- Joined
- Aug 8, 2012
- Messages
- 302
Ladies & Gentleman!
I have enjoyed feeling part of your adventures here and wanted to share one of my own.
Around mid-2015 I decided that I would organise a big hunting trip for my 30th birthday the following year. After some consideration, I decided the enter the New Zealand Wapiti ballot to try my luck. I decided that regardless of the outcome, I would still go to NZ and do a free range hunt of some sort. I called two of my closest friends who are also my hunting buddies and explained the plan They could not have been more excited about the idea. The three of us entered the ballot. Eventually the day of the draw came and I was pretty excited BOOM! We drew the Stillwater Block 2nd period! One of my top picks!
This is what Fiordland looks like (Home of the only free range Wapiti/Elk herd in the Southern Hemisphere)
I called my friends and we got excited. We started to meet up weekly and go over plan, preparation and training. The hills/mountains and forest were going to be one of the greatest challenges of our lives and I wanted to make sure we were all ready for it. I made contact with the hunters going into the same block for the other two periods and also the team going in at the same time. I researched and read everything I could find on Elk/Wapiti and made several calls and enquiries to make the best possible plans. One hunter I spoke with had drawn that block 3 times and gave me a huge amount of info. I priced up Helicopter drop-ins and made plans A through E by pouring over topographical maps and hunting reports I stepped up my daily training routine. We were going to be as ready for this adventure as we possibly could be.
Gear Dump
I organised a preparation hunt in the Alpine National Park in Victoria, Australia. We hunt Sambar deer (Third biggest species behind Elk/Wapiti). I had done a 6 day backpack hunt in the mountains for Sambar the year before but never pushed very far. This time, I wanted to test my gear and my fitness.
To be continued...
I have enjoyed feeling part of your adventures here and wanted to share one of my own.
Around mid-2015 I decided that I would organise a big hunting trip for my 30th birthday the following year. After some consideration, I decided the enter the New Zealand Wapiti ballot to try my luck. I decided that regardless of the outcome, I would still go to NZ and do a free range hunt of some sort. I called two of my closest friends who are also my hunting buddies and explained the plan They could not have been more excited about the idea. The three of us entered the ballot. Eventually the day of the draw came and I was pretty excited BOOM! We drew the Stillwater Block 2nd period! One of my top picks!
This is what Fiordland looks like (Home of the only free range Wapiti/Elk herd in the Southern Hemisphere)
I called my friends and we got excited. We started to meet up weekly and go over plan, preparation and training. The hills/mountains and forest were going to be one of the greatest challenges of our lives and I wanted to make sure we were all ready for it. I made contact with the hunters going into the same block for the other two periods and also the team going in at the same time. I researched and read everything I could find on Elk/Wapiti and made several calls and enquiries to make the best possible plans. One hunter I spoke with had drawn that block 3 times and gave me a huge amount of info. I priced up Helicopter drop-ins and made plans A through E by pouring over topographical maps and hunting reports I stepped up my daily training routine. We were going to be as ready for this adventure as we possibly could be.
Gear Dump
I organised a preparation hunt in the Alpine National Park in Victoria, Australia. We hunt Sambar deer (Third biggest species behind Elk/Wapiti). I had done a 6 day backpack hunt in the mountains for Sambar the year before but never pushed very far. This time, I wanted to test my gear and my fitness.
To be continued...
:thumbup:
