Thread: Venison meat hunting in NZ in the past

BJ was in a different class.Was on goats in MT Bruce.BJ farmed across the road.Occasionally the dogs would end up hauling over there.Got to meet him to sort the pack out.A true gentleman (& wife)from a different era

they were gentleman - got to know Ian Kirkpatrick alittle - asked him who was the scariest bugger he had encountered on the field ( one does tend to ask people like that dumb questions ) he said Bryan Williams coming down the paddock at full steam towards you was close to it

Many of us had a dog along and in the 60-70 decade mine was a ue heeler bitch named Kim. She was bred by Garth Coghill (also NZFS staff). Gafth used to pig hunt Kaingaro out lg a tiny old baby austin with a wheelbarros strapped to the back. His finder was a border collie bitch and his holder wS King, a very solid blue heeler me stud dog. King had almost zero tolefance of other dogs and would kill if allowed. He wluld just .ooch along till the collie bailed and then head for the bark. He never held by the ear, always on the front of the nose. Even once the pig was stuck he wouldnt release until repeated smacks on his snlut with the back of a knife fotced the issue. Eventually he attacked the collie one day and so damaged her front leg that she had to be put down.
Anyway, Ming was the sire of my Kim. Being jusg a young buck of 18 when I got her I didnt know a lot about training a hunting dog; just had her along whenever I hunted, which was a lot. She self taught and was utterly fearless. She wluld find and bail and after a bit of ear cutting, wluld hold on command. My favourite weapon when pig hunting with her ( one dog only) was a cut down fern hook slasher. This cluld be used as a stabbing tool but more often I would get to a side of the pig and whack them just behind the ears. It put them down quickly.
On deer she adapted her heeling genes and in flat areas I would find a clearing or monowai flat and send her out. Sometimes up to a couple of hours wait I would hear the thump thump or crackle of approaching deer. She had the knack of quietly pushing them right to my position. In the ureweras in steep terrain I would watch her winding then we would go down into the nearest creek and then I would send her. She would bring a deer down into the bottom and bail within esrshot of me. One time in back of Moanui she took off ahead and bailed two blue boars. When I caught up to her she was bailing and when one broke she would bit its nuts making it sit down, then heel the othet back and do the same. I shot one and stick the other. In all honesty, Kim easily doubled my success rate and a great all round dog. I rescued her from drowning once on a dirty crossing on a sharp bend in the tauranga river below which was a log jam. She got swept under the jam and it wad a near thing to get her out. I know others who had similar close attachments and close esp eith their dog. I will never forget Kim.

This old faded pic is of Kim with the two blue boars mentioned above. Was lucky to get this because my camera took a dunking a couple of weeks later and this wad one of the few negatives that survived.

@Woody There's something special about heelers. You have to have one to know, their loyalty and commitment is remarkable.

you mention Moanui Woody did you ever run into the rat pack meat hunting and possum trapping in there - Pat Braithwaite Jim Mitchell Dave Eccles ? real characters - when DOC started 1987 I was a Ranger in Waioeka gorge - I got the upper Waioeka as part of my area - but only Jim Mitchell was still trapping in there then based from Forks hut - Tawa hut was Braithwaite country - Kahanui hut there was a husband and wife trapping Lyn Thyne ? and I think her name was Marina

I had 2 Blue Heelers over my time. The first one named Mauve, the 2nd one named Mauve.
Yes, loyal little guys and good natured. One would heel my horse while I was getting on - I wondered why my horse was so jumpy until I sotted him doing it. Little bugger.
Mine never caught a pig but both were ok winding deer. The first one was a bugger for wanting to pluck the dead deer's hair.
I remember their lovely soft coats when they snuggled up in the tent.

They are white/cream as pups. Takes a while for the full colour to come through.

Originally Posted by Woody

Kiorenui hut springs to mind. Cobber Kingi and his big alsation dog was the reknowned pig hunter around bar 8 in those days. Was at a burn off down there one time. Lew Skudder and Lester Bell and co were there and we were standing around a bit of a firebreak when a mag full of 303s went off close to us. Somebody must have lost it in the scrub. Scattered us a bit ha ha.

Hunted a lot with Fraser King from the bar 8 , lot of fun back in those days . All day in the bar 8 then all night in the Rangitaiki pub

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

you mention Moanui Woody did you ever run into the rat pack meat hunting and possum trapping in there - Pat Braithwaite Jim Mitchell Dave Eccles ? real characters - when DOC started 1987 I was a Ranger in Waioeka gorge - I got the upper Waioeka as part of my area - but only Jim Mitchell was still trapping in there then based from Forks hut - Tawa hut was Braithwaite country - Kahanui hut there was a husband and wife trapping Lyn Thyne ? and I think her name was Marina

My times in there were in the 60's so missed them. I know of some trappers operating out of hautapu hut se of matawai but each time I was there was out of seadon for jackos to never actuLly met them some wild vattle in thefr which wete dangerous.

Near eadt enf of Ruas track

the guy who ran the Tiniroto pub and chiller was a cunning publican - we would leave Gisborne friday night and hunt Te Urewera Nat Park behind Papuni station up the Ruakituri and then sell at Tiniroto on way home sunday - he would pay half cheque and half cash - of course one had to stay for a beer - by about 9 oclock cash was gone - he would offer to cash the cheque and supply a bed for the night - did not usually have a choice - way to drunk to drive home - did not care great days - back to work monday after driving back early in morning -

Ha ha . Yep; typical. I tgink I got Hautapu wrong, may be hangaroa, was ba k of waipa station.
Me and Ron Twyman shot a lot of goats ba k of his dads station just shy of ruakituri bush. We used pack horses to get them down to homestead and Rons dad would truck them down to wairoa to sell. About 50 each weekend. All was fine until one monday Ron gets a ring in napier woolstore from his daf. Theyre not buying now, so Ive dumped them in the bottom paddock. You two young buggerd better come up next weekend and start digging! Blimey, diggin that hole by hand took us all next weekend. Stinkin bloody things. Gave up goat shooting after that episode.

those Matawai bush rats - not the sorts to invite home to mum for a beer - mate rang the boys are down the Masonic - now the Masonic had been Gisbornes flashiest pub - long closed but then was beautiful carpets wood paneling really nice - went in and in the back bar were the Matawai meat hunters and trappers - the carpet had so much beer spilled onto it one squelched walking up to the bar - one of them was taking a leak into the ash tray at foot of bar - they had had a feed of raw paua on one of the tables and the shells and guts were still on it with paua juice running down onto the floor - Jim was in fine shape roaring out " give me a fight ya weatbix bastards"- two security came in and he put his arms around them and said now ya not going to kick us out of our pub are ya - then had a scrap with Daktari knocking over tables - yes don't take that lot home ( Daktari was sadly drowned in the Motu on a raft pig hunting trip ) top helicopter shooter

Originally Posted by Woody

Ha ha . Yep; typical. I tgink I got Hautapu wrong, may be hangaroa, was ba k of waipa station.
Me and Ron Twyman shot a lot of goats ba k of his dads station just shy of ruakituri bush. We used pack horses to get them down to homestead and Rons dad would truck them down to wairoa to sell. About 50 each weekend. All was fine until one monday Ron gets a ring in napier woolstore from his daf. Theyre not buying now, so Ive dumped them in the bottom paddock. You two young buggerd better come up next weekend and start digging! Blimey, diggin that hole by hand took us all next weekend. Stinkin bloody things. Gave up goat shooting after that episode.

Yes would be Waimaha station thats where the Hangaroa comes out of Te Urewera a lot of early native logging went on in the big basin in the Hangaroa that was NZFS land

Wild buggers. I wrnt in that pub once only in around 1967. It was rough. There was a hooker stripped naked standing on one of the tables pissed to the gills touting for business ! Tokoroa Timberlands was interesting at times. A neighbour of mine who I hunted with occIsionally eventually got banned for repeatedly riding his horse into the bar
When I got married I had to promise to stay away from pubs and fights. I obeyed and still married to my girl after 55 years , so far.