Thread: When men were men

My contribution. I reckon Venison Hunters is the best book I’ve read on that era. But…

About 40 years ago I was really lucky to spend a weekend with an ex West Coast culler, Selwyn Bucknell. He is mentioned a bit in Sea of Gold by Lew Sutherland. He also was the subject of a story in the old Outdoor (i think) called Bonanza which essentially was a story about how he poached Lew Sutherland’s block. As a young fella it was a great experience. He reckoned he never hunted the big tally blocks and only averaged about 600-800 a season. Now that’s a lot of deer. He talked about some of his culling mates with great reverence - John Henham, Lew Sutherland, Jock Fisher, Johnny Cummings etc. but when I mentioned Mike Bennett he had absolutely no time for him.

A few years later I was doing possums with an ex meat hunter/ chopper shooter from Fiordland and the Coast and he was of the same opinion about Mike Bennett. Reckoned he was an absolute piece of work and once he got his piper cub license was a poacher of all his “mates” blocks. He was at Mussel Point when Cliff Eggling and Cliff Peart fenced his plane in. Reckoned Cliff Peart was one of the most generous guys he ever met but he was totally exasperated by Boneheads poaching and general attitude. If you read River of Blood and Brian Conroys books there are a couple of veiled and not so veiled references to him.

Anyway thought I’d share this. Just an opinion from a couple of guys that I met that were part of a time we will never see again.