Good advice, just look at that farmer in waikato the other day, add plb to that. Mine lives on my belt.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
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Good advice, just look at that farmer in waikato the other day, add plb to that. Mine lives on my belt.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
Mmm very true, especially in winter when getting caught out by how quickly the sun sets and darkness in valleys. Casually went to watch a sunset in the Richmond Ranges, climbed a hill 20 mins behind a hut - on way back down with the sun just set reflectors were hardly visible and bush was pretty thick! Pretty rookie but I had a wee torch on my cellphone to catch the reflectors so that worked out fine. Good to have some markers of some point I reckon - snap a few branches, make a few cairns in thicker bush if it's rough - that kinda thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
Damn, PLBs are a godsend. I'm going to save up one day for sure - worth the price to save your life! Luckily in Nelson I know some SAR guys who'll rent one out to ya real cheap (compared to other places...). In Christchurch hit up the CUTC for cheap hire too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
This really goes out to everyone - invest in one of those things, hire or buy. So many kiwis have that "Eh she'll be right" attitude. I was a committee member for the Canterbury University Tramping Club and last year one of our most experienced mountaineers hired out a PLB, but decided to leave it in their car as they went out. DOC didn't have full information on how low the snowline would be, so they got caught out without crampons on an ice ridge (all these rookie mistakes!) - slipped and fell down a pretty steep cliff damn far, the both of them!!
Now their trip intentions said they were heading out for about 4-5 days! And on day one, they were at the bottom of a cliff - broken pelvis, bashed in heads/losing eyesight, broken ribs. Had to share a sleeping bag, urinating on each other, trying to cook and stay warm (thank goodness they had all the other decent survival equipment! Proper -30 degree sleeping bags, survival blanket, the right amount of food and all that; no PLB :( ) - it was 4 more days out there before finally a chopper came in and they were on their last legs really, that much pain and internal bleeding.
Could have been saved within the day with a PLB.
INVEST! As these very, very highly experienced trampers/mountaineers/climbers will tell you - even the best of us can get caught out in nature, and a PLB was the ONE thing they needed. Luckily fully recovered now, we tell this story to all the newbies/international students that come into the club and wanna organise their own little trips.
Sounds like you have enough experience from others to be more than fine.
So what's a good pub? Important things
Smugglers ;) Or Sprig & Fern, Honest Lawyer, or Vic Mac's Brew Bar... depends on your tastes hahaQuote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
I like the taste of alcohol :thumbsup:
Oh you'll fit right in, in Nelson hahaQuote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
Mint. See if I can pick up some more weird hitchhikers like last time.
yep smugglers and the honest lawyer are good.
The clubs in town are pretty Shit and you have a good chance of being kicked to death by 20 kids or stabbed.
I can't think of/wouldn't read a book dedicated to wind movement,even the forecasters can't get it right:D
Just use ya brain as long as your are thinking about the wind your on the right track.
In the absence of any prevailing wind air will move up faces and gullys once the sun hits them and down shortly after its gone.
In a prevailing wind air moves over ground features much like water over a rock.
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If a river or streams dirty and you can hear boulders moving stay put. I speak from experience. Drowning in the backcountry would be one of our biggest killers.
Oh and don't skimp on boots. When your four days walk from a road end your feet are the most valuable asset you have :)
If in doubt don't pull the trigger
That's all
Um rookie stuff....
Learn how to pack a rucksack correctly
Learn how to navigate without relying on GPS
Look after your feet - spare dry socks
Always take a hat and beanie
Learn how to start a fire using several techniques
Watch the wind and move slower
Get off the tracks
Do a river safety course
My first rookie mistake, there were many but this one pissed me off....always be ready for a shot......left the campground with an unloaded rifle, no bolt in the rifle, as 'there'll be no deer near a noisy, smelly campground right'
less than two minutes later, on my way to the 'hunting ground' i spooked a Sika hind who stood up barked and just stood staring at me for about 5-6 seconds before hitting 'warp factor 10'......
if only i had a round up the spout and my bolt half cocked.....!
All ways take your time when going for the shot. This is after you have properly ID the target. You can waste a lot of time looking for wounded deer, when an extra 30 seconds a better shot opportunity may present itself. Way to many deer get lost and die slow deaths because of this. Also when I shoot I want the deer dead and to drop so I don't have to carry it so far.
If you end up getting more than one rifle, make sure you take the correct bolt for whichever rifle you take :( and even then, don't leave the bolt on the front eat of the truck
Make sure if you have a detachable magazine that the bloody thing is in the gunbag before buggering off made that mistake once and lucky I was only going to the rifle range to sight the rifle in and could get away with single feeding each round :D
Store your rifles with the bolt and magazine in them - never leave a bolt at home again. :D
Forgot the mag for my Sako 75 on a 1 week roar trip - shot 1 stag
Taken the wrong bolt for my 6.5x55 an a Woodhill ballot - nothing shot
Left the mag behind for my 10/22 on a rabbit shoot - still got a few
If stopping to rest the legs before a bit, make sure all the zips etc on your pack or bum bag are done up. Lost a GPS
After a rookie trip, write a list of what worked well, what was a waste of money and what you wish you had taken. Do this while unpacking and still fresh in your mind
If hunting the tops, buy a decent bloody sleeping bag - ONE snowy night spent on the top of Urchin in a chit warehouse sleeping bag is something I never want to repeat
Money should be spent in this order: GOOD boots, good clothing, good sleeping bag, tent >>>>>> Gun
Don't park your Hilux in front of the forestry gates.
Yup been caught out by the sleeping bag thing bought one off trademe for $40 it was too skinny for me and the zip burst open during the night while at the oamaru hut, before that I had a great outdoors sleeping bag last used that when I went camping up clements with dogmatix the ground was frozen and I froze my arse off for two nights. With that lesson learned I now own a kiwi camping glacier sleeping bag and it kept me warm and dry when I did that trip to clements the other weekend and woke up to find water on my sleeping bag after moisture came through the tent when it fell down on top of me (thanks to a very rude jap walking around the campsite during the night)Quote:
Originally Posted by Timmay
Some great tips/advice/tales of woe so far, great thread Aly....go girl.....
A PLB would not of been of use as he was not injured or disabled. What he needed was a compass or a means of navigation...he did not know of the twig on the thumb...he does now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
Dont bother packing half a dozen beers to enjoy after your long tramp in, Amazing the amount of weight they add. Then you have to carry your rubbish out too (only cans)
Stash a couple at a time on the way in so you have an enjoyable walk out.Quote:
Originally Posted by tikka 7/08
Thats what Whiskey & wine are for, higher alcohol content per weight ratio........both in plastic containers......easy peassssyy, lemooon sqeeeezy....hicQuote:
Originally Posted by tikka 7/08
CAUTION: DONT USE FIREARMS AND ALCOHOL TOGETHER.....DRINK RESPONSIBLY....like me!
Too bad Whisky taste like shit :D
Wrong holeQuote:
Originally Posted by Toby
coming from someone who drinks Steinlager :wtfsmilie:
Arrrr.....the innocence of youth.....i started on the 'water of life' in my forties Toby, i was a vodka man before then.....thankfully 'someone' got (another lost weekend) me onto 12 year old single malt, haven't looked back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby
keep drinking it till it doesnt taste like shit.....sorted
@PointerQuote:
Originally Posted by Timmay
Good tips cheers sako :)Quote:
Originally Posted by sako75
Don't forget to take arsewipe...:ORLY:
Gear checklist is a good idea.
Baby wipes are a good way to keep clean and fresh on longer hunting trips where water is scarce.
Leave a map at home with the missus/mate marked with where you are leaving the vehicle, where you will be staying/camping and your general hunting area will be. Good back-up to having a PLB.
Water bladders with drink bottle lids are great for hunting: don't slosh around when half full and roll up to nothing when empty.
Always take a raincoat, even if the forecast shows clear skies.
Good boots are worth their weight in gold. Can't hunt with f_cked feet.
Deer will pop up where you least expect them, so keep your rifle within arms reach at all times.
Most importantly, ear plugs are a necessity when staying at a hut or sharing a tent with a mate, because every f_cker snores in the bush! :XD:
Hmm I've even been caught out with a crappy sleeping bag, just staying the night in a woolshed for an orienteering event! Another thing is that if you have a half-decent sleeping bag that works well for summer through to the beginning of winter, investing in a sleeping bag liner is a brilliant idea to make it last better in huts and that in winter, until you get up to the point where you need a better one to withstand temperatures down to -20/-30 degrees etc.... a good $80+ liner, none of those cheap as ones designed for backpacking/staying in hostels! Not quite the price of a truly decent sleeping bag but until you save $600+ for a bag, a liner is a great investment :)Quote:
Originally Posted by hunter308
When caught out and really desperate, wrapping a survival blanket on the outside of the bag = keeps out wind chill/drafts/dew.
Keep an eye out for MacPac sales, I picked up a $950 bag for $450 - its one of their top of rangeQuote:
Originally Posted by Aly
MacPac bags are awsome. I would say they're almost minimum standard I would use. My one weighs 440 grams and is rated to -20 or something crazy. Never been cold in it. Always too warm if anything.Quote:
Keep an eye out for MacPac sales, I picked up a $950 bag for $450 - its one of their top of range
My biggest piece of advice would be to learn to shoot and be comfortable shooting the rifle that you intend to hunt with.
Shooting your 22 at rabbits every weekend is all well and good for developing basic marksman skills - but when it comes to shooting a deer with a centrefire, you're going to have issues if you develop a bad flinch or a tendency to anticipate recoil.
I have a mate of mine who hunts with a Sako A7 in .270win - took him out for a Goat shoot and he seemed almost hesitant to shoot it at anything. Like he was scared of the rifle.
My dad's ancient shotgun is a .303 (couldn't tell you the model though!) and I remember the kick on that thing as a youngin' banging me up spotlighting hares... I'd like to think I could handle it better nowadays ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Daggers_187
Hehe, .303 shotgun
my rookie mistake this week was checking that my safety was in the correct position on my ar15 and thinking yip thats right(it wasnt) then counting down to do a simultanious shot with a hunting mate on a mob of pigs in a paddoc
3-2-1 he fires(and misses for fucks sake) i pull the trigger but nothing happens
pigs all run off into the scrub
fuck.
I take pursuit and shoot one on the run from a hill top
ended up fine but the 130 pound boar that i had my crosshairs on its forhead was traded for a 50 pound boar
I am partial to a steinie or three...you can tell a real beer when you need a bottle opener to rip the scab off...steinies are one of the beers that will survive a rough road trip or fly in without spitting and fizzing over everything...screw caps were made because the non smokers didn't have a bottle opener [ciggie lighter]Quote:
Originally Posted by sako75
No because too many people don't know how to use a bottle opener :D I think the most fun I had opening a beer with a ciggy lighter was a bottle of my grandfathers homebrew the cap went six feet in the air with a heck of a bang and was left holding the neck of the bottle, but we did eventually get one open without it blowing up and it was a bloody tasty drop of beer but you were on your arse very quickly with it too grandad got cremated with that recipe in his pocket so no one could get their dirty mits on his brew recipeQuote:
Originally Posted by Spook