When I Started hunting at 16 it was 1969/70 , when heily hunting was in full swing in Southland/Fiordland and it was VERY hard to get a deer anywhere public or private .
I had just joined the NZDA as I thought that was my best chance , and it turned out it was . The NZDA was due to have it;s annual stag do , no mixed dine and dance back then lol .
Well it got to 2 weeks before the big do and no one has secured any venison it was so bad , so a group of us went up to Knobs Flat on the way to Milford for the weekend as a last chance .
Well who got the only deer ? yes me and I had to donate my first deer for the stag do .
Attachment 274139Attachment 274140 So I think doing the hard yards back then
when deer where very hard to find helped make you into a more careful bush hunter .