Should have typed this up a while ago but better late than never. Newbie hunter and I’ve had my FAL and T3X 7mmRM for 18mths. In the past I’ve a done a few multisport and adventure races including GODZone so I know my way around outdoors and I’m comfortable being in remote areas. Very limited opportuinity to hunt though as my wife has been really struggling with her mental health so hunting has been on hold while I spend time with her. However a couple weekends before lockdown was my long awaited first chance to get away overnight.
Decided on public land above Pudding Hill Stream, mid Canterbury. Thought was get above the bush and onto the edge into open high country. Tried this forum, phones calls, emails and various website contact forms to request permission to walk in via farm tracks rather than up the stream. No joy so planned a route about 3km up the stream bed (elevation 500m) then up a spur to reach bush edge and open country (elevation 1100m). So approx. 600m of elevation gain involved. Easy I thought. Plan was leave Chch 3pm Friday, get up to bush edge by 8pm latest so that could twilight hunt, setup fly camp, start again first light, hunt until mid morning then head down and back with wife by mid Saturday afternoon. Forecast was 60-70km winds evening, calm morning then rain in afternoon. All good I thought.
Here’s where the many lessons part starts……..
- Finishing work delayed half hour. Not much but lesson is leave with plenty of spare time as you may need it later in day…. Lesson #1 = Have spare time
- Reached Mt Hutt Retreat and chatted with manager I’d spoken to on phone. He told me safe place to park and I headed off about 5pm. Walk upstream, 20+ crossings but no problem. First 200m on spur was hard going but then not too bad. Lesson #2 = Use local knowledge if you get it
- Backpack seemed really heavy. It’s was a 65L Beyond pack from Torpedo 7 purchased about 10yrs ago for family tramping trips on Queens Charlotte and Abel Tasman tracks (my race packs are 20 & 44L so too small for the gear I had). Full of budget clothing and other gear so not the smallest or lightest but still seemed too heavy. Over a hour into my walk I realised I’d not clipped the waist strap! Oops. I’d put on bino holder first (Bushbuck) and then backpack. The bino holder had hidden my downward view and with no recent trips I’d forgotten to clip it. Doh! #3 = Fit backpack properly and clip the waist belt! Lesson #3b Beyond brand means beyond crap. It was ok on family tramps but rubbish with real weight in it. It also squeaked. Have since brought an Osprey Aether 85.
- I’d spend some decent money of a pair of Hunters Element Spur trousers. They’d been comfy around home but that day they kept falling down. So frustrating. Used some cord to make a belt. #4 = Backpack tends to push trousers down. Wear a belt.
- My DIY Z sling copy was working ok. I’d made from a discarded sports bag strap, some webbing and clips. However the unbranded bipod I brought used via this forum broke a third of way up. Jury rigged sling back on. Half way up another part of bipod adaptor breaks. Hand carry rifle rest of way up. #5 = You get what you pay for. My DIY was ok, the unbranded bipod mount crap.
- Saw lots and lots of sign about half way up. Shit and chewed foliage. Should have camped near there but wanted to be in open and not in bush. Move on upwards. #6 = Be prepared to change hunting plan to suit what you see
- NZ Topo50 app on phone was giving accurate location but direction sometimes 90 to 180degs out. Realised it was being stuffed up by the magnet catch on bino holder. I knew compasses get effected by magnets but hadn’t realised digital compasses in phones also do. Lucky I had my Silva compass to confirm my doubts about the phone app compass, and that I know how to use it and how to map read. #7 = get rid of magnets!
- Climbing up spur was going ok and I was feeling ok until 8pm when it’s getting dark and still have 200m more elevation gain needed to get to bush edge. Couldn't stay where was as there was no flats to sleep on and worse the predicted 65kph wind gusts were occuring with widow maker beeches everywhere. Really noisy too. #8 = don’t over estimate rate of travel in bush.
- Head torch on and keep going as had no choice. Not safe to sleep there. Very tough going and no obviuos route in dark through the 1.5-3m high mixed new dense beech growth and fallen beech. The really dense stuff that at most is 400mm apart. Couldn't risk dropping off spur edge to find easier going as it was steep on each side so bulldozer style pushed through the fresh growth and dead stuff. Moving at 5 metres a minute maximum. Sleeping roll I’d been gifted by a forum member was wider than the backpack so a nightmare pushing through gaps. #9 = if there in daylight could have likely skirted around but in dark safety first meant push through. #9b get a smaller bed roll.
- Got one wasp sting on shoulder when I was sprung back onto a tree. #10 = always carry anithistaimne. Fortunately I was. The sting was still sore a week later though.
- Seemed like never needing struggle unitl got into open. So relieved! But by then it was about 9:30pm and dark. Zero hunting. #11 = have spare time for the delays that will occur!
- Out in open it was windy, certainly at upper end of the 60-70kph forecast. Climbed up another 100m of elevation seeking a small flat on lee side. Couldn't find sheltered flat so chose to go down to bush edge again and setup fly nice and low at knee height using 1/3 of walking poles onto about 5deg slope sheltered behind a big shrub (hebe?). #12 = at end of day don’t waste extra effort looking for ideal shelter, take the first reasonable option
- Starry night and knew the forecast was wind easing and high cloud morning changing to drizzle late morning so things looking up. Ate and climbed into sleeping bag looking forward to morning. Thought it'd be fine but 5deg slope and slick sleeping bag + slick sleep mat = slide downhill all night and wiggle back up many times. Aaarggh!!! #13 = even minimal slope is uncomfortable as you’ll slide off sleeping mat. The bulky Lilo mat itself was ok however I’ve since ordered a lighter smaller JR Gear sleeping mat.
- Might have heard a couple of animals overnight. Was not sure as a fair bit of wind noise.
- Alarm at 5:30am as I wanted to be packed by first light. But thick as fog so had slow breakfast. 6am the drizzle started. Wind completely gone so I lifted the fly to full trekking pole height. Could tell by then it would be clag and drizzle all day. Could only see 50m max as light began to arrive. Bugger. #14 = forecasts are not perfect. Weather can arrive hours earlier than predicted. If time is limited probably better to wait until another weekend than try to squeeze in a hunt and it be wasted effort.
- Jury rigged sling onto rifle again by completely removing the bipod. Better than it'd ever been! #15 = be McGyver
- Decided no point staying up there only seeing 50m so headed down. More pushing through dense regrowth. Getting soaked from every tree I touched. Really slippery so much bum sliding. #16 = its damn slippery and wet under beech trees when raining
- About 1/3 of way down to stream level I got a bit of ‘get-home-itis’ and not really paying attention so drifted about 20deg off line and started going down wrong spur. Only about 500m distance and about 150m across before I realized but took concentrated effort sidling around for about 1hr to get back onto correct spur. #17 = keep a close eye on navigation.
- While heading down saw lots more sign. Many bedding down areas with flattened grass, ferns and bracken. With time maybe I could have slowed right down and hoped to find something but didn’t have spare time. #18 = keep spare time on way home.
- Phone had been getting a bit wet in bino holder and started playing up. Back button wouldn't work. I had paper map and compass so not worried #19 = don’t rely on tech and at minimum keep standard mobile phone in a zip lock bag
- Took about 4hrs to get down and back to car. No animals seen. Drive home. Mrs happy to see me #20 = a bad day hunting is still better than a good day in office. An even better feeling is getting home to a happy Mrs.
- So many lessons. Some new, some reminders, some because of budget gear, some just lack of knowledge.
Since then have been out a couple of half days. Still haven’t shot or even sighted anything. Time to get out hunting is limited but it is beginning to free up. Defeintely got some nights and weekends coming up in coming months. Had been hoping to do a HUNTS course later this year but NZDA North Canty branch course is full.
