8 Attachment(s)
Early june Northarm Hut Trip
Well after 3mths of waiting, planning and 6 evenings a week on the tread mill and cycle thing I completed my roster and boarded my first of 28 hrs worth of flying home to NZ.
As I got airborne from Dubai I came to realise that I was landing in Auckland at 12.45 pm not Am.
Sounds like a strange thing to muck up but if you spend as much time in airports as we do you become very casual and haphazard in checking the simple things and after six weeks of constant work you just want to get home.
Arrived home to Waihi 6pm after a quick stop for a coffee with old man .
Greeted my grown up daughter's and patted the dog.
woke up at 3.30 am took mutt for a work thru gorge in the frost until sun came up working on his heel and stop work.
Got home to discover leaky pipe down stairs into Garage .
Was supposed to go to town and buy ammo and a few bits and pieces for trip but $1250 dollars later and new hot water cyd day was gone.
Lucky for me Mate had sorted all food and got me ammo.
Useless jet lagged sleep again up early packed my hunting gear plus dog food and off to Taupo
Whether was beautiful but was going to be short lived according to 10 day forecast .
As we loaded up the cart to weigh gear as always we look at it thinking bloody hell we have some gear on here.
but she was well under weight for trip may have been the 12 kgs I had dropped at gym.
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Ben flew us in and we lucked a ride on the big bird again .
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Father and Son were coming out and they were the guys who found the rifle
Thanks for the beers and a clean hut fellas
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Got everything put away and had a feed then late in afternoon we headed out for a scout around on bush edges up north end and just inside beech to see what was going on we sounded like a herd of bull elephants no wonder we almost never hunt as a pair unless sitting and watching.
Not much fresh sign as expected for this time of year.
I was asleep by 7pm and woke up at 10 am didn't even hear Nigel leave the hut.
Bloody Jetlag caught up with me.
He left a note telling how hopeless I was and where he was hunting.
I headed up behind hut and climbed and over into Doc land after hitting main track and hunted down into gullys and creek heads unreal and open country in there .
Dog was going well considering he has spent last 3 months being spoilt by the daughters but still leaving long line trailing on ground .
He was winding like a madmen about 12.30 pm and as I turned around a bloody stag watching me about 80 m down from the ridge .
Like a idiot I snapped a shot while standing up as nothing close to lean on.
As soon as I pulled trigger knew I had missed.
Had a good look around no blood and dog was not going mad.
Was happy that he stood for shot again but I don't reckon he saw it until it ran off but didn't try to chase which was a win.
I can truthfully say I was gutted but that is hunting and is not the first miss and will not be the last.
Came back up to track and headed North crossing a small open top
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Keep walking thru then dropped back onto north arm side into a couple of creek heads which produced nothing but nice area with some sign.
Nigel had hunted Blue duck creek with no deer spotted apart from usual hind bark with a big 10 hour effort put in.
This was Nigel second trip here and after having a look around I could see why he wanted to come back.
Second day we both set off in different directions and forecast did not lie she was packing it in.
drizzle started which soon turned to rain but I had a great day on west side climbing up to boundary and heading north along tops of creek heads and thru some great open areas.
Hind Barked at me at one stage with nothing else spotted but plenty of sign about midway up sides.
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Having a ball and new found fitness really paying off as I was covering a lot of ground into areas I wanted to stalk.
Also upgraded to GPS with a real map and that was paying off as well not having to keep dragging map out so often tho I seem to double check myself every few hours with compass and map .
I don't really care about shooting a animal these days ,just walking and being so far away from my job is enough for me.
Nothing shot for both of us and a big feed was cooked up that night and tales of day recalled.
Hut was warm as we came in with 20kg of coal and a small bag of charcoal .
Rained down all night and transitor radio which is the first thing I pack got a hiding and every hour same forecast.
Ate a big breakfast ,stared out the window like a pair of caged animals until 1pm then went for it .
Wet and more wet is all we got for our efforts as if we didn't know that would be the case.
Rain and now strong winds all night after a brief period of calm which gave us false hope in the night.
Did not hunt all day, slept and ate .Attachment 37935
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Last day came and rain stopped we had a quick look off airstrip where a hind had been coming out onto bush edge but not today .
spilt up and I headed back up behind hut for a quick hunt before chopper came to pick us up.
Two hours into it I spotted a hind as she saw me and for a fleeting moment eye contact was made and she darted off .
Oh well you can't win them all and I think I are starting to work out dogs body signals as he was keen on the scent of her.
Dropped back down to clean up hut and pack gear after one last big feed.
Cloud and fog was thick so was not sure if pickup would come which had me a little worried as my wife and kids were due into Auckland next day and it could lead to being in kennel with dog.
Ben was bang on time and away we went.Attachment 37937
Great trip with a good mate.
Now just to decide where to go on October trip and this time Wife and kids are coming.
