Thread: Venison meat hunting in NZ in the past

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:

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

For the younger forum members who mite be bored - just scroll on by.The generation before me who we learn the sport off and who we looked up to as wee tackers.meat hunting Orongarongas 60's - mid 70's.Apparently they used to drop to a chiller in Whitemans valley.dont ever remember that.

The Quad fleet,Orongas in a banker,river buggies etc etc.If U can't squeeze anymore in the back of the '64 Vanguard station wagon,chuck em up on the homebuilt roof rack the

No dropping to the chiller that weeked.All kills in Davy Jones locker.Oronga running high.No snorkels back then

Wandering off topic ,so will wrap it up here. river buggy shots up the Orongas.The well known split Totara Baines hut mid- upper valley mid 70's.Doc would go butchers hook if they saw U up there now with a buggy.History.

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.

well I learn something new everyday..the skin trade went much longer than I previously believed...I know the skins were used to line aircraft fuel tanks of combat aircraft in hope they would help to plug up bullet/shrapnel holes but thought the trade was over long before the 60s...I heard of a farrier who thought instead of cow leather apron he would make one from deer leather...BAD MOVE... it wont rip the same and big draft horse put foot down half way through shoeing,nail caught in apron and farrier ended up on deck.

Originally Posted by bluebaiter222

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

Gidday again bluebaiter222...the ol Austin was A framed on the longer trips to various areas. We did however hit the tarseal and gravel back roads a lot in the buggy itself, it really sucked the gas though so we always had a coupla big containers on board.
I knew one crew who kept using av gas mixed but that did eventually f*** their buggies lol.
It's funny yi mentioned the Black n Whites ...the one stationed at Hasst at the time did very well thank yi very much in his buggy along with his cook while he rode shotgun lol. Blind eye fi sure. The river flats all over the show were lit up pluss the road sides.

A bit of history. 2 neck shot for the chiller with what was one of the first 7-08's in the country.
Steve Blenkarne imported a reamer and this was one of the first turned out. I put it on a Tikka M55. In the Waewaepa.
I carried them whole over 2 trips. About 1.75 hrs there and back for each one.



This is a mate and I with the old trapper nelson packs and a slasher on board. We were forever clearing tracks and making new access. In the Pari (Ruahines).



Me as a lad in the Kaimanawas on Middle Range. We carried HQ's from out of there. Eventually they stopped that and you could only trade whole carcasses.

This ol pic was an old English job..could get three ti four wee Fallow tied on with a push lol.
The second pic is a tad later on but on this particular trip over several days I managed quite a few Fallow and more than paid fi the bike..I was wrapped and collected good $'s. Blue Mts area Otago.

Pigs were rather awkward on this wee outing so could really only get two up on board owing to rather steep country.
A slightly more grunty bike here on a Chamois Skin pluss headskins trip..