Well I'm a bit undecided as to weather a paid hunt is worth doing to get a bit more help with stalking techniques bush knowledge etc
Or should that money be better spent upgrading my gear a bit gun
Camping sh"t quad etc
Wats ur views?
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Well I'm a bit undecided as to weather a paid hunt is worth doing to get a bit more help with stalking techniques bush knowledge etc
Or should that money be better spent upgrading my gear a bit gun
Camping sh"t quad etc
Wats ur views?
There is no way in hell I would pay to go for a hunt, unless it was for the chopper cost somewhere. NZ is crawling with animals, practice, practice, and practice some more. Join the NZDA if you want advice and help.
Gear upgrade or spend the money to get out hunting.
i.e instead of taking paid leave you can take a day off and have it paid for out of that money :)
or use the money to get to new areas further away from people.
Time in the hills will pay dividends
1+ Join NZDA, they will help, pay the $200 or what ever it is and do the Hunts trainingQuote:
Originally Posted by oneshot
I refuse to pay for meat when so much is free on public land
iv done paid hunts in the past and to be honest its shit, there more intrested in shooting ezy deer fast then showing you how to improve on your skills, now instead of paying to shoot a stag I use the money to go towards travel/ferry/choppa its better now to get out looking for tahr or deer and not see any thing then pay over $2000 to pick a stag to shoot
probably wont pick up any skills on a paid hunt especially if its self guided. good to get a group of mates and knock a couple over for meat though.
don't worry about the deerstalkers see if you can team up with someone from the forum, or better yet read a few books and get out there doing it youll learn a lot quicket
You never regret buying quality gear that you still use yrs later.
So upgrade a few things and try to get a more experienced hunter to take you out for a few trips.
There will be NZ Deer stalker run HUNT courses soon ,ring your local NZDA and go on one of those. Highly recommended for less experienced hunters to get a lot of advice and info from older experienced hunters.
They go through Diff nz Game species and habits,habitat,river crossings,first aid,Rifle range time for marksmanship training,bullet selection/reloading/ballistics,Douglas scoring on all types of deer/goats/thar/chamois,hunting ethics,ecology and flora fauna of nz,Skinning and Trophy preparation, and,Firearms safety and laws plus can the exam for your firearms licence if you don't have one,Bushcraft and navigation weekend away using compass and maps,Hunting & stalking techniques,trip planning and gear selection, risk assessment.plus a fair bit about gamebird hunting.
A lot of instruction is by experienced hunters who are also Mountain safety council instructors.Most of the lectures/lessons are very detailed and comprehensive.
We got shown 2 deer gutted and broken down into the various cuts by a qualified butcher right in front of us, plus how to make a freshly shot deer into a "deer backpack".Plus a caping demonstration on one of the carcasses.
Plus you will actually get taken on a hunt or two at the end of it with another hunter guiding you through areas they already know well.
Costs around $200 give or take a few bucks which includes NZDA membership.
Did one myself this year to see if I would learn anything and I got far more out of it than I thought I would.
Pay me, i'll buy better gear for me and get you an easy deer as soon as i can. :D
Buy better gear. Cant beat good quality gear.
Never come across a paid hunting guide where they take you into the bush and teach you, but Im sure there are guys out there that do this. In my opinion try find someone who is willing to show you the ropes, and I guess joining a NZDA will help your chances with this.
Paying to hunt on private blocks does help build confidence in placing a shot or just watching animal behavior if your on a well managed piece of land. I was lucky to have done this the last 8 years or so and never paid more than $500 for 5 days including piss, food, deer, cabin etc., but that was mates rates. I have now turned to public blocks as its normally only weekends I can hunt, and I enjoy the challenge.
Just go out and get into it. U don't need shit loads of new gear just the basics, but make it good quality the stuff you have got. The more u go out the more u learn, the better u become. Takes time, but so does most things. Save your money for gas to get to the great hunting spots we have here in nz.
Cool cheers guys well I guess that answers that pretty clearly
Got myself a a7 sako couple years back but have only managed the one I'm good with navigation and that just not sure if I'm doing sumthing wrong or moving to fast maybe trying the wrong areas ?
Even if I just spotted more I'd be happy
Defiantly don't get out as much as I'd like as my hunting buddy works the mines and our time off never lines up
Sako kid travel ain't a problem company ute and card mate
Like to try different areas ruahines and the west coast are the top of my list but access and parking safety are always issues for a non local
Ruahines!!! You lucky devil! Its 5 hours away for me ;)
Where are u based mate?
You don't need "better gear". More deer were shot in NZ by a few men using ex-army 303's whilst wearing swandris, woollen singlets, undies and hobnail boots probably than all the gear junky hunters out there today combined.
All you need is a rifle that shoots straight, a knife and warm clothes. I regularly go hunting with normal clothes, a pocket knife and my .223. Still bring home more deer than most people I know.
Having the latest and greatest gear will not get you more deer. Time in the hills will. If you have a bit of coin set aside for a paid hunt or gear, I suggest spending it on diesel instead and just go hunting.
I should add though. If you want to buy new gear just for the sake of having some new gear, then by all means do so. We all do that! Haha ;)
I started hunting in the early 90's with no clue as to what to look for. We would walk along the tracks hoping to see a deer. Did a chopper trip into the Boyd Hut. We had no one to show us. Found a new woman and lost interest.
Early 2000's got back into it again. Read some books and still confused.
I went on a organized hunt with a group of guys from another forum. Within 30min a lot of what I read fell into place as I was shown what the different feed sign etc meant.
I highly recommend you get someone to hold your hand and save wasting a lot of time, frustration and disappointment. Whether it is for free from this forum or a paid hunt, the time saved will put dinner on your table
AucklandQuote:
Originally Posted by 199p
Flick me a message next time your coming down to ruahines, I am not expert but if im free im keen on a hunt. Hard during stockcar season tho :(
Will do mateQuote:
Originally Posted by 199p
I've done both of those things and neither will make you a better hunter.
Guided hunts are you paying to put an animal on the ground, in theory you'll learn something but really the emphasis is just on getting the client an animal.
Good ( I.e. Expensive) gear won't improve you anymore than a wooden flanny and a pair of work shorts.
I picked up most of the skills I have today wearing boots dad bought for a chamois hunting trip in NZ 20 years before hand an old woolen swandri and a backpack with mouse chewed holes all through it.
Foot on dirt will get you to where you want to be. Obsess on learning why deer do what they do, when they do it, how they do it and you'll find them.
Join a club or go down to the pub and buy an old hunter a beer and have a good chat and if you're lucky a hunt with him and you pick it up
I've learn one thing about hunting. Don't listen to other hunters about the hunting areas you want to hunt .if they say don't go there you need to go there ,why because ive shot more deer in those areas .Doing your home work is a must 1 trip is never enough .
Stay away from the Tararuas then, its shit :DQuote:
Originally Posted by kawekakid
So got three days in the tongariro park over Chrisy going to head in toward the wanganui sum thick bush but see how we go will at least slay a few rainbows for the smoker