Thread: Wild cattle

And keep a good climbable tree handy if possible.

Or tractor. We found a feral bull stuck in a creek, dad thought he could get our smallest tractor ( A Fiat 4wd 40HP) handy enough to pull it out. Once out he had first class dogs and a mob of quiet cattle handy. Well that was the plan anyway.

It was lassoed and pulled out, but that's when the fun started. It tried to climb onto the wee tractor to have a go at Dad. Dogs called in but it was such a tangle/melee Dad got bitten (by his own dog). In the end he had to abandon ship (tractor) to reapraise the situation. We did eventually manage to get it home, and as I recall my share from its sale was just enough to buy a Mercator pocketknife

Whenever someone talks about wild cattle I always re-watch this video footage of the Northland Wild Cattle Muster to reinforce the "that's a no from me!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACuW...=MrTriassicman

Originally Posted by stumpys

Whenever someone talks about wild cattle I always re-watch this video footage of the Northland Wild Cattle Muster to reinforce the "that's a no from me!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACuW...=MrTriassicman

Mate I watched that just the other day, had me wondering if Pig hunting was too boring for those folk, they had to chase bigger quarry.


Wild sheep was some of the best eating I've come across, and a wild heifer is up there as well.
Carrying out a couple 100kg of meat was worth it as everyone loved that flavourful beef mince and sausages.
The steaks weren't much cop, even after aging.

My dad mustered around wild cattle on horseback when he was young, in the back blocks of Taranaki. He has always advised against hunting them on foot.

still plenty around out eastern Taranaki spread out over quite a big area access is a problem- look like a jersey shorthorn cross most of them - some brindle ones - but if they have some jersey they nasty little buggers - no horns to speak of - seen them out of machine in some remote places

Originally Posted by stumpys

Whenever someone talks about wild cattle I always re-watch this video footage of the Northland Wild Cattle Muster to reinforce the "that's a no from me!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACuW...=MrTriassicman

Cool vid, thanks

As mentioned there's plenty around Taranaki, they are flighty but active during the day. The game trails are wide and obvious but not a species you want to stalk closely, bump into or hunt in the bush.
I've been told cows with calves are the most dangerous. The big bulls I've run into have either ran on sight/scent or stamped their feet some 50m away for a bit and huffed off. The good thing about the wild cattle is they maintain clearings and tracks keeping them open.

I shot a young bull last year at the end of a trip when the deer decided not to show up, pretty good meat after a good stint in the chiller.
Not very sporting hunting but a great volume of meat I otherwise wouldn't have had. Bloody good eye fillets.

Don't forget wild cattle are still wild, read this thread for reference
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....uffalo-117219/

just be a little carefull if you are going out back of Taranaki Moeawatea or Whenuakura to target wild cattle - is what you are looking at genuine unmarked wild or the neighbours cattle back into the scrub a bit even well into DOC land - they will be earmarked but may well be touchy buggers if they smell you or see you on foot many not mustered very often -

I think they have them in the Chatham Islands, right?

Also in the Motu out East and somewhere in Otago / Canterbury area I think.

BTW, I would recommend a minimum 308 / 30'06 with 180 gr bullets. A 375 H&H would not be a bad choice.

the eastern Taranaki ones are some of the oldest strains dating back to the 1930.s when the settlers walked of many of those remote blocks in the depression - Motu tmany are more recent and really are scarce - many there are just recent domestic gone to far back to come out again but in saying that I have seen cattle sign a long way into the bush and there has been wild cattle reported from different areas in the Motu for years likely not a lot left in there - Chathams much the same domestic gone wild they recently had to cull a lot of cattle out there - it was stated they were wild - well not really the farmers out there could not sell like they normally did- ships not working - and were horribly overstocked resulting in cattle spreading out from the farms into Conservation areas - but there has been isolated wild cattle out there for years - many Northland forests have semi wild - Warawara Tepaki right up the top - so one could define wild in some respects as been in bush over 2-3years not earmarked and not a lot of chance of being mustered - but the eastern Taranaki ones many could be from cattle quite some generations back - put it this way some of the ones I saw at Tepaki were hereford or angus or a cross white face - but see one of those little Moeawatea bulls and yeah not the same as running around ya average farm - similar to a jersey but a lot darker colour- and the locals out there do protect them to some degree as they do Safari operations with them - but you will also see what look like herefords or white face Hereford angus cross way back in the scrub out there -

I can't remember the TV show that aired it, but I remember seeing a guy being "tree'd” by a wild cattle beast on the Chathams and the beast ramming the manukau head first trying to get to him.

These animals are something else.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

just be a little carefull if you are going out back of Taranaki Moeawatea or Whenuakura to target wild cattle - is what you are looking at genuine unmarked wild or the neighbours cattle back into the scrub a bit even well into DOC land - they will be earmarked but may well be touchy buggers if they smell you or see you on foot many not mustered very often -

It ain't out that way, my mate hasn't seen them when he has been out but always see plenty of sign of them around, so not sure if tagged or not, we did get something stomping at us when he took me out for the first time sounded big but wasn't sure if it was a cow or deer and didn't want to move through the thick patch of bush and come out eye to eye with a cow wanting a fight, what ever it was moved off then half hour or so later we heard a cow or bull calling out.
It's private land so plan on taking the shotgun with so slugs for if we do bump into one in the bush.

Originally Posted by Nakihunter

I think they have them in the Chatham Islands, right?

Also in the Motu out East and somewhere in Otago / Canterbury area I think.

BTW, I would recommend a minimum 308 / 30'06 with 180 gr bullets. A 375 H&H would not be a bad choice.

I've got a 270 with 140 gr but also plan on taking the shotgun with slugs as well as its in the bush, I think we may lay off trying to hunt them but be ready for if we do cross paths