An addiction to adventure is incurable and can only ever, at best, be temporarily satisfied. my latest sojourn to New Zealand's wilderness has quenched the cravings for adventure but for a little while.
himalayan tahr never cease to amaze with their magnificence, nonchalant surefootedness, habitat and all round grandeur and the desire to hunt them the hard way has not diminished.
L-R, mark, myself and paul set forth on foot once again last month to hunt the revered bull tahr.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0259_zpscf3tvcqq.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0259_zpscf3tvcqq.jpg.html)
upon reaching the 1st hut along the trail to the hunting area, in uncanny circumstances, we met and shared the hunt with a fellow tradganger. shankspony and friends were staying in the hut that night. they had just spent 10 days in the hut further along the trail, unable to go anywhere due to relentless and torrential rain. not uncommon in the westland region of the south island. meeting in such a place and sharing tales in a crowded hut added to the mystique of the NZ backcountry. a most enjoyable night was had by all. shankspony is pictured in the green puffy jacket. thanks for the camaraderie guys! :campfire:
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0262_zpsubkv7vnq.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0262_zpsubkv7vnq.jpg.html)
Awesome Clint,
I love these epic Tahr hunts. Now you have me waiting. I had the pleasure of meeting Shanks a few years back,and he is a top bloke.
Looking forward to how this unfolds,
Memo.
:campfire:
Beautiful scenery, thanks for sharing.
I'm in for the rest of this one! Always a good tale told by Clint!
Bisch
:campfire: Ready!
Wow, I'm sliding the foot stool over and putting on the peppermint tea for this one Aussie. I miss home so much, so this may satiate my appetite until my wife and I go there to see family again this coming Christmas. I have traveled all over the world, lived in Australia for over 30yrs now, but New Zealand is the best. I hope this tale is as good as the one last year?
Sutto
I am in for this one again. Clint what kind of shed is that in the hut pic? Good luck
oldgoat- that antler is from a red stag.
days two and three were spent hiking up to the hunting area. at the end of day two we stayed in the next hut along the trail, the hut that shankspony and co. were stranded at for 10 days.
this part of the world is very photogenic and boasts many types of habitat. as we were hiking in we joked about all the different movies sets we were walking through. the actual mountains in the background of the group photo at the first hut were featured in the hobbit eagle scene. other movie sets we could walked through included the forest of pandora from avatar and the planets endor, dagobah and hoth from star wars. it really is that epic.
the forest can best be described as primordial and at times, brings about an eerie feeling when walking through it.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0267_zpsw3bc6wha.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0267_zpsw3bc6wha.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0264_zpswvulb50a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0264_zpswvulb50a.jpg.html)
the view out of the 2nd hut window.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0270_zps8cfkixvo.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0270_zps8cfkixvo.jpg.html)
day three was time to climb up to the main hunt area.
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we made camp above tree line on a south facing slope, which ment it didn't get much sun and was still covered in snow from the recent bad weather. welcome to hoth!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0286_zpsjg74idli.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0286_zpsjg74idli.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0316_zpswyqnurq3.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0316_zpswyqnurq3.jpg.html)
:campfire:
As usual, Ozzy you have full attention.
the next day was our first day of hunting. mark and i decided to head over towards where i shot a bull last year. mark hadn't been to this valley yet so i was going to show him the nice area we found last year. paul hunted the bush edges below camp. on the way we saw a few animals as we normally do. mark had a stalk on a sentry nanny.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0318_zpsymvdtg1w.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0318_zpsymvdtg1w.jpg.html)
the scenery can not be described, it must be experienced.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0324_zpsndz9ypmm.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0324_zpsndz9ypmm.jpg.html)
home sweet home.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0320_zpss7bwhk6a.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0320_zpss7bwhk6a.jpg.html)
a group of tahr feeding.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0325_zpsu9gvw4ee.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0325_zpsu9gvw4ee.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0327_zpsy0qt5cys.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0327_zpsy0qt5cys.jpg.html)
another group paul and i observed a few days later.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0332_zps5n229cbw.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0332_zps5n229cbw.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0335_zps3zvx2yeq.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0335_zps3zvx2yeq.jpg.html)
here's some groups that paul saw near the bush edge.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030919_zpsm3dhgq0x.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030919_zpsm3dhgq0x.jpg.html)
photo by raul rea
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030926_zpstthrincr.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030926_zpstthrincr.jpg.html)
photo by paul rea
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030938_zpsuljbpfvz.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030938_zpsuljbpfvz.jpg.html)
photo by paul rea
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030939_zpshyev5mud.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030939_zpshyev5mud.jpg.html)
photo by paul rea
here's a rock bivy i found. it would make an excellent camp with a little work like lining the floor with fern fronds or an emergency shelter as it is if it was needed.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030940_zpsdxv6bqtk.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030940_zpsdxv6bqtk.jpg.html)
photo by paul rea.
Just fantastic......unbelievable!
QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
I'm in for the rest of this one! Always a good tale told by Clint!
Bisch
X2 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Looking great so far Clint. I found out I. April just how beautiful New Zealand is! Pictures don't do the place justice. Keep it coming!
Bisch
that same day, (day 4, 1st day of hunting) mark i and i eventually made over to the area where we saw lots of bulls last year.
mark could see some bulls below us near the bush line and decided to move down and attempt to stalk them. i went the other way and went to check out the gully where i got my bull the previous year.
thick fog was starting to form lower down the valley and i knew in a short while that we would be cloaked in thick moist air and visibility would be reduced to about 30 meters. (100 feet) i found a nice little spot from which to glass the gully and set about fixing my trekking pole and glassing as the fog came and went periodically.
the day before as we forded the river to hike up from the hut to our tent camp, i went to adjust the length of the pole to get a more stable position to jump onto a boulder in the river when the bottom two sections of the pole slid out and were swept away. i use a black diamond carbon whippet pole which has an ice pick on the handle, so i was left with a small make shift ice tool. on the way up to tent camp i found a straight stick from which to whittle a stub to shove up the end of the pole.
i had just finished making a stub for the pole and the fog momentarily cleared and straight away i saw a nice bull in the gully. so i packed up my gear and headed straight down to see if i could put on a stalk. i was part way down when i saw him walk into a cluster of huge boulders and disappeared. i knew he would be in there, and i would be able to see him leave if he did so, so i dropped my pack and began moving down an open slope towards the boulders that were about 60 meters away.
suddenly he walked out of the boulders and started walking up towards me. i was completely out in the open so i had no choice but to nock an arrow and lay down against the slope and look like a rock. it worked and he didn't notice me and he dropped into a small drain and appeared to have a drink, although i've read that's it's extremely rare to see a tahr drink. apparently the get most of their moisture from the vegetation they eat.
whether he was drinking or doing something else, i saw it as my queue to have have a shot, since his head was obscured and he couldn't see me get up into a kneeling position. i released at the bull from about 30 meters with a steep downhill angle but i cursed as the arrow flew and passed just under him and clattered into some rocks.
startled a little, the bull jump up out of the drain and ran a short distance behind some short monkey scrub bushes. i quickly moved down to the bushes and nocked another arrow when he walked out the other side and started to move up the other side of the gully. he stopped broadside looked downhill at about 25 meters and i remember intently focusing on his chest and drawing, consciously keeping my elbow high as i did. this is my shot routine and it just seems to work for me if i focus on form and let the subconscious do the aiming.
the flight of the arrow was perfect and the shot placement equally so, at least that was my immediate impression. the bull let out a bellow and ran down hill into the boulders, stood for a second then disappeared. i was was confident that the placement was good and as he ran away i could see equal amounts of arrow protruding out of either side of the chest.
i retrieved my pack and by then it was time to take up the trail. the arrow had broke, probably due to shoulder blades acting like a guillotine and both the broadhead and nock ends fell out. upon picking them up and piecing them together it became apparent that about 6" of the arrow must be still in his chest.
the blood was deep red with a few very tiny bubbles indicating at least some lung damage. the blood trail however was almost nonexistent. just a few small drops.
Whoa! straight into them. Loving it Clint.
:campfire:
Hey Clint - you don't muck around - straight into the action. I am riveted to my seat. Just don't keep us waiting too long - he he.
Sutto
this is where the deja vu comes into play. the last place that i saw the bull was 10 meters away from where i recovered my bull last year. his bones are still there. here i was, starting the search for a bull right where the search for a bull ended 1 year ago. absolutely incredible circumstances. the two places where each bull was standing when they were shot are about 30 meters apart. they are separated more by time than by distance. i still shake my head thinking about how uncanny the circumstances are.
it was getting late in the afternoon and i new i couldn't spend too much time looking for him before i would have to rendezvous with mark and get back to camp. walking around in the dark in that country is bordering on dangerous IMO. kiwi hunters do it but they are kiwis and are tough. :p
he vanished into the bush and ferns and doubt started to rear its ugly head. he could be dead in there and i still might not find him. i had a quick look around in there but couldn't find any sign and reluctantly i left to go meet mark.
i of course planned to go back in the morning and resume the search but the mountains had other ideas. it started to rain that night. it rained and rained and kept raining. morning came around and it continued raining all that day only relenting that night. 36 hours in the tent, contemplating....................
so next morning paul decided to come with me. he would hunt his way over to the search area then help me try to find the mountain's prize.
at around midday paul began a stalk on a pair of bedded bulls. the situation was a good one, with ideal topography aiding the stalk. i sat back and had lunch while paul did his thing. then the fog rolled in again. paul and the bulls were less than 100 meters away in plain sight but i couldn't see them. maybe half an hour later i heard some alarm whistles from the bull. i knew something was happening but couldn't see a thing. moments later paul yelled out for me to come over so that i did. when i got there he told me he crested a small ridge to find the bull less than 10 meters beyond but it had sensed movement and made good his escape.
the fog was set in now and hunting was near impossible in the low visibility conditions so we decided it was time to look for my bull, which wasn't far from where we were.
we started at the place of last sighting and began zig zagging through the small corridor of bush in the bottom of the steep sided gully. both sides of the gully where the bush is has rock slabs sloping down to the bottom forming a vee shaped gully.
there is so many holes and places where a dead animal could be that would guard the carcass and never allow it to be found. we had been looking for about 20 minutes and i was starting to accept that i might have killed a bull only to have it swallowed up by the bush, when i stood on a boulder that jutted out above the ferns and offered a vantage point. i happened to look to my right and as if by divine intervention, there he was, belly up in a parted section of trees in plain view. if i was standing anywhere else i wouldn't have seen him.
i was so relieved and happy to have confirmed my strong belief that the shot was a good one and that he was dead.
two bulls in two years in the exact same spot. i said to paul, "i hearby name this gully, 'golden gully'". we both laughed.
so it was, 48 hours after the shot, i found him. he had run about 100 meters from where i shot him.
having lunch while paul was stalking.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0342_zpsxvblywaq.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0342_zpsxvblywaq.jpg.html)
the view when i spotted the bull. he's between the trees, center frame. remarkable, i know!
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0344_zps2l8an45o.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0344_zps2l8an45o.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0343_zpsh1tp6idy.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0343_zpsh1tp6idy.jpg.html)
he must have died half way across the rock slope and slid down to his resting place. his head was underneath his body.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0346_zpsdimpvlyj.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0346_zpsdimpvlyj.jpg.html)
the trophy of my dreams. a mature bull tahr. his horns are nearly 12.5"
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0354_zpsf35ivvk0.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0354_zpsf35ivvk0.jpg.html)
after opening up the ribs after this photo it was found that the shot took out the top of both lungs. the lungs of a tahr are lower than that of a deer. anatomy lesson learnt.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0372_zps8gm7dbgh.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0372_zps8gm7dbgh.jpg.html)
Keep it coming mate...
Gee mate, we must have been typing at the same time, well done champ! I'm off next year myself for the same trip...
Wow, Congrats Ozzy!
Incredible story, you had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Pure greatness! I'm so glad you were able to find him Clint!!
Congrats, my friend!
Bisch
always look forward to your stories, thanks and congrats
Amazing stuff! Congrats!! :notworthy:
Wow, this is a great adventure. Thanks for taking us along! It doesn't get any more real than this!
What a trophy!
Ive been waiting for this report! Just awesome Clint! Was a great surprise and pleasure to meet you guys in the way we did.
That will be one of the top true free range bull Tahr taken with Trad gear EVER!
Clint, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your story and the pictures. The scenery alone must have been worth the trip.
Congrats on a beautiful bull, well done. :clapper:
Thanks for sharing your hunt.
Bob
Great job Clint, amazing what a young man can get done if he set his heart and mind to it. . Thanks a bunch. Bob
Great job ! Awesome hunt and effort.
That is awesome, well done doesn't even begin to say it.
To even walk in there with a trad bow says a lot, but to keep returning....well.
I hope that Paul and Mark have some luck come their way, but that bull is one of the best traditional animals i've ever seen.
:thumbsup:
Memo
thanks guys.
the pack was heavy walking back to camp, though it was welcome weight.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0374_zpsifdtigtf.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0374_zpsifdtigtf.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0375_zpsa9t6baum.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0375_zpsa9t6baum.jpg.html)
the next day i bummed around camp and attended to the skinning out of the head and salting the cape. mark and paul went hunting again.
here's some tahr i spotted out of my tent door. they are on the ridge top.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0378_zpsa2834sla.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0378_zpsa2834sla.jpg.html)
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/IMG_0379_zpsojagx2q3.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/IMG_0379_zpsojagx2q3.jpg.html)
that evening the weather closed in again and it began to rain once more. another 36 hour period in the tent had begun......
it rained heavily that night and to my disbelief i awoke early the next morning to a flooded tent. there was 5" of water in the floor of my little shelter. my mat and bottom half of my down sleeping bag were wet and my camera was underwater. i was sleeping with the inner doors open to maximize ventilation trying to combat condensation. through the night i must have rolled on the edge of the floor wall and pushed it down onto the ground allowing water from the small stream running under the floor to flow into my tent and flood it.
it took me a while to bail it all out with my jetboil cup. the rest of that day it rained but it cleared that night and there was a huge frost. it was very cold that night. i was in the fetal position in my sleeping bag because the bottom was wet which made for a terrible nights sleep. that morning it was minus 8 degrees C (17F)in our tents. everything was frozen. the bottom of my bag was frozen, usually limp bootlaces were like pieces of wire. i told the guys that i was going to go down to the hut since all my gear was frozen and with these temperatures it would be silly for me not to go down to the hut. they decided to join me as they were in a similar but not as bad similar situation.
I guess I'll be the one to ask the question, after 48 hours was the meat salvagable? Great hunt and trophy!
Hey Clint - which limbs did you shoot him with, the 70# set, or the lighter ones (I assume the heavier set). Also, did you shoot a Bob Lee in the past, and how do you find the new Border bow?
cheers
Sutto
Very cool story and awesome photos! Thanks for sharing.
Way to go!
yes the meat was ok. we dined like kings for two nights when got back to the hut.
(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/ozyclint/P1030948_zpsikgvrkhs.jpg) (http://s530.photobucket.com/user/ozyclint/media/P1030948_zpsikgvrkhs.jpg.html)
suttoman- used the 58# limbs on my border. the arrows weigh 680gr. 185gr grizzly weighted to 300gr. 50gr insert. axis shafts.
i shoot the bull last year with the bob lee and it was a good bow. i sold it to help pay for the border. it is really fast, but i use the extra energy to shoot a heavier arrow at what would be considered normal speed for trad bows. it is very smooth to draw, when i shoot other bows now they feel like they stack. the only downside is i find it a little more noisy but it's not bad though.
What a great adventure. Cpngrats and thanks for sharing!
Wow is the only word that comes to mind. Crazy and fantastic. Congrats to you Clint.!!
Just getting to the hunt location is amazing in itself!
Wow! fantastic adventure and trophy!!!
:notworthy:
so, with the drowning of my camera in the tent fiasco this is the limit of my pictures. i'm very thankful that the SD card still works. mark might have some more photos to add if he sees this thread but he doesn't get much internet where he is so it could be awhile. when i get his copies i'll post some up if he hasn't done so.
i bummed around the hut the next day and split some wood, re salted the cape, made a deadfall trap to catch the hut mice and ate tahr.
i must have slept awkwardly that night because i awoke with a stiff neck and the hike to the next hut only served to make it worse. the sleep that night was terrible and my neck was very painful and i wasn't able to move it much at all. the guys insisted that we more evenly share the weight in our packs to make it easier on my neck for the last leg out to the road end. mark carried the cape which was 8kg. paul carried some of my tent and my binos. it made a huge difference and made the hike out much more bearable.
thanks guys! a team effort as always.
DIY bull tahr two years in a row in the most spectacular country on the face of this planet. What else could possibly be said? I can't begin to imagine a feat more difficult!
Congratulations on the most amazing accomplishment I've ever read of Clint. The whole thing simply boggles my mind. Like others have said, just getting to and being in that country is a feat of a lifetime. To bring home bulls like that is simply hard to comprehend.
I've followed every word of these threads each and every year and it just keeps getting more and more amazing. Thank you for taking the time to share with those of us who will only experience it through you.
Great story and photos, congrats on the beautiful animal. Heck of a hunt!
TOP SHELF !!!!
I grew up and lived in the North Island of New Zealand, so I am not so familiar with the territory that this story is set in. However, this is truly an amazing feat - just like
Whip said. There is some territory a bit like this in the North Island, and I have trekked through there in my younger days. However, the Southern part of the South island is much more rugged and dangerous. Climbers die there every year.
To be able to go up there - two years in a row - on public land (no fences, no guide, no canned-hunt) - and harvest two of these majestic, wild bucks with a trad bow, is truly truly amazing. To put this into perspective, when I lived in NZ in my youth, my uncle was an avid dear-stalker (hunter). He belonged to a club, knew all the good spots, had the latest rifle and gear, but I think in all the years he hunted, he only ever shot one deer. Imagine pursuing a prey that is much more wary than a deer, in open country, with a bow that has max range at about 30m, in rugged mountains - is truly mind boggling.
Clint - you have my utmost respect. I struggle to even hit a rabbit here where I live in the Australian desert!!
Sutto
Incredible.
I share whips sentiments. I'm still in awe.
:clapper:
Great posts and a tremendous accomplishment. Thanks for sharing the journey and taking us along with you.
SIMPLY AMAZING.
Love this hunt. Thanks for sharing because...I ain't gonna do it :-)
Just awesome.
Very Nice, you really get after it Clint! Love to read y'all's stories
I enjoyed your telling of the tale Clint, it was great to have experienced it with you and Mark again this year.
Congrats on the bull mate well done
Your posts are a must-read!
Thank you for sharing the story of your great adventure.
Killdeer
Ozy
my hat´s off to you ...
That is a hunt I´d love to do myself one day.
I´ve been bumming round NZ for about 3 weeks in February ...
Had me some good fishing going but no bowhunting ...
Bumped into some members of the NZ Deer Stalking Association as well ...
maybe next time ...
congrats from across the pond :thumbsup:
AWESOME !
and I really like your starting sentence :An addiction to adventure is incurable and can only ever, at best, be temporarily satisfied
Thats exactly how I feel... and so very well put that it could have been written by Hemmingway, Rosevelt or some of other great outdoor writers
With your permission I would like to use that sentence in other circumstances.. :)
Congrats !
Outstanding!!!
Awesome is all I can say. Congratulations to you and your mates!
thanks guys.
Simply awesome, Clint, as usual! Beautiful country!
Clint, My hat is of to you sir! You always tell a super hunting tale and your pictures are impeccable! You are a very talented man both with bow and pen. Thanks for the adventure from afar! I look forward to your next hunt!
Thanks for taking us along on such an incredible hunt.
Thank you for sharing your great adventure. :archer:
Every time I've read your New Zealand stories, I start coming up with ways to make it happen. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm afraid your stories and pictures will be as close as I ever come to a hunt like that. Congrats on your success, as people have said, truly amazing!
Great hunt. I am very hopeful that I will be working in NZ next year and if so I am for sure going hunting.
So cool. Thanks for the detailed story and pictures, congrats!!!