When Dean aka @Mohawk660 posted a thread about this trip last year I jumped at the offer, 5 days on a fishing'n'hunting charter sounded like a great way to "pop my Fiordland cheery".
Dean put in the hard work of organising & trying to keep 9 other fulla's happy plus booking transport from the airport, accommodation in Te Anau & chopper flights into Dusky sound to meet the boat. The result was a great few days with a good group of guys, Cheers Dean'o :thumbsup:
I arrived in Queenstown a couple of days early & had a look around, the weather was so nice I ended up going for a Paraglide
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So Friday comes & I head to meet all the Jaffa's at the airport, including Dean & @Barefoot ( the only other forum members on the trip ) we chuck all our gear in the trailer jump in the mini bus - Te Anua here we come, was a mint day for a walk by the lake
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We fly in Saturday morning, Beautiful weather & what an awesome place.
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Once every ones aboard the "Cindy Hardy" we sort our rooms on the boat ( twin share with our own ensuite ) and off we go.
Sailing around, pulling up cray pots, sight seeing, glassing slips from the boat & a bit of land based hunting.
On the second afternoon while standing on the deck having a beer, Capt Nigel spots a Hind on a slip at about 130-150y swings the boat round, the biggest loudest fulla in the group steps up ( Andrew - he was a real good bugger ) a missed rushed shot & even the Capt having a crack with his old 270, off she toddles.
Bummer, Andrew gets given shit for the rest of the trip hahahaha
Some random Pics
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Some of the boys do a couple of dives with good results but with no luck with the land based hunting & only seeing animals at enormous distances, we're still waiting to get some veni on the deck, but our luck was soon to change.
After spending the night at the end of Vancouver Arm in the Breaksea Sound, we wake early to low cloud'n'drizzle & start heading out, glassing slips as we go from the top deck next to the wheel house.
Well fuk me, theres one. I tap on the window & skip slows & turns the boat back, We spot it again standing on a slip just above a rocky bluff, grab my rifle - range 200yards I'm just loading Kimber bush stumpy when "BOOMFA" skip decides to take a shot WTF ! He misses and luckily she only moves up the slip a few paces, she's small looking at 4power line up high on the shoulder pull the trigger & down she goes.
Braydon ( the young fulla of the trip ) joins me & we go ashore to find it, we climb & search but can't find it below the bluff. I search trying to find away up but with no luck, so back to the boat to reevaluate our plan. Capt Nigel grabs some rope & comes with us and he managers to climb up & there she is, another few feet & she would of landed at the bottom, kicks her off & soon we have ha on the boat.
A nice Yearling Hind, On the Hiab & Barefoot did a great job of the gutting / skinning. I shot her straight trough the heart - chur chur
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Knocking of a bottle of Scotch on the last night
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What a great week, only really had to wear my raincoat for one afternoon, a magic place with a good bunch a fulla's, Chur
