Thread: Learning to Hunt, the Hard Way.

Stuck at home sick for a few days I thought I'd finish off this autobiographical story. It's not in the style of what I normally read on here so welcome the feedback. I hope its serves as some small inspiration to anyone who is going through a similar learning process.

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Learning to Hunt, the Hard Way.

My father isn’t a hunter, my mother isn’t, none of my family are. My grandfather used to hunt small game in a post-WWII England, where meat was scarce and as a veterinary university student, he was allowed to shoot rabbits on the training farm. He fondly recalls how sometimes he would ‘miss’ and shoot a few ducks when eating rabbits started wearing thin.

What my family did instil in me though, is a love of the outdoors and nature. My childhood is filled with memories of days spent camping and working in orchards and vegetable gardens.

Alongside that love for the natural world, I was fortunate enough to be half decent with a rifle in the Army and joined the Army Shooting Team, through that I engrained the principles of marksmanship. Granted, competition shooting is not the same as the hunter’s environment, but the principles hold true.

Through all those years in the outdoors and military I wanted to be a hunter. To pursue, find, kill and harvest big game. Problem was: I didn’t know a damn thing about hunting. Over the next few years, I non-commitally went on day hunts and even the odd overnight hike with a rifle but I never did any better than spooking a deer or find sign that “must be only five minutes old.” I gradually accepted the fact that I was just another Aucklander with a rifle licence who was better off focusing on Snapper and Kahawai. It wasn’t until I went through three lockdowns in Auckland, during the first of which my son was born that I realised the big smoke was no longer good for my family and that I wanted to move somewhere where mountains grew tall, rivers flowed clear, and people were kinder to each other. The search commenced, and almost a year later I moved the family to Otautahi.

When people asked us why we moved I would jokingly say something like “I wanted to be a hunter, and if I don’t shoot a deer within two years we’re packing up and going back.” While we laughed a part of me knew there was some truth in that joke. We often joke about what we don’t want to admit to openly. I still wanted to identify as a hunter. I still wanted to face the challenge which I didn’t fully understand, tackle it, and emerge victorious. Somehow more of a successful person, in life, or maybe as a man.

I have learnt through experience that nothing good comes quickly, and that you don’t become competent at anything without hard work. So, I applied that same approach to finding and killing that first deer I’d staked our move to Otautahi on.
Over my first nine months in Otautahi I borrowed or bought the gear I needed to hunt. I spent hours gathering tips and idea’s, watching YouTube videos, whilst building an admiration for those hunters who were filming videos of herds of deer, selecting only the best to take. I called DOC stations, I joined the NZDA, I talked to experienced people I knew. I spent 17 days on six hunts.

Through it all, I silently lamented not having that family member who could mentor me. I grew frustrated at the lack of information out of DOC and the NZDA, I realised that the people I knew had their own hunting groups and adventures planned. I spooked multiple deer, I missed deer, I lazily slept in, I succumbed to the cold and retreated before the golden hour to my tent. As time ticked on, and my hours away from home added up my confidence faltered. Yes, I knew nothing comes easy that’s worth getting. Yes, I knew that I should chalk it all up the experience. But I was embarrassed, here I was spending days away from family, crawling over hills, missing opportunities and I felt the brand of failure burning deeper. But I kept trying. I was in too deep to quit, I needed to achieve my goal.

After nine months of trying, trying hard, I shot my first deer. A young fellow spiker in Mackenzie country.

Two years after starting that journey I’m now even more aware of how little I know about big game hunting. I can consistently find deer, kill them, and harvest them. I could claim to be a hunter, but now I think hunting is so much about the getting the animal. I think it might be more about the mindset. A critically thinking, focused, determined, and patient mindset. To me that is what hunting has become.

I crave the next opportunity to push up a ridgeline, gaining altitude while anticipating the ‘perfect’ basin I’ll be able to see from my planned glassing spot. I get restless waiting for the next chance to test my physical strength and my mental fortitude.
More importantly, I need those days where I’m able to focus my world on a single goal. To make every decision with a single objective in mind. To forget about a world full of distractions. To adopt the mindset of a hunter. I learn more about myself in those days hunting than I do in months in the office, and I learn things that everyday life can’t teach me. I learn the lesson’s whether I pull the trigger on an animal or not.

Now, at the end of a long road, and the start of another; I am glad I learnt to hunt the hard way.

Nice one mate, thanks for the read. I too did it the hard way, no family members or mates were hunters, no youtube then either! Not at all jealous of the guys that tip them over on the first trip, ride your own ride.

Cool. That second to last paragraph sums it up well for what it means for me too.
It took me a long time to shoot my first deer too. Mainly because I didn't have a clue how to process it.
The early days were a lot of fun for me. I got myself in plenty of sticky situations on the hill and to be fair the odd one crops up these days too.
I have hunted mainly by myself and still enjoy it to this day.
Enjoy the journey!

Good read. Had access to small game most of my life but big game I've had to figure out a bit for myself. Keep at it.

Am constantly surprised though at people who I thought were 'hunters', to me, making pretty basic mistakes pertaining to cover and concealment....

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Interesting read. My own story isn't too different. Living in Northland doesn't help my hunting. That said, I'm pretty happy when I have a successful goat hunt. We all know that bowling over a load of goats on open farmland isn't difficult, but stalking up close in dense bush and gnarly terrain has it's own challenges.

Something needs to be said about access to private land. If you have it, hunting is a lot easier. Comparing yourself, learning the hard way on public land to guys on YouTube who have access is comparing oranges and apples. Anyone who successfully stalks dear in the bush on a regular basis has my respect, especially outside of the roar.

Good on you for getting there. Animal numbers are great today in most regions which helps. The guys who had it hard started in the mid 70's thru to early 90's when animal numbers were in decline due to the recovery industry.

Yeah me too, gave up two job offers in Auckland and moved to Christchurch in late 2019, even one job promised me a rent free small unit to live. But these three years really cut me off, have to start it all over again, begin with gain my strength back since I do `t think now I can carry that backpack and rifle with 40 rounds and hike all day as I used to do.
Do know about you but for me hunting means three things. One: I can legally own a firearm. Two: the lifestyle, the way I choose to live, enjoy the outdoor, learning the history and technique with one piece of equipment in my hands that the best human technologies can achieve. Three: meats, even I am not a big eater but I enjoy those wild catch very much. Hopefully after I gain my strength back, I can join you someday. Good luck mate!

Mate, I relate a lot to your story. Always been an outdoors person but nobody in my immediate family is a hunter. My first deer was also a Fallow spiker in Mackenzie. Thank you for sharing

Similar to me too, had help with my fist deer with a forum member a year ago. Plenty of trips since but no2 still eludes me for now.

I need to ask a stupid question, where the hell is otautahi? I spend a fair bit of time hunting the McKenzie but nowhere have I run into a otautahi.

Originally Posted by SmokeyJason

I need to ask a stupid question, where the hell is otautahi? I spend a fair bit of time hunting the McKenzie but nowhere have I run into a otautahi.

Google is your friend

Otautahi / Christchurch.
The same background started hunting 1980s, 3 years in forestry cental north island, only ever saw 12 or so deer, always on the move, spooked. Concentrated on bunnies and later goats Taranaki. Back to Auckland gave shooting away took up boating/ fishing. Have ended up in Otautahi & so back into shooting, mostly at the range, love reloading. No contacts, age & heath now in the way of doing the hard yards, just have to pay for private land hunting, only take 1 meat animal a year, tons for 2 people. Next I'll become vegan & take up knitting.

Makes me realise how privileged I was growing up. My son now 10, has shot plenty of deer, tahr and a couple of chamois.

I was always envious of families that could fly fish and catch groper. Took your path on the fishing, think it was 3 years and hundreds of hours trying to fly fish before I was shown and caught my first one, what a buzz.

Great read, thanks

Did you not do think about doing the NZDA HUNTs course? - CHCH has a good programme.
it may help to embed technical skills now that you have developed the mindset.

Strikes a chord @Average-Lad. Thanks for telling your story. I srrived in NZ as a 9 year old. None of my family were fisherman or hunters. I seriously didn't know Jack but started wandering the Ureweras in the mid 70's anyway. In the early 80's circumstances led to a friendship with a very capable guy. He's a current forum member, somewhat older and grizzlier than me. Just through watching and listening I learnt volumes. Very fortunate. As for fishing, that was my brother in law in the early 90's. There's some good buggers out there!