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.

well it seems these fellas are a bit shy....
I will add short tale concerning a member on here....

we were away on hunting trip way down south....
the 3 of us had roared up 1 antlered stag,then spent afternoon looking around before splitting up and heading back to camp...my Swedish mate n I had drop on two big hinds and enjoyed watching them walk...no boyfriend...
anyway we got back to camp and me old mate chipped me for not shooting one for camp meat...need a fawn he says...head down stream he says,go over slip and look across river.....so off I go,mighty .270 in hand...down river,across slip,look across river and BUGGAMESIDEWAYS there is hind and fawn just poking out of bush,200 ish yards away...nah I can do closer than that so put the stalk on,got to within 10 yards of hind as she below bank,she spotted me and scarpered across open ground,fawn followed before I dropped it on run.
EVERY single time Ive hunted with this chap I learn something new...he does things without thinking that I have to ask why...and then penny drops... many years hunting it has become instinct for him..
you young fells listen when an old grey beard speaks....
you know who you are..
thanks mate.

pack n rifle...good keen man.....great NZ hunting stories...memories of NZ derstalking..pretty much anything written by Tony Orman....Rex Forrester...Charlie Janes...Brian Burdon....

I think the best book about the chopper era is Mike Bennett’s “The Venison Hunters” (a widely held opinion to be fair). But another good one that seems to fly under the radar is Dave Ratcliffe’s “An Era Gone”; not as well written as the classics from Holden, Crump, or Banwell etc. but still a great yarn about the meat hunting era, both on foot and then in the machines

Bill Axbey’s “Along The Track” is also a favourite

the chopper boys ...helicopter hunters..both by Rex Forrester .....man they got my blood stirred up as a teenager.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

the chopper boys ...helicopter hunters..both by Rex Forrester .....man they got my blood stirred up as a teenager.

Haven’t read either of those two unfortunately. But I do have “true hunting adventures”, it was ok but not great, hate to say it but I prioritised buying books from other authors after reading that one

I first started hunting pigs with a guy who was 58. I was 17 at the time and he was 58 (my age now!) and he seemed ancient! We'd be up at 3.30am and have a big bacon and egg breaky at his place and then drive for an hour to the property we hunted. Well that old bugger would just go and go and go.... A steady pace that never let up all day. No lunch, no water, and hunting below the ridgetops, sidling the thick heads of gullies all day. We'd usually get to the Landrover at about 4pm.

I was absolutely buggered yet he was able to keep steadily walking. Even if I was totally wrecked I could never ask him for a rest because he was 40-years older than me.... Often by mid morning I was so thirsty I'd be licking the dew off rangiora leaves. No one brought water with them in 1979-ish...

I stopped hunting with him in the end when I discovered he was a poaching old bastard.... When you asked him where we were, because I had no clue, he'd say the neighbouring station.... Even as a 17-year old I hated poachers. He taught me a lot, but couldn't help but poach neighbouring farms....

"Thread: When men were men"/ an interesting title and my initial thought was that it was about Wellington strip joints back in the 1980's.

When men were men........ and half the women were too.

Originally Posted by Kiwi Sapper

"Thread: When men were men"/ an interesting title and my initial thought was that it was about Wellington strip joints back in the 1980's.

When men were men........ and half the women were too.

Ah, the ‘Purple Onion’ back in the 70’s….

Originally Posted by Finnwolf

Ah, the ‘Purple Onion’ back in the 70’s….

And "Carmen's"

Originally Posted by Kiwi Sapper

"Thread: When men were men"/ an interesting title and my initial thought was that it was about Wellington strip joints back in the 1980's.

When men were men........ and half the women were too.

Thought we were in for a recital of "Eskimo Nel" When men were men and spunk was spunk.

Back in the days "When men were men and wimmen were wimmen and thank god for that"

People used to say about the little remote village I come from "where men are men and women are wanted".

Originally Posted by Tahr

People used to say about the little remote village I come from "where men are men and women are wanted".

First, I stress that I AM NOT suggesting anything. BUT your "little remote village" reminded me of a T shirt I saw back in Jaffasville some years ago, emblazoned .

"Your Village called. They want their Idiot back"

Recently read 'I did it my way' by Bill Black who passed away in July last year. Tells many stories of his young meat hunting days, learning to fly, dodgy shit, scary shit and the many SAR operations he was involved with which is tallied at over 500. A good read.