Thread: NZ Hunter Wapiti Adventures, 8.30pm tonight!

And don't forget, watch it on Duke Freeview 13 to get hi def, not bloody Sky 23!

lookin forward to it.

Originally Posted by GregD

And don't forget, watch it on Duke Freeview 13 to get hi def, not bloody Sky 23!

I hate sky, but I'm addicted to watching sport

Is the show available via Sky or the internet in the UK ? Failing those options, is it out on DVD ?

Awesome episode, got me excited for April

Absolutely brilliant , i hope i make it there one day. Also great to see good info on maturity of animals and how to select animals in this unique area

Question for those that hunt Waps, Do many mature bulls get taken each year? They all seem to a shadow of their former glory.

Originally Posted by Pengy

Is the show available via Sky or the internet in the UK ? Failing those options, is it out on DVD ?

+1 would be great to see season 1 on DVD....

You can watch it on TVNZ ondemand. Not sure if you can watch it from out of NZ though.

Originally Posted by Gibo

Question for those that hunt Waps, Do many mature bulls get taken each year? They all seem to a shadow of their former glory.

From what I have seen and heard and despite the wishful thinking of FWF the wap blood is possibly a bit far gone it's been a fair while since a 50" plus true wap head has come out of there, even the young bulls have lost what you would call a true wap head if you were comparing them with young bulls from North America. Reds are pretty aggressive breeders and it's going to be damn near impossible to eliminate them from the area.

@GregD - Recording it off Ch 13 (Duke), to watch at my leisure later. Always replay some of the highlights. @stug - going to UK/Scotland later this year, so will try it out and report back via 'Off Topic' forum.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

From what I have seen and heard and despite the wishful thinking of FWF the wap blood is possibly a bit far gone it's been a fair while since a 50" plus true wap head has come out of there, even the young bulls have lost what you would call a true wap head if you were comparing them with young bulls from North America. Reds are pretty aggressive breeders and it's going to be damn near impossible to eliminate them from the area.

Yes there are a number of bulls shot each year, probably a few too many that haven't quite reached full potential, and certainly plenty that are being shot waaay to young. Some of the really old ones get left because their antlers arent big enough...similar to last night on the show.

There has been a couple that have cracked 50 inches in the last 10 years that I know of. Scoring in the mid to high 300's DS (most recent one 360+). Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) these have been shot pre-ballot period, so not in the rut.

I also have seen photos of bulls most certainly to go into the high 40's and possibly crack 50, but not quite mature enough, or only 8-11 points so left another day. Some of these bulls show strong wapiti characteristics and even antler shape reverting to a more elk type.

The red influence is strong in some blocks, and red bloodlines will ALWAYS be a part of this herd due to the country they live in and the years they have been cross breeding for. The key "wap" blocks certainly have good numbers of wapiti type animals, I really noticed this in our block last time I went in.

From what I have seen personally, the footage I've seen and stories I have heard, the herd is improving every year and the work the FWF are putting in is definitely starting to pay dividends. I doubt we will see bulls of the huge North American type again, but we are definitely seeing a vast improvement in the size and quality of bulls in the area.

Long may it continue I reckon

Oh and a fantastic show last night Greg and Willy, really enjoyed it.

Double post...

Originally Posted by 223nut

+1 would be great to see season 1 on DVD....

DVD's

Originally Posted by stug

You can watch it on TVNZ ondemand. Not sure if you can watch it from out of NZ though.

Got a link that I can watch or download on internet