Thread: Venison meat hunting in NZ in the past

That experience was over 60 years ago now.

A qn for the mods.Is it possible to 'like' a post more than just the once?Ive reread Barry's post more than 1/2 dozen times and just completely loose it every time.Laughing til it hurts.John Tahuri RIP.

The open tussock land of Waiouru got an absolute pasting from soldiers that could make more from selling a couple of deer shot during the weekend, than they were making from their salary as a Corporal instructor. Back then most all of the training schools for Army trades resided in Waiouru, hence the large number of junior NCO's posted to Waiouru. Alan Jones, the game buyer running the Waiouru chiller was just one of them. EME from memory. The guys I started hunting with had been shooting Waiouru lands for a decade and had numerous stories of daring do. One guy, Red Susmilch (RIP) was an absolute machine with a deer on his back. He would merrily poach the land to the immediate south of Waiouru in the early morning, when weather conditions would cloak it in fog. The area was often used for winter grazing by Maunganui station, and had a winter crop on it. He could outrun an an angry farmer with a deer on his back, throwing taunts back at them as he ran

It was well known by Army hunters that any fire started in the tussock would become a deer magnet in a year or two post the fire. There were more than the odd incident of paraflares being fired off at less than the recommended angle by soldier hunters during army exercises to 'improve' the hunting opportunities in their favourite zone.

Two years after such an 'accident' three of my mates were out in the northern zones for an early Saturday morning hunt hunting their favorite valley. One murmured from behind his binos "I've spotted three donks". Next mate said "no, there's four there". Last mate said from behind his binos "you guys are blind, there's five in that mob". They put their binos down and looked at each other. Each was looking in a different direction!

They made a really neat series of super 8 films on how to go hunting: One was how to drive and winch your hopelessly underpowered Series 1 long wheelbase Landy in and out of some horrendous terrain. Another was how to fetch the deer from the more difficult areas by Suzuki mudbug and bring back to the Landy. In one area it was always a tossup if it was more efficient to negotiate a 100m long steep descent with the landy and have to spend ages winching back up it with half a dozen deer on board, or leave the Landy at the top and do several trips with the mudbugs to go pick them up. The video of the underpowered mudbugs attempting the hill climb always made for entertaining watching. The film narrator, based at the bottom of the hill, talked the viewers through how the rider had stropped the deer onboard the mudbug and was now going to ascend the hill. Mudbug loaded to the gunnels screams in second gear towards the face, gets one third of the way up, wheel stands and loops out, rider with 60 kg deer and now upside down mudbug yells at mates to help him out from under the bug, as all the petrol from the carb overflow is now dribbling down all over his deer and onto his face. Mates are rolling around pissing themselves before going to lend a hand.

In its time the mudbug ruled the roost. In later decades the XR's were seen as superior, but the low slung nature of the mudbug permitted a lot more stable platform for hauling out deer in one piece for sale. It just lacked horsepower so was geared right down accordingly.

When it all became too difficult to sell deer by the average soldier hunter, more powerful, comfortable capable bikes brought the venison out broken down in the pack.

By the late 1980's deer had become relatively scarce there and 'hot spots' were coveted, and only close mates were invited along, so as not to empty the venison larder too rapidly. It really only picked up in the mid 00's and has got progressively better, depending on your wild animal stance.

Originally Posted by XR500

The open tussock land of Waiouru got an absolute pasting from soldiers that could make more from selling a couple of deer shot during the weekend, than they were making from their salary as a Corporal instructor. Back then most all of the training schools for Army trades resided in Waiouru, hence the large number of junior NCO's posted to Waiouru. Alan Jones, the game buyer running the Waiouru chiller was just one of them. EME from memory. The guys I started hunting with had been shooting Waiouru lands for a decade and had numerous stories of daring do. One guy, Red Susmilch (RIP) was an absolute machine with a deer on his back. He would merrily poach the land to the immediate south of Waiouru in the early morning, when weather conditions would cloak it in fog. The area was often used for winter grazing by Maunganui station, and had a winter crop on it. He could outrun an an angry farmer with a deer on his back, throwing taunts back at them as he ran

It was well known by Army hunters that any fire started in the tussock would become a deer magnet in a year or two post the fire. There were more than the odd incident of paraflares being fired off at less than the recommended angle by soldier hunters during army exercises to 'improve' the hunting opportunities in their favourite zone.

Two years after such an 'accident' three of my mates were out in the northern zones for an early Saturday morning hunt hunting their favorite valley. One murmured from behind his binos "I've spotted three donks". Next mate said "no, there's four there". Last mate said from behind his binos "you guys are blind, there's five in that mob". They put their binos down and looked at each other. Each was looking in a different direction!

They made a really neat series of super 8 films on how to go hunting: One was how to drive and winch your hopelessly underpowered Series 1 long wheelbase Landy in and out of some horrendous terrain. Another was how to fetch the deer from the more difficult areas by Suzuki mudbug and bring back to the Landy. In one area it was always a tossup if it was more efficient to negotiate a 100m long steep descent with the landy and have to spend ages winching back up it with half a dozen deer on board, or leave the Landy at the top and do several trips with the mudbugs to go pick them up. The video of the underpowered mudbugs attempting the hill climb always made for entertaining watching. The film narrator, based at the bottom of the hill, talked the viewers through how the rider had stropped the deer onboard the mudbug and was now going to ascend the hill. Mudbug loaded to the gunnels screams in second gear towards the face, gets one third of the way up, wheel stands and loops out, rider with 60 kg deer and now upside down mudbug yells at mates to help him out from under the bug, as all the petrol from the carb overflow is now dribbling down all over his deer and onto his face. Mates are rolling around pissing themselves before going to lend a hand.

In its time the mudbug ruled the roost. In later decades the XR's were seen as superior, but the low slung nature of the mudbug permitted a lot more stable platform for hauling out deer in one piece for sale. It just lacked horsepower so was geared right down accordingly.

When it all became too difficult to sell deer by the average soldier hunter, more powerful, comfortable capable bikes brought the venison out broken down in the pack.

By the late 1980's deer had become relatively scarce there and 'hot spots' were coveted, and only close mates were invited along, so as not to empty the venison larder too rapidly. It really only picked up in the mid 00's and has got progressively better, depending on your wild animal stance.

That's a great post mate, i know that area well to the immediate south of Waiouru and yeah the manager on Maunganui station was always chasing poachers around, don't think he ever had much luck catching them LOL ahh the good ole days. I had one of those suzuki mudbugs too, the were certainly good for carrying a deer out.
Cheers

Taking a quick break on the main drag in Te Anau after a sneaky all nighter up the Mavora area.
Both these ol buddies would be laughing their heads off if they thought that one day in the future all would be revealed lol..

Something tells me I've put this ol pic up before eh..never mind there's plenty more.

Nothin like tidays tussock hoppers that's a fact. We did however own early Landies later on along with different types of
motor bikes..the buggy was made from an ol Austin,seen here near the Mossburn area...another sneaky trip I believe.

Hey @doinit appreciate the happy snap of the home built buggy for packing out carcasses.My post 150/152 re dogging deer on the Orongarongas with good results.We were only copying what the previous generation had worked out that regularly worked in the valley.They knew all the bolt holes,ambush spots and had it down to a fine art.Even had an elevated 2 star hut built with viewing platform to spot the blood hound gang hauling animals down the valley.They were getting them out with a fleet of 3 Chevy Puddle Jumpers and a 2WD scratch built river buggy powered by a 2 cyl Bradford donk.Gutless but light as hell so could fly up the rough river bed with its tandems on the rear.These were all kept at the Orongaronga Stn during the week ready fuelled up for their weekend mishes.I' ll try to dig up some of the black n white photos of the fleet including the buggy

as an episode of "hunting with Tui" showed a year or so back..the dogging deer down onto river flat to be shot by waiting hunters is still going on in places....the GPS tracking gear definately a game changer for dog use.

yes still goes on lower Whakatane river its the common method - lower end of the Waioeka - the Motu - Horomanga - Whakatane they local Taneatua hunters would come up on horseback with up to 10 dogs strung out behind them - we were always coming across lost dogs when we did our hut trips on horse down there - there was an old chap lived in the Waikare so we would drop them of there on our way around to Takarua ? hut

A couple of pics skin hunting pre-dating my meat hunting. With the old 303's. I was just a kid (pic not of me). Mate Bill's foresight was a lump of filed to shape solder. In the Puketios. You can see the skins in the sack packs.





Later, us using horses meat hunting.



This was hard case. A mate (same person as in the skin hunting pics) and I went to check a deer trap of mine. As we looked across to it we could see a stag on the outside of the fence and the trip wire gate was open. He was a big stag and would end up in the chiller if we caught him so I gave my mate my .223 to sneak down and head shoot it. Well as he got close the stag spotted him and bolted along the fence. As it came up to the gate old mate had a head shot at him on the run and missed, and at the shot the stag turned sharply and dived through the gate into the pen. We sprinted along behind him and slammed the gate shot (he didn't trip the gate wire). Mate then shot him in the pen.
Here he is:

Originally Posted by Tahr

A couple of pics skin hunting pre-dating my meat hunting. With the old 303's. I was just a kid (pic not of me). Mate Bill's foresight was a lump of filed to shape solder. In the Puketios. You can see the skins in the sack packs.

Attachment 250902

Attachment 250903

Later, us using horses meat hunting.

Attachment 250904

This was hard case. A mate (same person as in the skin hunting pics) and I went to check a deer trap of mine. As we looked across to it we could see a stag on the outside of the fence and the trip wire gate was open. He was a big stag and would end up in the chiller if we caught him so I gave my mate my .223 to sneak down and head shoot it. Well as he got close the stag spotted him and bolted along the fence. As it came up to the gate old mate had a head shot at him on the run and missed, and at the shot the stag turned sharply and dived through the gate into the pen. We sprinted along behind him and slammed the gate shot (he didn't trip the gate wire). Mate then shot him in the pen.
Here he is:

Attachment 250905

To put some age perspective on the skin hunting pics, mate is 81 and Im 75. He was about 20 and I was about 15. So it was around about 1963. Used to sell skins to a place in Rangatikei street in Palmy. Cant think of their name. Had a Tui on the building.

Originally Posted by Tahr

To put some age perspective on the skin hunting pics, mate is 81 and Im 75. He was about 20 and I was about 15. So it was around about 1963. Used to sell skins to a place in Rangatikei street in Palmy. Cant think of their name. Had a Tui on the building.

Hodder & Tolley , Keep them coming Lads , brings back fond memories of a past life

Originally Posted by Murray N

Hodder & Tolley , Keep them coming Lads , brings back fond memories of a past life

Hard and Tight, my new wife worked there in 1973, I worked as a draughtsman for Eclipse Wire Products in Grey Street, we lived in a flat in Roy Street

Just like your Austin buggy getting A-Framed behind the red (Valiant station wagon??), the Braddy was occasionally A-Framed back up to Wainui to get battle damage repaired.The Black n White Traffic Cops would turn a blind eye back then but Costers Cavalry would have a different view now