Thread: Arapawa ram question

Bloody cool looking animals, might look even better on the wall and in the freezer

@ocean-hunter i done little work on the subject couple years ago, numbers on public land weren't high and location was top secrete.
It was about $4500 to go to Chatham Island if my memory serves me right.
There a few farms down south that they run free range but its finding that guy in the know.
Then you have your paid hunts and prices vary.
Shame really as Ive always wanted on for the wall myself.

As said you can't hunt Arapawa Island atm
Chathams cost 1k round trip on air chats
Easy to orgainise a hunt there and happy to give people names
Once there can stay at pub or hotel or private
Pitt can fly or boat
Wild sheep also hokinui, kaikouras and a few other places. Most mainland flocks are white as based on early Merino
Rare Breeds Association are trying to conduct a survey of each breed in its feral range

Anyone know much about the Waianakarua ones? I assume they’re merino in origin. Bloody delicious things.

I think those are classed as the Herbert flock or type.

if you go back in time the arapawas were saxton merinos...so were the chatham island ones..... the arapawas are unique because they had so long in isolation to fit into that enviroment....they LEARNT through survival of fittest/best suited to enviroment single lambs that dont get stuck on way out are good,lamb gets stuck ewe dies end of bad trait.
in good feed times multiple lams good
worms n lice dont worry some so they are healthier and breed more and pass on trait.
smaller body takes less feeding
clean legs n bum reduces fly strike and getting cast
wary of anything different,alert to danger and good at fleeing and hiding...awesome in wild,pain in the arse in paddock
DARWINISM at its most simple

Originally Posted by Boxton

I think those are classed as the Herbert flock or type.

There was a lot of debate going on aways back about the wild sheep around the Waianakarua areas..lots of different suggestions etc but nothing
positive. No doubt there has been something since.
Mainly white there were however brown and brown n white ones. They are really nice eating and there are/were some ok Trophies about.