Thread: We still hunting the Uruweras ?

i have mates that live up the end of ruatoki valley and allways asking me to come up for a hunt,have been up there a few times and wont stop going,never had any damage to vehicles or any other trouble?

Originally Posted by rookiesniper

i have mates that live up the end of ruatoki valley and allways asking me to come up for a hunt,have been up there a few times and wont stop going,never had any damage to vehicles or any other trouble?

Be their guest then. I wont try to talk you out of it. I have owned property near these Northern axis points since 89 90 and have lived there for much of that time. You could call me a local.

Quote " have heard loads of stories of people's catch, rifles and vehicles being taken off them by the locals. "

i've also heard tons of stories like that. Mostly from people who also talk about the 18 pointer they once shot through the earhole in a blizzard at 600 yards with a 22 rimfire pistol whilst it was running through thick bush at night.

Does not sound like places you could hunt with out being worried about vehicle saftey. And maybe even personal as well,that doesn't sound like the makings of a fun hunt to me . I would go somewhere else

I remember an incident that happened when I was a Urewera local around about 92 the details are a little hazy but here goes.

Two very young men from Auckland got interested in hunting deer and so pointed their nose at the biggest patch of deer inhabited forest in the North Island. They found their way through the little village of Waimana and followed the road up to the forest proper and parked at a suitable clearing and set off upstream like a couple of little Hiawatha's sneaking around every corner of the river expecting to see a deer at every turn.

They eventually stumbled on the local possum trappers camp that was occupied at that time. They made themselves known to the trapper who was not exactly overjoyed at the sight of them especially as they were being followed by a mangy, hollow gutted, brindle dog of doubtful parentage that they had met in the river and it had begun to follow them. "Can we leave this lost dog with you" they asked the trapper.

The Trapper never spoke, he got to his feet picked up a handful of fat from the skins he was scrapping and making cajoling noises to the dog he held out his offering. When the dog was close enough he grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and dragged it to his tent and with his free hand he grabbed the rifle and put a bullet through its head. He really had the Auckland boys attention at this stage as he dragged the dog by its tail down to the river and kicked it contemptuously into the current.

"Its a wild dog and they steal possums from my traps" he muttered as he went back to defatting his skins. He quickly got rid of the boys as he didn't want them on his block. A couple of three hours later without seeing a deer the two intrepid hunters interest in deer hunting was starting to wane when a solitary dog came trotting around the river bend up ahead. "Its another wild dog' one said to the other as it got closer. So they lay down and when it got close enough they both fired at it and killed it.

As they both stood and admired their very first kill around the corner came a rider on a piebald jug-headed nag, with a face that looked like it had been an early tattooing experiment at Mount Eden Prison. Following him were seven other riders all carrying a few patches of ink as well, except the very youngest. With their coloured horses, swannees ponchos and hats from Somberos through the range of wide awakes to plain hoodies they looked more like a bunch of Mexican desperados than anything the boys had seen before and it fair took their breath away. Already the two intrepid hunters were starting to regret their hasty decision to shoot the dog.

As the two stood gazing at the force that now encircled them they noted that all carried a firearm of one type or another across the front of their saddles. As they stood looking at each other and the dead dog at their feet a dozen dogs began to trickle in from all points of the compass where they had been looking for and dogging deer. The dogs seemed to sense the excitement in the air and wanted to be there for the kill.

"What are you ball-heads doing in our river" the first horse man grunted.
"We just shot a wild dog" the first Aucklander replied. Already he had the feeling that it wasn't the brightest statement he had ever made, but it had just sort of slipped out.
"We gonna give you wild dog" the horseman said as they all slipped out of their saddle and started punching the two young men, finishing them off with a couple of good blows over the head with their own rifles.

A few hours later the battered young men turned up at the Taneatua Police station with their sorry tale. The patient Cop listened and then explained there was the law and there Urewera Style Justice.

You have shot, no doubt about it, the best, most expensive hunting dog that had ever hunted the Urewera's.
In return you rifles had been taken from you and to be honest there is no hope of us ever finding them again.
You have been assaulted but it is only your word against theirs how this came about. Remembering you have admitted to firing your rifles in their direction killing a dog.
Your description of your attackers and their horses could describe a hundred groups hunting the Urewera's at any day of the week.
I suggest you return to Auckland and forget the whole thing ever happened, and a word of warning, don't come this way again if you know what is good for you.