Thread: The yearly summer family trip

Every year my wife and I take our little girl into the bush. As we started doing it young it's always a chopper trip and mostly Kaimanawas.
Last year she got to experience Mangamingi and Otupua, the second being a roar trip. As we'd left my wife had booked North Arm for January, somewhere I hadn't been in nearly 30 yrs.

This year we had near perfect weather.

First morning saw my 7yr old and I watching an excellent stag munching away near the airstrip. My daughter getting extremely excited and imploring me to shoot it.
I, however, have rules at this time of the year.

No stag of any quality someone would appreciate during the roar. No cycling hinds(this is always tricky). Either way, I never have a problem finding animals so I just trust that the right option will arise. Having said that I ended up with velvety last year that I'd prefer to have left. Anyway, we left this phenom in the hope that hell be at either of my kaimanawa roar spots this year and searched further abroad finding a hind. I let my girl plan the stalk and it took us to a position on the terrace above her.

By the time we got there she'd lay down and we found she had a fawn with her. This allowed for a lovely time watching them do there thing. Then time to find something better so I used it as an opportunity to teach Q(my daughter) about hand movement.
I'm constantly telling her the hand movement and face exposure are you worst enemy. I got her to spoon them. Then once the pinned us, to wave her hands.
https://youtu.be/gtItUa9ngm0?si=ufwzqDqz5HRTWNoR
The next few days we're spent in paradise.
Climbed to the tops. Hunted to flats in the mornings seeing quite a few deer(though not as many as I'd have expected).
Shot a barren hind from a group of 2xhind and 2x yrling.
Later in week during a stroll down the airstrip I told the grlirls I'd just pop into the bush and train the dog. As we were not far from the hut I did not expect to see any deer but would use it to extend the muts skills. We'd just got through the scrub belt and he's going nuts, nose to ground. I'm busily grumbling at hi "cut it out" etc when I look to my right and a hind is standing about 5m away. She spooks and settles to squeal from the scrub belt.
Only problem for her is the bush is open and I just know she's going to sneak of up hill. Sure enough after a coupl mins squealing she pops out with her yearling. As I can't cilonfrim her a ls a barren I pop the young in unfortunately clipping a branch and making a but of a mess but killing quickly anyway.
After the shot Q calls out and they trot over to be part of it. I said to Q, this is almost a size you could carry and she says she's up for it. Little bloody legend. I calculated that it was about equal to me carry 45kg so she put a good effort in and chose to go back to the hut through the bush which included to nasty guts to get through.
https://youtube.com/shorts/oDBg2FoEl...MtvH2LTxTL_EQf
https://youtube.com/shorts/JBLl25_lD...N0AWEAgSfTM7NZ
Anyway, as usual it was over all to soon and Budd from HS was landing to take us out. Such a wonderful time to be in the bush. Also nice with fam as usually it's mates and I'm pretty focused on hunting and spend the whole time whispering.





Family tie die day. Was actually really fun thing to do.





Here ya go, sth island fellas. Is this Canada geese?

We don't se that many up here so not sure what their sign looks like.

Awesome!
My daughter loves hunting as well & after heaps of day hunts & over nighters in tents & under flys i took her on her first week long heli trip into Tussock chasing sika, was such a great trip!
Definitely a different dynamic to being with ya mates, but equally enjoyable.

Great stuff. Beautiful place in summer.
Looks like goose shit. They usually let you know if they are around though.

Wow, what a family. Your girl is amazing doing that carry.
Thanks for the story. It's a great read.

Simply the best. So inspiring.

Awesome. Wish I could take photos like those!

So good!

Excellent!

Nice familly out door trip,well done.Good carry for the wee lady.

Originally Posted by mopheadrob

Awesome. Wish I could take photos like those!

Call me cheap but I got better things to spend my money on than top of the line I phones. Instead I buy the 2yr previous top of line Huawei. My mates joke that the Chinese a vetting the pics as I take them and making sure they look good. Lol. 1500new. 380 2 years later.

PLEASE frame a copy of your young lady carrying that deer...that photo is something really special,all too easy to loose it digitally.
awesome writeup.

Wow, kudos to the photographer.
Those are great images.

That wee girl is so lucky to have a childhood like this. She is going to grow up a confident lady and will always cherish these moments. My girl is 19YO now and I missed seeing her grow due to career etc. There is nothing in world better than this for the kids. I hope you keep doing this for a long --long time..

Blessings.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

PLEASE frame a copy of your young lady carrying that deer...that photo is something really special,all too easy to loose it digitally.
awesome writeup.

Absolutely second that idea. That photo needs framing up for sure.

Great trip. Is the dog going good?