Thread: Tararua Hunting

Dave decided to join me on a hunt to a spot I have been going too for 25 odd years , It was my main stomping ground when I started hunting and we could be found camped in our bivi most fine weekends , but as my grounds have spread these days from the top of the Kaimanawas to the bottom of Fiordland I hadn't been back 'home' for a couple of years.
After leaving the ute its straight into the river for what was going to be a slippery walk up stream for the night , due to more hunting pressure these days the plan was to pass by the clearings and head for the head waters . The river itself wasn't too bad only slightly high due to the light rain that had been and still was falling , rocks were slippery due to the slimey coating and the pace was slower than normal as we had spots where we were clinging to the banks trying to keep the dangley parts dry , it was not far up river that while climbing around one of these rocks that as I stepped over and put my foot down on the other side of a log I heard and felt a tearing in my calf muscle , the pain was wicked and looked like the hunt had stopped before it had begun . After a few minutes assessing the leg I found I could still hobble with the aid od a good stick and we decided to take it easy and see how far we got.

Halfway up to the flats we came across a billy feeding on the side of the river and some time was spent talking photos before we carried on leaving him to his lunch. We reached the flats and decided that the leg was ding ok we would carry on , Because we were carrying days packs with some overnight gear we we prepared to just camp where we stopped for the night so had no pressure to reach any particlular spot .

The sign up the flats was lite for this time of year , the grass was well underway with spring growth but as suspected the extra hunting pressure was keeping the animals off the main flats . As usual with this area it didn't take long for the bleeding Paradise Ducks sitting up in the high Rimu's to spot us and soon we were been circled by the squarking buggers alerting everything within miles, we came across at least 6 pair on the run up the flats and what I would have done for a shotgun right then. It was as we were sneaking through some Toi Toi that a head pops up not 3m away as a hind that had been bedded down enjoying the little sun was disturbed and she bolts to a patch of scrub 25m away , Dave takes a quick shot at her neck just visable and she trots off , not looking like she was hit we followed anyway looking for signs of blood , only finding a trail camera up on the bank belonging to a local but no deer or blood , it was a miss.

Before we leave the flats we come across a Nanny and 2 kids out on the flats letting them go we start the remainder of our journey up through the next section of gorge . As we came around one of the many banks I spot a yearling standing out in the drizzle up stream , Gun up and looking down the scope I could see it was a young animal , I wait a bit hoping mum might be around but she doesn't show and I lower the rifle to the ground and pull out the camera , as I'm clicking away I tell Dave he can have the shot but he too feels she was too young and we let her go after a sneak a bit closer for some more photos, It was not long after that we were discussing the stupidity of our decision , we were 5 hours up river and the young animal would have been an easy carry out we didn't want no big stinking stag to lug out , no worries the sign was better and we carry on .

As we start getting closer to the head waters the river sides open up and as I round the corner onto a straight section I stop and am watching a brown object upriver looking like an animal drinking , Dave come up behind me and immediately calls deer , steeping to my left I see the hind standing there watching us , Again I'm taking photos telling Dave to have the shot but he calls that she looks fat , pregnant and heavy so we wait as I continue to click away , a few minutes later a yearling steps into sight and Dave reckons she's the right size o carry home and he drops her on the spot .


It was a quick gut job in the drizzle and wasn't too far up to our old camp so we leave her propped open to cool on the bank and head up stream to set up camp over 7 hours after we left the ute , We had just enough time to wonder upstream and check out some slips but no animals were seen , back to camp , dinner and bed.

The morning dawned fine and clear as we started back down stream , picking up the deer on the way but the drizzle was soon back , the trip down was slow due to the leg and uneventful other than the odd deep swim in the gorge and no animals other than the Paradise Ducks seen and two buggered hunters are thankful to reach the ute after 6 1/2hours with sore shoulders .

Good stuff.

I was up there (south) last week. Water was just hips deep so has risen a tad since then.

Nice way to wash your rifle... Sounds like a neat trip.

What a great write up, fantastic photos as well, looks like you had a great time.

Great story and nice pic's as well.

Good as, similar thing happened to me in the tararuas regarding the goats in the riverbed a few weeks back, had to throw a rock to get their attention