A Roar hunt in the Ruahines (New Zealand)

[cleaky]

So there we (being me, greendog, savage and jackson the labrador) were, at Bernie's hangar, trying to sort a horredously large pile of gear into some semblance of order for the much anticipated kitchen whisk flight into the Ruahines for 7 days of adventure and fun ...

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3080081.jpg

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3080084.jpg

Into the whirly bird and off we went, 12 minutes of awesome flight later (saving us an 8 hour tramp with all our supplies for a week) we were lugging stuff into the hut before scampering up the hill for a look.

A few distant roars, 2 deerzes seen on an even distanter slip and one unexpected encounter with a German tramper later, we tootooed back to the hut for a feed, only to find 7 reasonably elderly trampers from the Auckland Catholic Trampers Club had set up 4 tents on the lawn. Next morning they were asking us about the easiest way out, seems they didn't expect the Ruahines to be quite so steep. Bless them. One catholic cougar (about 70years old) took quite a shine to dear old Greendog, even asking to fondle his gun. ;D

B2 (Savage) and Jacko were headed down the river for a look whilst B1 (greendog) and I were headed up the river for a squiz. Short story, B1 and I found a gravel carpark and a track that was better than the DoC ones in the area on top of a spur, enough sign to keep us interested and did much slip watching but lucked out.

gravel carpark
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3090107.jpg

why don't DoC get deer to make their tracks?
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3090108.jpg

B2 saw a few on a slip further down and took a larrup at one but wasn't sure of a hit and couldn't get across the slip to check. (Turns out after our return his wee riffle was shooting a foot high and 6 inches left or something OOPS!).

Next day B2 and I headed down to the slip to see if we could find any sign of a hit while B1 headed up the top to see what he could see. B2 and I spied a mummy deer on the slip but she scarpered before I could find a decent rest ...

mummy deer about to disappear (brown blur right in the middle)
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3100115.jpg

Scooted up the slip, no sign of a hit was found so I jumped across the top of a rather large rockslide and followed the deer from earlier in the bush, horrible, tight, nasty bush it was too.

quite steep round these here parts ...
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3100121.jpg

the slip from another angle
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/bgdawson/rua3007.jpg

Back up to the hut we went to meet a new couple of trampers in for the night, but at about 4pm I got bored and decided the river up further was worth a look so off I went, climbed another slip, over the gravel carpark and into a new watershed, spied a deer on the other side 300m away, snapped a quick blurry pic, quickly found a rest and looked back, to discover she'd vanished. Sheesh. Roll Eyes Watched til just before dark and then back down the river in the dark to the hut to listen to B1's tale of woe ... he'd had a stroppy stag come in to his roar like a freight train, then cut his wind and bugger off quick smart. Oh well, at least some action today.

'nother blurry disappearing slip deer
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3100132.jpg

The next few days were a bit of a blur of climbing hills, chasing stags in the rain, glassing slips, rising rivers, dropping rivers, sunny days and all in all going by waaaay too fast, some days they roared, some days they didn't, but I got to chase 2 roaring stags on various days, getting within 20 odd metres of one on our last hunting day before he shut up shop and took to his scrapers. Heart poundingly fun! A wicked territory he had, nice open feed gut surrounded by head high manuka, nettle and scrub, he'd thrashed the hell out of about 12 totaras and was obviously holding hinds. Oh well, there's always next year to settle the score!

stag territory
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3090104.jpg

smashed up totara (about 3" dia.)
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140163.jpg

where'd he'd been scooting around roaring at me (note his hoofprints)
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140162.jpg

his wallow down the hill abit
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140167.jpg

Getting back to the hut at 5, we decided since it was the last day and we had nothing on the deck yet, even though were effing kinackered from the many many miles we'd put in, we'd best scoot down to a spur overlooking the slips downstream to see what we could do about the situation ... half an hour later, and 2 minutes after arriving at the sniper spot, we spied 3 deer feeding. I lined one up that had fed down to the creek bed about 250m away and squeezed the trigger. Confident of a good shot (but unsure at the same time, this is my longest shot on an animal so far) I spied one of the deerzes standing on the slip looking a tad bewildered, B1 lined her up and KABOOMFA, she was definitely down for the count. 2 deer within 30 seconds of each other and 2 minutes after arriving at the lookout!

Off we went, down the ridge, into the creek, round the corner, down the river, round the corner, up the creek and 35mins later, in the half light of dusk, we were where mine had been standing. "Bugger, I missed, the shot felt good though" I said ... "Must have been a good shot cos that bit of lung over there says so" said B1. "Oh" said I, grinning my fool head off, as we found a yearling stag piled up on the bank. Go the budget bangstick (stevens in 7-08)!

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140170.jpg

A quick relocation of my little deer to an easier spot and we were off up the slip to find B1's HORSE of a hind, more relocating of venison and we started the chore of making a blind amateur butcher with one arm look good .... back up the river with a ton of meat, and back to the hut by 10pm, tired, but happy and with swelling heads from our masterful 412m shots. First time we'd shot deer at 746m. Yes indeedy, very happy with our 911m shots we were.

my deer shot at 260,000mm (scuse the blood, was late and we were tired - don't click if blood offends)
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140173.jpg

B1 and his horse (less blood, but blood nobetheless)
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3140174.jpg

One uneventful but exciting flight down the river and we were back in civilisation. If Taihape can be considered civilisation that is ;D ...

I can wholeheartedly recommend B2 as a camp cook, we ate like bloody kings! 8)

Thanks to B1 and B2 for a fantastic trip, had a grand time, an adventure or three with good mates and more than our fair share of laughs and hilarity!

Some more random shots I quite like ...

The mists
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3120136.jpg

The Gorge
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3100126.jpg

fun guy
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3120137.jpg

quite a large wallow we found on the tops ... 4m x 8m :o
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/cleaky/Ruahine%20Roar%202010/P3130153.jpg

jackson on a scrape
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/bgdawson/rua3012.jpg

jackson on a bed ;D
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/bgdawson/rua3029.jpg

[HRstretch]

Great pictures but really didn't understand little of anything you said. I think you had a good time?

[Fjold]

Great report. New Zealand is one of my favorite countries in the world. I've been there about 8 times and jump at every chance that I get to go back.

[cleaky]

Great pictures but really didn't understand little of anything you said. I think you had a good time?


;D ;D ;D

You got it.

Which bits confusted you? I'll interpret for you ;)



Great report. New Zealand is one of my favorite countries in the world. I've been there about 8 times and jump at every chance that I get to go back.

Thanks Frank, we're quite fond of the place too! Comments like yours are the reason I post the odd report here, kinda sharing what we have. 8)

Let me know when you're next here, we'll catch up with James and have a shoot.

[Fjold]

Great pictures but really didn't understand little of anything you said. I think you had a good time?


;D ;D ;D

You got it.

Which bits confusted you? I'll interpret for you ;)



Great report. New Zealand is one of my favorite countries in the world. I've been there about 8 times and jump at every chance that I get to go back.

Thanks Frank, we're quite fond of the place too! Comments like yours are the reason I post the odd report here, kinda sharing what we have. 8)

Let me know when you're next here, we'll catch up with James and have a shoot.



Thanks Mate,

James has taken me shooting there for ferals and I've had him up here in California for some varmint shooting on ground squirrels and jack rabbits.

[HRstretch]

[quote=HRstretch ]
Great pictures but really didn't understand little of anything you said. I think you had a good time?


;D ;D ;D

You got it.

Which bits confused you? I'll interpret for you ;)

What is a slip? My guess is a part of the mountain that has slid part way and does not have as much brush? Or a place that is steep that you could easily slip off the edge?

What is a gravel carpark? Saw the photo but looks like just a small cleared area?

I re-read several times and I think I can interpret the rest. I bet the ride in the helicopter was a blast and I can only imagine that it saved many a sore muscle packing in and out. :o

[LHitchcox]

I really enjoy your posts Cleaky. Great pics. New Zealand has always been on my short list of desired places to hunt.

Leon

[cleaky]

What is a slip? My guess is a part of the mountain that has slid part way and does not have as much brush?


You got it :) With slips having almost no cover for the deer and good new growth, they're hotspots that are worth watching at dawn and dusk, mainly in the spring but any time of year if the area is remote and gets a minimum of hunting pressure.



Or a place that is steep that you could easily slip off the edge?

We'd call that a bluff, generally anything vertical is a bluff, a fallen away bit of a mountain with a slope is a slip (although just to confuse things, slips often have a bluff at the top of them ) :)



What is a gravel carpark? Saw the photo but looks like just a small cleared area?

It was a small cleared area on top of a saddle, the deer have been sunning themselves there in a small saddle between two spurs, the Ruahines are really rocky and in this area the rock had turned into gravel from all the traffic. We nicknamed it the "gravel carpark". :)



I re-read several times and I think I can interpret the rest. I bet the ride in the helicopter was a blast and I can only imagine that it saved many a sore muscle packing in and out. :o

The heli ride was incredible, the walk in is 7 hours, the walk out would have been a lot longer with our load of meat on. We wouldn't have had as many luxuries either, we even had pillows! :D

[cleaky]

I really enjoy your posts Cleaky. Great pics. New Zealand has always been on my short list of desired places to hunt.

Leon


Thanks Leon, hope to see you down here sometime.

Tim.

[Fjold]

Cleaky,

Best wishes on ANZAC Day, I know it was yesterday there but it is April 25th here today. So, my thoughts are on all the brave Kiwis and Aussies who fought and died at Gallipoli and all their comrades in all the other conflicts around the world.

[cleaky]

Thanks Frank,

I was up at 5am yesterday to attend the Dawn Parade in my family hometown, was quite moving.

Tim.