The Road Trip Report

Got back yesterday at 5.30pm having left Masterton at 8.30, a slowish drive punctuated with stops here and there - I even got a couple of casts into the TT River as we stopped and hooked up with a couple of AJ's mates. Reflecting now on what a good bunch of people kiwi's generally are, and how lucky we are too with the range of outdoor opportunities still open to us.

Backing up a little, picked up AJ quite early on Weds morning, timing the run to avoid traffic. We made Hamilton in good time, arriving early to grab Andy from Tamahere. Piling his stuff into the boot I was glad that only 3 of us were going, we couldn't have got any more stuff aboard. Included was 3 shotguns, boxes of ammo, 2 chilly bins, AJ's layout blind, bags of gear, waders, gummies.. well she was chocka. Onwards to Taupo for gas, lunch and to pick up some .22 ammo, and see AJ's life size photo on the outside of one window. Porn star. Then onwards, turning off at Vinegar Hill (seeing very few Rathmoy pheasants), across to Ashurst, through Manuwatu Gorge, Magatainoka (Hail! To the Tui Brewery) Paihiatua, Ekatahuna, and finally into Masterton. We found Tim's place alive with kids and visitors, were made very welcome, and then unpacked our stuff. We set off to find our bearings and gather grass for the layouts. Tim showed us Peter Jackson's place and we were soon gathering handfuls of the greenest grass possible. Tim explained that he'd tracked down a population of birds using a paddock by the sea, and that we'd have to be there and set up well before daylight in order to meet them as they arrived. Up at 3.20, had a munch of weetbix and packed the Toyota with guns, food, shell dekes etc. Tim's ute was stacked out with full body dekes and the blinds and quad bike were on the trailer. We shipped out and drove for an hour or so out of town. Arriving at a paddock gate after a number of twists and turns we loaded the quad and trailer and somehow got ourselves out to the spot. Checking a lagoon out Tim conveyed that the only thing that could have gone wrong just had - the birds were already sitting on the lagoon. He was gutted, seriously gutted. Even in the dark I could sense his head dropping. But press on we did, 4 hands making the blind setting up and decoy laying out a simplistic task. Tim took the quad back under cover and we were hunting.

Layouts all set (Andy & AJ there somewhere)

After a couple of hours with the occasional honk heard in the distance, Tim was definitely unhappy. Then lying back and looking out I suddenly saw a pair of birds 500m away and locked up - they were coming straight in! All of us were back in our blinds under cover and just waiting. Tim called for Andy to take the birds and take the shot, and we launched ourselves out of the blinds.... waiting for Andy to shoot. Locked in as they were, the geese landed out by the furthest dekes set 25m away. They were mowed down as they took to the air and we had birds on the ground!

Tim's actually smiling!

Andy was stoked with his first goose/geese and gave it up for a quick photo.

Then it went quiet for quite some time. Tim and AJ went for a walk to a lagoon to put some birds off, there were between 50-70 just hooning around and we wanted birds in the air. While they were away a mob came into view. They circled us twice in range but never commited, and on the second pass I saw one flinch badly - straight away I knew he'd seen something amiss. The full beverage bottles we'd placed on the ground beside our blinds had been spotted. I took that one pretty hard to be honest, all the reading I'd done told me that's exactly what would happen. Silly beginner's error. So we whipped around making the place tidy, picking up some empty shells from the first shots and waited for the lads to come back. They'd got quite close to the geese which had all taken off and flown out to see. The wind was pretty mild so they were safe out there.

After another couple of hours, 4 birds came in from the North. With AJ calling they committed early, and all 4 stayed with us. Then a pair joined us so we had 8 in the bag - things were shaping up nicely. The time had just turned 12; and a Northerly front was approaching.

Tim meantime made several trips to the lagoon to put up birds. He was working hard for us and it began to pay off. The weather steadily worsened for the birds, with the wind turning and steadying there were now white caps on the sea and birds were moving. We had some good trial and error moments - with one flock approaching on a pass AJ asked if we were getting stuck in and given they were only 20m up I said

"Oh goodness me yes!" And me and AJ started peeling them as Tim was saying "NO!". We put down 3 of the 8 odd and knocked the crap out of another (I put down 2 and wounded the third) but Tim told us if we had let them come around again there was a real chance of all 8 staying. Lesson learned. (gulp). By mid afternoon we had a good bag down on the deck.

We got better and better as the day went on, not missing too many Chances. Tim grabbed a chance of his own when 2 birds charged in unseen after a lull and he cleaned them up beautifully. After a while we got out to take photos... doh!

I say "doh" because I was pushing to get photos while the light was good. (Shots in the field beat photos in the back yard). But also because birds were in the air. Leaving bodies lined up belly upwards while birds approach is not a good look, however in they came! Charging back into the blinds we claimed a couple of flocks, one which included AJ's "snow goose"

AJ & The Snow Goose (Bluddy Feral!)

The domestic bird had been seen hanging with geese offshore, so here was the evidence that birds would move back to where they'd been before.

Great Dekes make a difference

We packed it in at 5 or so, with dark coming we wanted to have the gear sorted (24 full bodies, 24 shells, 4 blinds, rubbish etc) before dark. Andy, AJ and I walked back to the vehicles talking about the day we'd just had. I was elated and I'm sure the lads were too. 35 birds on the deck, 33 of them since just before 12. Those early hours without much action just had to be gutsed out.

We packed the vehicles and got back to Masterton for a late dinner, showeer, drinks and hit the hay happy as pigs in shit.

Piripiri Pheasant Plucker's Preserve

The pheasant shoot previously known (by me) as Little Ruawai Preserve has now been officially renamed. We have a cast of good buggers now, and are putting down 500 birds this coming rearing season.

Roll Call:

Craig aka Shankspony (El Presidente)
Tim aka Cleaky (El Treasurer)
Me aka Snuffit
Hendrik aka Hendrik375
James aka Top Predator
Mitch aka GQHoon
Simon aka Aunty
Mick aka Mick Hunter

This will be the third year of bird raising and releasing, and this year we're getting more organised than ever. Including establishing working capital, because with raising birds you never know what the next event, be it disaster/calamity or triumph, will be and what will need to be covered. Mitch has raised birds before as well, not in the numbers we're talking about but his experience will be really useful.

17/18 Sep, we're holding a working bee to prepare the raising pen. Craig had put pigs in to turn the soil and expose it to sunlight, as UV kills Coxiellosis which can lay dormant. Unfortunately with the high rainfall the pen is a quagmire, so our first mission will be to establish a scoria base, and then thanks to the generosity of Dickie Sansome, we'll lay Rolawn grassed turf over the top. This is a very generous gesture from Dickie and Helen. Tim, Simon and I will pick up the turf which will weigh 2.5 tonnes and drag it down to PPPP and then we'll all get in boots and all and take care of the tasks at hand. Craig has the DOC license to hold and release. The trapping program will be stepped up, as with the lengthening days all those pesky little feckers will be breeding like mad.

I'll report as we go.

I'm cooler...

Than Justin Bieber. My daughter just said so. At almost 4, she has good taste.

The AndyH report

Here goes:

"Well, it was a quiet afternoon.

We were taunted the whole time by herds of geese on the green grassy farm slopes opposite the mai mai (across the swamp) cackling and grunting as they chased each other around. The odd rain shower to keep us hidden. And lots and lots of spoonies and teal! Heaps of them. A heap of ducks got up when we got there too and there were quite a few moving around.

Just before dark a single goose came across in front but was out of (my) range. Paul had a crack but it continued un slowed. Then a single came around the back and was going to land on the pond (thanks to my awesome goose calling), Paul was out in the punt getting the dekes back in and he had a larrup just behind me out of sight, when it came into view it was climbing fast and directly above. Needless to say, I missed it. Kevin and Rex in the other maimai dropped it with a few shots and it fell into some nasty sheet that the dogs couldn’t get into. So one down but none back to the vehicles.

They are so much bigger than ducks, I need to completely change the lead I give them I think.

But we will see in the Wairarapa whether geese are immune to my charms as they seem to be at the moment."

Season's end

Today's the last day of the pheasant season - and the AW goose season. The end of 4 months of the game bird season. I can't be in the field today for one reason or another, much as I'd love to. From August we now roll into September, that sort of layover month where the shooting season (here) is finished and the closed  trout streams don't open until October 1. September is the perfect month to do all the chores that you've been putting off around the house. Only 9 days until the goose trip, so really looking forward to getting away for a shoot.

Andrew's shooting with Paul Hannibel today, trying their luck on the geese. Maybe will text him later for an update.

There's a list of things we need to get done around the traps as well:

1. Late Sep we have the Little Ruawai Preserve working bee. Preaprataion of the main pen is the key mission. Underfoot conditions in the pen are horrird, so we're going to get some second Rolawn turf from Dickie, and lay that over scoria. Mitch, Mick & Simon are now also in the syndicate. That gives us Shanks, Tim, James, Hendrik, me, Mitch, Mick & Simon. We ought to be able to get plenty done.

2. Swamp - probably in Oct we need to put the new window that dad's made in. Roof repair (!). Spraying. Need to knock the poaquatica back. Maybe we'll have a bunch of traps through from Dave Klee as well by then.

3. my stream fly boxes are looking bare. Probably need to tie 6 dozen flies.... which I enjoy, but still it's a thing that 'needs to be done'.

Better get started!

The economics of digging a hole

I've been having this talk with Guy. I'm not claiming to be the thought originator, either. Its about the cost of digging a hole - or to be more specific, the cost of keeping the hole just so. A hole dug in a typical willow bound swamp will remain a hole for about as long as it takes spring growth to pop up. Extra soil warmth and daylight hours will encourage all sorts of aquatic flora to emerge, and most of the time what grows is not particularly desireable. Normally the purpose of digging a hole in willows is to open water and encourage bird life, more specifically ducks in the case I have in mind, but still its a simple objective. Keeping the water open costs time, effort and money, applied in equal doses. Skimp on one and your hole suffers. So for every dollar you spend on opening a hole, you have to budget say, $0.05 - $0.10 for every year thereafter, keeping the hole the way you want it to be. One of the biggest owners of these holes is AWF&G. The idea is that area user groups maintain the holes at their own expense, which is quite right. There's no escaping the concept of user pays, it's one of the realities of life. But what if the cost of maintaining the hole, or all of the holes, is an unbudgeted expense line in an overall financial plan? Does this mean that if you keep digging holes, you need more and more paid staff maintaining the holes? Something wrong with this picture?

Do we want to be the biggest owner of holes in the land? Maybe. But by being the biggest owner of holes, we are stuck being the biggest owner of holes. By inference you are then stuck being the biggest maintainer of holes.

We have 3 field staff in a region stetching from Raetihi to literally Kaiwaka. If even one of those staff is working on the F&G blocks at 80% capacity, then we're pretty stretched to do anything new. (Why they would be working on the properties is anyone's guess. It's not budgeted for in any approved plan that I can see).

I have to run now, but am keen to come back to this topic soon.

Boy's road trip

We're almost set. Me, AJ, Andrew & Cock are road-tripping to the Wairarapa in September, to go goosing with Tim Allen. This trip has been some time in planning, and quite hard to get the crew together for. Tim can't come because he's saving like mad for his wedding; Shanks can't come because of work (calving etc); Guy can't come because he just likes pulling the trigger and goose hunting isn't always like that :D - nah, he's busy deciding on next year's strategy; Chris from up north can't come because of other stuff he's got on. Cock may even have to pull out if work calls on him. Andrew should be able to come if powers that be allow. Strategy is quite simple - the timing puts us in goose territory on the drakest nights of the month. Hopefully the geese will not have been overly hassled. Tim will scout them the days before we arrive and make a call on where we go, be it on land, or the lake. We'll then hunt them accordingly, and with 2 days and nights at our disposal will hopefully have at least one good session.

I'm looking forward to this like mad. I like a road trip to do something different. And it sort of fits my ambition to learn more about goose hunting.

Roll on September.

Met with my old boss today. His property Hau Ora Farms in the Tukituki Valley is primo pheasant territory. He put down 400 this year and has shot 90-something in small driven days. He's getting right into it and plans to put down 1,000 next year; supported by cover crops and on the back of a 3 year trapping program. (300 hedgehogs, tons of rats, weasels, ferrets, 70 cats...) looking at all that vermin, no wonder its so hard to breed and keep birds.

He recently had to modify his land - with 35 acres of old man gorse the nasties had too many hidey-holes and the birds flew straight to it. Check this out:

The aftermath. Pretty country huh? And when the burn off goes into cover of some sort the birds will appreciate the first striking of the match.

(Apparently there was an article in the local paper as a result of all that smoke.....)

24,000

Somehow, I've done 24,000 kms in the Prado in the 1 year that I've had her. Man, I'm not sure how I've managed that, given she's not been on any really big trips. So I thought about it. A trip to Shanks' place from my house is 252 Km. I've done the trip maybe 4 times. There's 8.3% of all of the Km's. A few trips to Taupo etc.. it all adds up. Still the one year milestone is reached.

Shanks Ranch

Normally I’m not big on Sunday day trips, as I far prefer travelling and fishing shooting on Saturdays and spending Sunday at home. A little flexibility is a good thing, so given that Mick, Mitch and their hairies wouldn’t be free until Sunday it was a done deal. We (Tim & I) hit the road about 1.30 Saturday on the 3+ hour drive to the Shanks Ranch, arriving as Shanks finished up feeding the calves. We unpacked, had a cuppa then headed up the hill for a pig. Shanks immediately spied pigs on the skyline on the way in, and as we moved across the paddock we were able to identify 4 piggies mooching around. We were a ways off but still within rifle range for a good shot (I am not a rifle shooter’s butt) so we headed in to the usual shooting spot. The breeze was light to nil, but unfortunately it swirled and I’m picking that our scent wafted uphill because as one their heads came up and they turned tail and charged off. We sat and waited for 20 minutes as the mist descended then headed off to see if we could see anything on the airstrip. Nothing doing so back to the Ranch Homestead for a bowl of carrot and coriander soup with some thick bread, then a course of venison and salad. A few beers went down then Mick & Mitch turned up and after we visited the Natural Bridge (spectacular glow worms and formations) by torch light we sat around shooting the breeze until midnight when I retired. Tim woke me and just about got a punch for his trouble at 1am. Then I struggled to get back to sleep. Craig woke us at 7 and I have to say I was feeling rusty. Toast & honey & coffee for breakfast then we packed the cars and headed off. Shanks Ranch is a fine piece of land, containing everything that I’d ever want in a property: contours, duck ponds, a trout stream, relative solitude and of course all the interesting wild life that you could hope for. Now pheasants being what they are tend to be birds of habit. The general feeling I got from Craig and which Mitch backed up was come mid August the birds get on the move and move out the usual haunts. Today we were accompanied by Brutus & Heidi, Mitch & Mick’s GWP’s. These guys live for hunting over and around their dogs and it shows, their pups are great workers, and are well under control without the zealot control that I saw the retriever guys apply to their dogs. Both dogs were good workers, plenty of get up and go and really good on the point. The first gulley we worked was bare so up and over a ridge went Mick & Mitch while Tim and Shanks worked a big depression. I went around the top ¾ mark of the bowl while Craig and Tim headed down. Soon a bird barrelled over the top, stirred up by Mitch & Bru’ and headed down to Tim and Craig on set wings. Both opened up and from my vantage point I observed a couple of things:


1. The bird was hit

2. The shots put a number of birds out of the rim of the gulley ahead of me.

I moved up and along and worked a patch of head high gorse, about as round as a small car (like a mini) and up and away went a rooster. I stepped to the side but he carried on straight away before curling so my desperate shots were well behind as he cleared the 40 to 50m mark. The lads down below were waiting and hit him as he came over, dropping him into a god awful patch of crap. I met up with Mitch and Mick at the top of the ridge and we watched and waited as Tim, Shanks & his lab Silent worked the scrub over. It was thick as sh*t and after 30 minutes they gave it away, with plenty of holes for the birds to escape into it just brought home that sometimes in that terrain you’re going to lose a bird sooner or later. Earlier in the season that big old melanistic escaped me the same way … impenetrable crap. Down into the next gulley – this territory is blimmin steep – this time we were entering a deep bowl with steep edges covered in bush. Tim and Craig went through the middle while Mitch, Mick the dogs and me panted our way up to the top. We tried to move down into the valley via a depression but it was a dead end, so back to the ridge and up, up up we panted. At the top I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a cackling rooster shot off. I was well behind with the first barrel but the second caught him and he went down on a bung wing. I marked him and then Mitch and Bru’ came over and Bru’ performed the retrieve on a very dead bird that has moved 15m from where he dropped. Bru’ was stoked, wagging his tail as he delivered to Mitch’s hand.

Mick and Heidi meantime had followed the ridge along to a bush edge and we heard another rooster go. Mitch and me wandered along to the top fence line, by now Tim and Craig were all set in the bottom of the gully to our left and well below us. As soon as we put Bru’ over the fence, he hit a scent. Mick meantime had closed in above us, so while Mitch stayed close in to the dog, I moved down the hilol slightly. The scenario was that we are all on top of a small bank that cut away below us. Bru’ was locked up on a bird that was holding tight below us, about 5 feet down the bank in an undercut. Then with a clatter of wings and a cackle he was up and away. And he kept going despite 5 shots blasting out after him. It was classic! A truly deserved escape in the most unlikely of circumstances – not quite surrounded but still. We were now entering a scrubby face at the top of the bowl that spread around to the right and with Tim and Craig in position; anything that got up would sweep down and over them. And they did, several birds took to the air one especially nice fast and high Cock bird blatted over Tim (miss, miss) then Craig and then while Tim was reliving the miss and not reloading, another bird made its escape! At least we had now located them. So far it was looking tough and the score was running 5-1 in favour of the birds. We trooped through the cave with the stream through it and pooped out in the next gulley. Mick and I went through a rimu grove to look for anything in a swampy glade Craig had told us about while the others headed off up a small scrub filled gulley. Nothing doing for either party, so Mick & Craig worked up a scrubby hill while the rest of us walked up the track of what Craig called “the steep hill”. Yes it was steep, definitely the steepest of the day and whilst I got up there first I was puffing hard out. Not easy country at all… we grabbed a breather and watched Craig & Mick put up some hen birds. Then over we went into the next gully. Tim and Mitch went into a scrubby face while I hopped the fence and walked the ridge above one of the hill pastures amongst rocky outcrops. I saw a cock zoom off about 100 yards away going full noise – wings set, head down. Then another curled away, taking off out of range and swinging around to land atop a rocky buttress. 2 steps later and a cock erupted below me, curling down and away. Now this was an interesting shot…. Shooting at something that starts below you and then curls away is not an easy shot. It’s not something you can practice for that easily either unless you have a trap or shoot sporting in hilly country. I remember struggling with this shot on the sporting course. I had enough time to shoulder the gun then realise my mount was ‘wonky’, then straighten it, swing through and below the bird and fire. It was a solid hit, with the bird dropping like a stone into the bottom of the gully. Neat, bird # 2 in the bag, feeling pretty happy with the shot as well. Then another bird went from the gulley and I missed twice, smack! Back down to earth… As I reached my bird, Bru’ zoomed into, scooped it up as neat as can be and ran back to his master – heh heh a bird I didn’t have to carry. Mitch and Tim worked the rocks I had seen the cock land in and Mitch scored his first bird after a solid point by Bru’. After the retrieve, Tim worked around a high pile while I nipped down below the scrub that any bird would naturally run into, and as the lads came through I pulled off a good second shot on a departing bird for my limit. Tim meantime dropped a fast flushing bird that was probably pushed back by my shots – all good now each of us was on the board. Mitch and Bru’ picked Tim’s bird and then came down to find mine, which had inconveniently dropped across the river which was flowing quite fast and murky. Craig and Mick appeared up on the track and came down as Bru, fought the current, dragged himself out of the river and set off after my bird. Which was very much alive – head up and running, boy did he screech when Bru’ ran him down and grabbed him!

We stopped for a breather then Craig had to leave us to go and get his place ready for some guests. We decided to push on past the big pond, with the dogs putting up a couple of birds in the heavy native – out of range for the guns. Then we crested a small swamp gully with a single tea tree and tiny patch of cover. 3 hen birds ran out as we came over the rise and as we started to talk there was a fair explosion of activity as 2 cocks and 2 hens made their move. Tim and Mitch each dropped a cock – Mick chiming in on Mitch’s bird. We moved back up to the boundary and began to get spanked by the birds again. Heidi locked up hard out of sight on a bird which eventually broke and escaped Mick’s fleeting shot; then birds jumped here and there, always out of sight or range. We circled back around by now all of us were feeling the pinch so made a call to get to the car. Mitch and I worked the river edge and again Bru’ pulled a classic point. We had this bird cold and each of us tip-toed up beside the dog –only for a hen to erupt away and across the river. A fitting final moment for the hunt. Back to the car then the Shanks homestead for a cuppa and to clean the birds. We hit the road at 3 and had a relaxing drive back – Spring is getting closer with the days lengthening, the grass growing thicker and the warmth of the sun improving. A great day for sure on the Little Ruawai preserve.

Lakelands Sunday 25th

Rocked up to Tim’s place just before 6. He didn’t even ask “Gosh, why are you here at 6 Nick, when you normally arrive at 7 and we make good time to Lakelands?” (Rough translation – you stupid barstool, you know your mind clock is f*cked up don’t you?!!!). He just got in the car and away we went. At roughly Te Kauwhata I put 2 & 2 together and realised the error of my ways. No excuse, just for some reason I figured on a 6am leaving time instead of 7. Bizarrrrrrreeeee.

Richard & Guy

So we headed to Huntly (!) for coffee. They do quite good coffee at the Chinese owned bakery in Huntly, so wasn’t overly distressed at the extra travel time or distance. Moccalattefrapachinoswithextrafroth in hand, we looped back and arrived in time to help Guy start the tractor, attach guns trailer and be general good barstools. With brilliantly fine and still weather we knew it would be a long day if we were to achieve the bag (200 birds), and with e retriever trial happening behind the guns it would be even more challenging (handler noise) but still you gotta go to know and so we did!

I "Nose" where dem pheasants is!

We were sharing the gun and Tim got the first drive, contentedly blasting away at passing birds, was all good. I got the roving/walking gun job on the next drive and had some good birds including one poor bugger that came down after I stretched the barrel somewhat, in a helicopter spiral. As we moved down with the beaters towards the line of guns the bird seemed to revive, then jumped up and flew off! Poor old Malcolm and his lab chased off after it, thought he would pop a cork… as it happened the bird had escaped (good luck to it). The birds were flying high and fast and we weren’t exactly wiping them out by any means.

Tim, not wiping them out by any means.

Tim got Tahi’s Wood drive and had a good time there, I got Insoles and put lots of lead in the air for a pukeko and a few pheasants and then Tim excelled with a couple of partridges at Lusitanicus. The guns were good value for sure. As for the retrievers, poor freaken dogs are so over-controlled they really would be hard put to work the swamp. They are not allowed to show any initiative and while they are well under control, I struggle with the outcome. For example if the dog is sent to retrieve a dead bird and a wounded one lands, if the dog switches to the live bird which under normal hunting circumstances is exactly the right thing to do, it gets disqualified. Seems to me to be more about the handler than the dog. Strange and bizarre, not for me. (I like Cally Ralph, the bird hoover who just scoops everything up in sight. To me that’s real retrieving).

Dog handlers

It was a long day... moon was up for the last 2 drives. Final tally: 154 pheasant, 3 partridges (I counted 6 shot, those robot retrievers have a lot to answer for), 2 magpies, a Pukeko and a Rosella parakeet. Had heaps of fun though, and so did Tim.

His Lordship, Guy of Ralphlands

Tim in action: Photo courtesy of  Dig.

Tuna Nui

With a 7.30 dinner booked in, I did wonder how we could possibly leave from Waerenga and arrive in Havelock North given that dickie told me to arrive at his place at 2pm. I got there at 1.15, just to give us a chance. A few cuppas, and a chat on his deck, then me, Helen & Dickie loaded their new Landie and headed off. First stop was at Kawhia’s house to drop off Maya, Helen’s new pup. That part of the trip was super interesting, as we took roads that I always wondered about and we made decent time too. Having dropped off the pup we made decent time through to Taupo, with one distraction caused by a cop who got Dickie doing 123kph. He booked dickie for a 112kph offence instead, and miraculously handed Dickie his license back. Miraculous because his current points balance is 80. Get 100 and it’s all over. Stopping in Taupo at Scenic Cellars for a bottle of plonk and a coffee we ten made good time over the Taupo-Napier Road. No sign of deer, although I kept my eyes peeled in the twilight. We reached our destination at 7.00pm, arriving just as the first mini bus departed for Elephant Hill winery.



                               Helen & Wendell

Our party comprised several new faces including Grant from Hawkes Bay, a bird rearer, Stuart from Perth, a mining exec, Bill from Northland and Wendell from Hibiscus Coast. Jeff and Bridgette from NZ Gamebirds/Tuna Nui were host and hostess. The dinner venue was stunning, the food great and the company interesting. After dinner and a danger-fraught trip back to the motor lodge (“mind the speed-bump whoops BAWOOMPHA!) Guy, Wendell, Stuart and others decided to hit the town. Me, well I hit the hay after watching a bit of soccer with Johnno. My alarm went off at 6.30, so was up showered and ready for brekkie at CJ’s Café (was that BJ’s?), everyone trooping in for variations on the bacon, egg, hash brown theme. Except Guy, he was missing in action.

                                Dickie

Stuart, Johnno & Kevin

Apparently he had texted Bill at 2.30 am about some soccer result. Dickie’s not a brekkie person, so we all gathered to set off to Tuna Nui with Bridgette, and Guy was finally up and about, a deathly pall upon his face, tiny little slitty eyes and Johnno chaperoning him to get a couple of slices of dry toast for breakfast. We hit Tuna Nui by 8.30 and fark it was cold, but with a beautiful still clear day the views were fantastic. Our safety briefing was in a woolshed which may have been the oldest building I ever stepped in (in NZ) and we drew pegs and had a cuppa.
                                                          
                                                        Tuna Nui Woolshed

Andrew who runs the shoot likes to keep things brisk, we were marched in orderly fashion to the pegs on the first drive, with orders to load and begin shooting anything that came our way. I folded the first cock of the day, he came out high and fast and that got the blood pressure and tension down a bit. Down enough to watch Guy shoot a few birds, then turn to a gun minder to watch his gun while he keeled over and retched his guts out.
                                
                                 Have another drink Guy

                               Hunting hounds

                               Wendell, Johnno, Dickie & Tim

Rosie, Helen & Stuart

Bill & Wendell

The Maize drive. Birds come off plateau upper right, guns in valley lower left

Passed out (Muwaaahaha)

After that he retired to the end of the paddock while the guns minders had fun shooting at his share of the birds. Hilarious. Anyway, the day was a mixture of exciting and difficult birds, drives that worked and drives that didn’t, culminating with a drive behind the main homestead where everyone had a deal of fun. Especially when poor Tim (gamekeeper Matingarahi Station) who had had a lean run had a beautiful bird get up and head his way.
Only to fold up in a heap of feathers as she struck the powerlines stretching above and across in front of us! Back to the homestead we went for drinkies and nibbles, where we were served KFP (Kentucky fried pheasant) and pheasant wontons, along with mussels wrapped in bacon and liberal drinks. It was getting cooler by the second as the sun dropped behind the Kaimanawas (Kawekas maybe?) so with final goodbyes Dickie, Helen and me jumped into the car and headed back to the motor lodge. BTW, Guy redeemed himself by shooting superbly for 40+ birds. Of the bag of 212, Guy, Dickie and I shot well over half. The overall shot to bird ratio was 3.7:1, no mean feat considering the quality of the birds.

If I never shoot another shoot again, one day I will return to Tuna Nui.

Long time no post

Plenty of teeth gnashing on the forum. Too bad I'm too busy to care. Will put up some info about Tuna Nui trip later this week and some photos too.

The final weekend

Asked AndyH the question - Ducks? Being the final weekend of the duck hunting season, I would have expected quite a big crew to go along to the ponds. In the event, only dad, Andy and a mate of his did. The swamp was flooded, with water up to the first step. That's always cool to see.

So, email from Andy said:

Yerp.
I got a drake Saturday – small morning flight but the evening was dead. Floods in the swamp – it was very cool. Got up to over the bottom step.

Sunday was good. Mark (workmate) and Dick shot one each early on, Dicks AWOL. I got a spoonie drake (should have had the brace) while they were out retrieving and then later Mark got another drake.

So many birds flying it was insane! Called at least 10 groups around but no takers. One or two missed chances but mostly stayed too high.

Ended the season 343 ducks taken.

Was good.

Positive results

3 am is not a really civilised hour to get out of bed for stuff other than hunting or fishing; so doing it for work really jolted my sense of humour. The 6.30 to Gold Coast wasn’t too bad a flight, but checking in at the hotel @ 9 am Au time to find the room wouldn’t be ready until 2pm was a drag. Anyway, the conference was special for me, I haven’t got absolutely plastered for more years than I can remember, to put the situation in context I watched the rugby and can’t remember the second half of the match at all. Something to do with copious rum. Anyway, got a text from dad that he’s got a limit at the Willow Pond which included shooting a flock of 5 with 2 shots. He got 6 on Sunday as well. Now, more really positive stuff.


The little Ruawai Preserve pheasant syndicate has revolved around Craig’s efforts. He wanted to grow a self sustaining population of pheasants and set about the do-it-yourself-animal-husbandry side of things with help from Tim (heat & lighting), Guy (general advice), James (grunt work) and my humble input was a mercy dash to build a release pen. We all threw in a few bucks and Craig took it on as a project, growing and releasing 400 odd birds.

The growing shed & pen

The main pen

The release pen

Maturing poults

The past weekend was the syndicate’s second shoot day, but given that James had work commitments he snuck in for an earlier hunt. So Tim and his mate Simon nipped down for a day and had a pleasant few hours walking up birds with good results.

Craig & James' day

Craig, Tim & Simon

Portrait

Credits for photos include Craig & James (Empire Safaris).

I reckon Craig’s efforts could easily be a blueprint for those who want to give it a go, and the results speak for themselves.

And my weekend? I don’t remember much after the first half of the All Blacks vs. Wales. Apparently when inebriated I’m a good public speaker. Joke of the day;

“What’s the difference between a debt collector and a flat head? (fish name changed to be meaningful to the ockers).

One’s a bottom dwelling scum sucker, and the other’s a flat head”.

Ho ho, oh the humanity.

I’ve been a bit busy this week: Sunday had a driven day at Lakelands and had a good day although I was tired as, for the short week (the week prior) it was a bloody long 4 days. Saturdays AWF&G meeting added to my ’enlightenment’. We needed to know how the budget and Operational Working Plan ‘hang together’ – i.e. who decides how much, and where funds are being spent. And how to influence fund allocation. All right, so under normal circumstances I would expect that an induction process would be held for new councillors, so that by now (meeting 3) we would really be in the swing of things. But alas, prior to meeting 2, in April, was the time to put forward new initiatives. How? By putting together working papers, gathering momentum at club level (remits) and then pushing forward to council for discussion, then approval or … not. Without that understanding everything could stand still. Frustratingly its 6 months wasted. On the other side of the ledger, it’s been an investment in trying to understand the system. At least now, after a fairly fluent description of historical events and current funding structure, I/we know that there is no money in the till for projects other than those funded by grants, from trusts etc. You could say that F&G block pond holders keep winning and winning. My personal belief is different, I view the hold put over them to be a restriction that I’m glad I don’t face. The budget does have allocation at a $ per rate for overall projects such as “game bird management”, “compliance” etc etc as laid out in Schedule A of the OWP (which is a more detailed view than Schedule B, which is laid out at a level that could be deemed a “public document”). Either way, in my opinion every stake holder who buys a license should make themselves very familiar with this document. So I asked, how does the next grand scheme or idea become a reality from a perspective of gaining approval and/or funding? Well, it all comes down to preparation and the budget calendar. The idea must be put forward, discussed, costed and driven into the central budget, which is then put forward to NZ Council – there is a contestable fund that is badgered for that can cover projects/schemes costing over and above the day to day running costs for “doing business”. Wow. So either deliberately, or unknowingly, we’ve missed an entire budget cycle. Bear in mind here that I didn’t have a grand scheme to contribute or promote, but at least we now know how. On it goes. One neat thing, this week I’ve been doing game bird harvest surveys, as have AJ and Guy. And man, has it been enlightening. Due to my “technological challenges” I’ve managed to screw up their on-line surveys (used wrong survey period, double entered same hunters – doh, doh DOH). But it’s just great to have an excuse to talk with some hardened and some not so hardened hunters. What I can say is that if you have a good spot, put in time and effort (especially time) then good tallies are there for the taking. Some of the really good hunters are keeping bag diaries and can tell date, time, species taken, birds lost – the works. Neat.


Off to gold Coast tomorrow. Work, not fun.

Postmarks

My papers arrived today, postmarked 3rd June. One would normally expect 2 day delivery from NZ Post, which would have landed them in my letterbox Saturday earliest.

Here's some back of napkin scratchings, for those who are interested:

AWF&G Income: $900,000
Wages & Salaries (inc "Superannuation") $461,000 (5 staff).So over half of all income is gone before anything is done. What is done? Projects are done. What projects? Swamp 'refurbishment' projects mostly. Without a much deeper dive, you could say that approximately a million bucks a year are being tipped into swamps. (The swamps that are now closed to hunting). Value for money? You answer that question....

The weekend's weather looked pretty good. Northerly system, wind, rain - the full noise. I met dad at the landing Friday night and we set off, reaching the hut to catch up with Rick and Jason. We set about a meal of fallow in garlic, with a red wine and afterwards set about a bottle of Glenfiddich. God I slept badly. It rained off and on and in no time at all the alrm went. Up for a coffee and biscuits then we loaded the punt and set off for Puru (aka The Graveyard). Not sure how many ducks have been taken there, but of the season total of over 320 birds at least 75% would have come from there. Took forever to set up Rick's 24 dekes, 3 flasher splashers, 2 Pulsators, Robo and wonderduk. Was quite light and almost 7 am beforre all was ready. A few shots here and there. I spotted 4 ducks off near the Crossfire (unattaended) and laid into the hail calls, and they swung towards us. They circled several times before I called the shot and we dropped 3 - all greys. After that we worked hard and added to the bag here and there. We finished with 6 in the bag and unusually for us lost 3 around the place. Paris worked hard but with all the additional water the ducks had plenty of escape routes. Hundreds upon hundreds of swan were around - we were to find out why later... Back to the hut for lunch (game stew) and then we got a vist from the Haywards, Lloyd reporting that there are no ducks up their way so they had gone rooster chasing for nil result. They had moved "100" swan off Pullford's pond, which had scared a bunch more hence the sight of so many around. Jase and me went up to the landing to grab Tim & Quinn and we arrived back to put dekes into Bollocks for their morning hunt. I went across to the night spot for the arvo/evening shoot while Tim & Quinn shot the Prang-dang's pond and the other guys went to (go on, guess) puru. An early burst of activity at about 4.20 saw them get a duck, while I screwed up on a pair. Was quite excited to be buzzed by a brace of spoonies who departed when the others fired (getting a single duck). Then quite a decent lull, before darkness fell and the place livened up. I got a brace that nipped across, then as I was searching for the second bird 2 brace visited but shied away from my head lamp. I didn't find the bird after 15 minutes of searching but decided to visit again in the morning. Back at base we had a great beef randang curry and sat around shooting the breeze. I hit the hay and slept like a baby. The alarm woke us at 5.15 and again we were off to Puru, dad wisely sleeping in. Despite the wind and rain we were buzzed by a single grey which landed behind the maimai. I got it with a dodgy shot past the big oak behind the maimai, narrowly avoiding hitting the trunk. it was the smallest grey I'd ever seen. Took Paris for a wonder to the night spit and found my downed bird from the night before, lying belly up not 5 feet from where I'd been searching. That was it for the day. Tim, Quinn and I pulled out and after cleaning the birds we packed and hit the road at 11, having raised dad from his slumber. Rick and Jase stayed on before deciding to pull the pin at about 1. They moved to AJ's place in the Kopuka and got 7 birds for the arvo.

Well, that's my duck season all but over. A bit light on duck trips but still there's roosters to be had after June and perhaps a goose trip in August.

This is BULLSHIT

It is now officially seven days until the next AWF&G council meeting. Where are my agenda items minutes of previous meeting? By law, they must be here today. They were late last time as well. I know that when I signed up I was told by the guy that was brought in to lead us through resolution of conflicts of interest that to the outside world we must present a united front. Whatever, this is seriously taking the piss and I'm completely f*cked off.

My blog, my view, my words.

This mode of business is a serious constraint on getting anything serious done. I'm not interested in how to deliver flyers to farmers. I'm not interested in some poultry farm being visited by wild ducks. That shit is operational and should be handled by staff... but how the hell are we supposed to do anything about policy?

If asked what AWF&G "is doing" or "has achieved", all I can say is they've dug a bunch of holes in the Eastern Whangamarino, along the way somehow acquiring a tractor.

Oh, and the holes are too close together. No one will get any shooting.

6 Greys

Pop's total today was 6 Greys. Could it be that they are moving with the fresh water flushing the swamp? He said he fired 8 shots, 2 were to knock over wounded birds on the water. He finished his limit yesterday as well.

Roll on friday night.

303

Dad txted that he had 4 birds down and had missed a few more. Something along the lines of "I'm shooting like sh*t".

Yeah.