Thread: Tataraakina round 1

So finally getting over my productive but lesson felt first trip to Tataraakina NI.

Had been fizzing at the bung for weeks and me and the boys found ourselves counting down the days.
Wed 16th October I shat the bad and was off to the boys place to start the 3.5 hour trip.

Picked up the keys at Rotorua and as we had hoped we got the Jonny Bakers block as well as our booked Raroa block.
Got to the river ford at about 11 and decided we could get the hilux through but better take the quad and trailer around and across the bridge just in case.
Truck got across piece of piss and we were into it.

Got to the Raroa hut about 12.30 and set up home for the next 3 days.

Day 1
Plans were laid (mine being solidly based on some advise form a very helpful Pengy and Nick.M)
We decided to head towards the Wakeman block boundary and glass a face for the afternoon.

Two hours later a small pig came out high up the face and we decided it was not what we were after so watched him for a good 20mins rootingg away merily.
He trudged off into the scrub and we then debated his size which then prompted a decision from my mate that if he shows his head again he's in the pot.
Sure enough out he came and my mate let rip with the 25-06 and the poor sod rolled the 400 yards down a steep face onto the river bed.
The boys went over and brought back a pretty small boar. Still going to taste good so no love lost.
Spend the rest of the arvo yarning about tomorrows plans over a cold Waikato and into the stink pit.
All the stories of rats and mice crawling over you as you try and sleep luckily never came to light.

Day 2
So full day to get amongst it and decided we needed to get up to Spot X (cheers Pengy)
Drove the hilux up to Johny Bakers hut and proceeded to walk the 700 odd metres straight up to the spot.
As we got to the top of the face we took the right hand spur and quietly dropped down to the greener grass.
The clearing/face ranged from 20 yards our side to 70 yards to the other side and gradually got wider as we dropped down.
My mate that was on point moved out onto a knob and I moved down past him as I could see sign all over the place and needed a better view.
Now this is were its gets pretty cool. I moved down about 3-4 metres past my mate and poked my head over the rock structure and said "ha theres a deer"
loaded my rifle and noticed the young stag looking at me, shit! so I looked for a rest, I can only put this down to shear luck unless Pengy put them there but two branches had fallen and formed a perfect X right in front of me. Now steady as a rock I let it rip straight for the engine room! The stag reared up and took off up hill got 5 metres and turned back downhill, thats when I saw lung hanging out of his chest and crash down he went. Must have made it 15 metres I guess. Yes!!! Venison for the freezer. Ranged back up to the "X" and an easy 50 yards
Off we went to retrieve him and dress him out. Grabbed a handfull of stinging nettle on the way (son of a bitch!)
Got all the meat off and into the pack and headed back to the top of the spur.
The boys really wanted to keep on towards another likely clearing so I hung the meat in ta tree wraped up in muslin and off we went.

Walking for 20 minutes and my mate on point drops and chambers a round in the 6.5. Not to be as he only offered a flash of ass.

On we go another half an hour and my mate does the same, this time he is more determined and we catch up and look straight down 200 yards to 3 deer feeding quite happily. Struggling to find a decent rest he let fly with the best he could get......dam it a miss? not sure.
Two linger and my other mate has a shot......hit, yes dropped it with a 100 grn barnes from the 25-06.
We get down there ( me taking the easy way down on my face!!)
Blood yes, deer no? whats going on here?
Looked and looked and looked. No sign of them dam it!
So after much hair pulling and head scratching we decided to carry on.

So off we go again....up up up, water and food getting down down down....
Find another big green slip and settle in for the wait. Wind up our arse and no sooner had we said it we heard a series of barks from the clearing....oh well home time as by now its 2.30 and we are a good 3-4 hours deep.

Not sure of the details from here on in but my energy levels got lower and lower and so did the boys. Diddnt take enough food or water and we started to slow right up, me being the worst. By the time we got back to the venison hanging in the tree I was well Fucked!
Loaded up my pack with the meat and envisioned the cold Waikato at the hut to try and spur me on.
After a while I was only making 10-15 metres before collapsing and was dizzy as all hell.
Mates kept spurring me on and we finally made it to the hilux and proceeded to drink anything we could find, radiator water bottles were demolished!!
To be honest I was bloody scared at how delusional I was. Lucky I had my mates to pull me through.
So back to the hut for that Waikato (after about 2 litres of water and 3 slices of B&E pie of course )

Day 3
So with bodys that had seen far better days we decided to stay reasonable close to the main river.
We crossed the river in the truck, parked her up and headed straight up the first spur.
We had figured the altitude they wer in so got up to that level and started sidling around spur and gut and within 20 minutes of getting to the right height I picked out a hind feeding on a sunny face.
We were on a steep piece of ground so the bi pod or a tree rest was out of the picture.
My mate was already loaded as he was on point so I called him back to take the shot.
God dam it another miss......
We waited a few minutes and out came another two deer just along from the other one.
Next mate loads up and ......bloody hell boys what are yo up to! Another miss.

We waited a few and off we went sidling around spur and guts as before and as it was getting close to home time decided on one more spur to head back down to the river on. Heading down two deer spooked and took off 30 yards in front of us! Shit they are bloody everywhere!!
Got back to the hut and packed up.

All in all a bloody fantastic trip and for my first I am stoked to have got one.
We had another mate with us and he hunted alone. Didnt get anything but seen 4, we saw 9 so 13 seen is bloody good in my books.
Plenty of lessons learnt in both how to hunt and more importantly how to prepare for the bush. That was a scare I will never forget.

Anyway heres the young stag I got and also crissened ther Forum Blaze Blue

Nice bro I thought taatrakina had been shut up

Good shit gibo.

Way to go Gibo. What the hell is this dizziness carry on? You are a young buck.

Have to get that Spot X put in the next edition of the book by same name Gibo. Well done mate. Hard lesson about the lack of water etc.

Nice write up, Good stuff

Bananas man pack plenty to get you home, it's a real bastard to run out of energy, good thing is as you get older you learn to live with it!

Originally Posted by Rushy

Way to go Gibo. What the hell is this dizziness carry on? You are a young buck.

Yeah the young still need energy. Just put it down to being a bit rip shit and bust.

Originally Posted by Pengy

Have to get that Spot X put in the next edition of the book by same name Gibo. Well done mate. Hard lesson about the lack of water etc.

We found some bloody good ground further along Pengy.
Funny thing is we booked Raroa but only hunter Jb's

Originally Posted by Gibo

Yeah the young still need energy. Just put it down to being a bit rip shit and bust.

Sounds familiar.

Originally Posted by Cartman

Nice bro I thought taatrakina had been shut up

Change of management i think mate. We booked next year but yet to see if those bookings will be up held.

Well done Gibo

Some lessons learned and you will be better prepared next time.

Get the boys off to the range for some practice.

Good stuff, good to see you came home with some venison.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Well done Gibo

Some lessons learned and you will be better prepared next time.

Get the boys off to the range for some practice.

Yeah mate what doesnt kill ya makes you stronger ha ha.
The boys normally shoot really well, must have been the deers day

Originally Posted by Nick.m

Good stuff, good to see you came home with some venison.

Yeah could have been a whole lot more too.
Cheers for the info mate