Thread: Taking a new chum out for a first hunt...and the stupid shit they do.

Originally Posted by XR500

Many moons ago took a relation out hunting Sika. He'd hunted bunnies on a family farm as a kid, but never been proper hunting. I asked if he was fit, got the "yeah, do marathons, played squash competitively for the past 10 years etc etc. He had the typical 'Norwegian racing sardine' body type.

Spotted a nice fat Sika hind about 100m up out of the Rangitikei river at about 6pm (Dec hunt). So down we went, popped the hind and boned her out and filled the one back pack. He took it for the first haul back to the top...lasted about 200m. Then I took over. Its normally about an hour with an animal back to the top, but we were still on a gnarly spur come dark. Despite numerous stops on the way up he was close to expiring by the sounds emanating from his body and I still had the pack and his torch was flat.

We got back to the tent, and I had to make like it had been a particularly arduous retrieve, despite it being pretty standard fare for those days. So he didn't feel too outclassed for a marathon runner.

The next morning as he slept the sleep of the just my two mates asked what had I done to him! They just couldn't equate the expedition he regaled them with, to the typical Southern Kaimanawas evening hunt I felt we had done.

And no, he never asked to do another hunt with us

And did you get to run the marathon?

No point phoning the Helicopter pilot till 8 am as he wont be at the Hangar to start work till then always have your own inreach so you can contact the outside world.

I'm not a 'marathon' shape

But stick a weight on my back and point me up a hill and I am (no, WAS!!!) fine

Took a young guy out once and he bought his hunting knife with him. It had a lanyard line attached to the handle. Must of got a bit bored so hes out with his knife swinging this nice shiny knife around in circles above his head catching the sun nicely. May as well of put strobe lights on our heads and had a megaphone each talking to each other..

My favourite thing is seeing how much trust they put in dead/small ponga trees when using them to heave themselves up hills with a heavy pack. The amount of tumbles I've seen from people thinking a ponga makes a good handrail is something I never would have thought of having to tell people.