain radio every night and there were forecasts for 3-4 days of heavy rain. it had already been raining most of the night of the day i recovered my bull so when we awoke to rain we began to contemplate our options. we had to get back across the river to get onto the trail that heads back out of the valley. we had about 4 days left i think but it was forecast to be raining that whole time so it forced our hand. it was decided that we should get down off the mountain and get across the river in case the forecasts came to fruition and left us stranded a couple of hundered meters from a comfortable hut on the opposite side of the river for a few days, risking missing our flights home. after packing up camp in the rain we got going at about lunch time and descended towards the river using a different branch of the creek, which turned out to be much better access. when we reached the river we were confronted with yet another challenge. westland wouldn't have it any other way and secretly, we like it that way. adventure!
after formulating a plan that involved NOT becoming another tourist swift water drowning statistic, we set about preparing all our gear for the float across the river. all the electronic gear was put into dry bags and the packs lashed together then tied to our combined lengths of para cord. (note to self- bring more para cord next time in case you need to swim across a river by yourself)
we would have got some photos worthy of some adventure documentry but due to logistics our cameras had to be in the packs for the float over to the other side. hence we didn't get photos of paul swimming across. paul swam across 1st and i set the 'pack raft' adrift when the slack in the paracord took up. paul was then able to haul the packs across and get his camera out so we could atleast get some pics of the event.
i thought it was cold walking across but it's not as bad as swimming!! we reckon you have to have balls to do this but i know i had none to show for it afterwards! LOL
for about 30 seconds after you get out you're racked with pain then it subsides and it was exhilarating after that. we both sat on the rock and just shook our heads and laughed. things you've got to do in this place!
i thought my pack was heavy before, well now it felt 5kgs heavier and when got to the hut it turns out it was. it's wonder there wasn't a trout in there! although there was probably a fish kill downstream after having two men who hadn't showered in 10 days swim through it.
it was a relief to get to the hut and get changed into some dry clothes and cook ourselves some tahr. as luck would have it, someone had left some onions and flour in the hut since we had last been there. it was one of the best feeds i could imagine. i savoured every last bit.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030823_zpsa4f8b98f.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030823_zpsa4f8b98f.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030824_zps1e5828fe.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030824_zps1e5828fe.jpg.html) PR
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030826_zps1657532e.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030826_zps1657532e.jpg.html) PR
the next day we walked out to the next hut and then the weather hit. we tried to walk out to the car the following day but were forced back to the hut for another night when we couldn't cross a flooded side creek that crossed the trail. we got pounded with rain and wind that night and we were thankful we were in a hut. if the hut was shaking it would have surely shredded the tent if we were in it.
we cooked the last of the tahr and enjoyed another wholesome meal of meat and nothing but meat. the weather broke early the next morning and this gave us a window of opportunity to get out. luckily the creeks go down as quickly as they rise and we managed to get to the car late that afternoon. back to civilisation once more.
i was suprised how quickly water levels fluctuate in this country, something duly noted for future trips.
this is the reason we had left over freeze dry meals- LOL
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_7158_zps03408bb5.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_7158_zps03408bb5.jpg.html) CM
You 2 gentleman are really making this quite the dream adventure for all of us!!
Keep up the good work and cong. again. :notworthy:
Great to see you blokes had some good luck too Mark. We did have some beautiful days before the weather turned. Nothing beats clear blue skies in those mountains.
As Clint said with 140 km/hr gale force winds, heavy rain and snow forecast for the next 7-10 days it was definitely time to leave, albeit reluctantly . When you put in the effort to hunt in that country it's hard to leave, especially early and without an animal. The walk out sure did make for a grand adventure in it's own right though.
The pictures don't do the flooded river justice, it was a raging torrent and being both sensible blokes we were reluctant to test our swimming abilities when everything is on the line. Literally and a very thin line at that. But with a possible 10 days more heavy rain, it was a case of do it or get stuck and need a evac out. We were both confident of our ability to cross safely, we just would rather have avoided the risk to our lives and equipment. All went well obviously as we are both still here and none of our gear was lost or damaged thankfully. I did have worries that our packs would be swept down the rapids which were only 30m down stream of us, but thankfully the para cord and knots held. The packs ended up floating really well and they were quite easy to pull in against the current, which was my biggest fear.
Man that hut was awesome after the swim and the combination of dry hut, fire stove, fresh meat, onions, garlic, flour and spices, made me feel like a 5 year old kid on Christmas morning again! Ahh the smell of Tahr frying with onions. Yum!
I still can't believe we got stuck only 5 hours from the car and after the 2nd night in the 2nd hut we had actually called up one of the local helicopter businesses and arranged a pick up as soon as possible. We were told that due to the weather they mightn't be able to pick us up for a few days. Luckily the rain stopped 1/2 an hour after the call and 4 hours later we were able to get through the 4-5 major creeks between us and the road. We tramped hard and made the car in 4 hours just before dark. Two days later we were over on the east coast listening to reports of the passes being closed by landslides and bad weather. We got out just at the right time.
I can't wait for the next adventure with my good mates in the mountains of New Zealand!
Awesome! Glad y'all made it out safe so you can take us along again next time!
Bisch