Alex Broad – A pack for every task
Hunters Element has an extensive range of packs suitable for most hunting situations.
Our packs range from simple small pouches for your belt right up to a 45l fully adjustable pack suitable for fly camping or carrying out a bit of meat.
All these packs have been designed for different purposes and different styles of hunting in mind. In this blog post I will go through our packs and their features to try and help you choose the right pack for you.
Something we should all keep in mind when choosing a pack is size. Is this pack going to be big enough for all my gear? Or is this pack too big? Will I just end up filling it up with extra stuff Im not going to use? In every hunting party there is always one guy who brings the small pack, I’m not sure if these people do it on purpose, but I often end up carrying my mate’s food, jacket etc. Time for a smaller pack.
On the other hand a pack that is too small can be a right pain in the backside, often you over fill the smaller packs, causing them to bulge and become less comfortable as well as become less streamlined, catching up on bush etc, you place undue strain on zips and stitching, and worst of all you may have to leave some precious meat behind because you can’t fit it in.
The smallest gear carrying system we offer are our Edge Belt pouches. These come in 2 sizes and are designed to be worn on your hunting belt with your knife and perhaps a packable raincoat. Both size options have divided storage space and bullet loops. Big enough for your GPS, Epirb, a bit of food, compass, ammo, camera and basically all the small extra stuff you usually carry.
The next size option up is our Topo Belt bag. This streamlined compact bum bag has 2 pockets for gear organisation. A large main pocket with internal pockets and bullet loops and a smaller external pocket for small items like your keys etc. The small pocket also has a fold out blaze orange patch for safety when in the bush. The Topo bum bag has a comfortable air mesh padded section to keep your lower back cool and comfortable. The waist straps are fully adjustable on both sides and we have included compression straps to help secure and stabilise your load.
From here we start to venture into backpack territory. The smallest backpack in our range is the Vertical. With 15l of capacity this pack is perfect for day hunts when you’d rather carry out your quarry whole. A foam flow harness design keeps your back comfortable and cool with plenty of adjustment to fit a wide range of body sizes. The Vertical pack has 2 compartments, a large main compartment for your big items and a smaller front compartment for those extra little things. The smaller front compartment has mesh pockets inside to further organise all your bits and pieces so you know exactly where everything is. The Vertical pack includes a water bladder compartment and a blaze orange rain cover, making the pack very water resistant and keeping you visible in the bush.
The next pack in the range is our Saddle. This is a convertible back pack that lets the user decide whether they would like a bumbag or a 25l day pack. These are really popular with guys who don’t carry a whole lot of gear, but like to have the option of extending their pack to carry a bit of meat out when they get lucky. This pack has the capability of carrying a water bladder, also has our blaze orange rain cover and a fully adjustable waist belt, shoulder straps and chest strap.
The Terrace is a basic 25l day pack with our foam flow harness system. The foam flow harness keeps your back cool and comfortable while not adding a whole lot of bulk and weight. The Terrace has been cleverly designed with a large opening into the main compartment so you can find what you want when you need it. It also includes a small top pocket for important bits that you like to get at quickly. There is a small front slash pocket, ideal spot for your damp raincoat and 2 side organiser pockets both of which have a variety of different sized mesh pockets inside to further organise all your important smaller gear items. Like all our packs the Terrace includes water bladder capability and a blaze orange rain cover.
Our Contour pack has had a recent overhaul. Based around the Terrace design but scaled up in terms of durability, comfort and features. Still at 25l we have added a rifle holder, a small spotting scope / bino padded pocket, a bow / extra gear carrying system and our Air flow rigid harness. The Air flow harness pushes your pack away from your back giving you a generous air gap to keep your back cool, but also stabilises your load and enables you to carry more weight comfortably. The rifle holder can be used without taking your pack on and off, we have made a video showing this, check it out here: Of course this pack also has our standard blaze rain cover and water bladder compartment.
Next we jump up in size and offer the Elevation and Peak packs. These are essentially the same pack but in 2 size offerings. The Elevation is a 35l pack while the Peak adds an extra 10l of capacity at 45l. These are a tall slim style pack ideal for pushing through that tight sub alpine scrub. Both packs are a simple top loading design, with a top hood on the pack which includes 2 smaller pockets for your important gear. We have included our slash pocket on the front, an ice axe holder, a rifle scabbard and gear straps on the bottom of the pack. These packs have been designed with the alpine hunter in mind, but are also suitable for fly campers on quick over night hunts. The blaze rain cover and water bladder compartment are also included in these packs. The biggest innovation in these packs is our fully adjustable harness. This harness is an improved version of our air flow harness. The length is adjustable for a variety of back sizes and the hip belt is also adjustable to fit a variety of different hip shapes. This harness also holds your load off your back, but keeps it stable and secure at the same time.
As you can see Hunters Element has an extensive range of packs covering a wide variety of hunting situations. All Hunters Element Packs are lined with a blue nylon fabric, not only does this extra layer increase the strength of our packs but also makes finding things inside your pack really easy, it makes the interior of the packs much lighter and easier to see dark items.
Hopefully you can now choose a pack that is right for you, if any of you have any questions or just want to have a chat about any of our products give us a ring (04) 238 2823 or flick us an email: alex@evolveoutdoors.co.nz
Alex Broad – What are we wearing? Outer layers
In a layering system the outer most layer or shell is our primary defense against the elements. At Hunters Element we call this our Barrier layer for obvious reasons.
Just like the rest of the layers in our clothing system we need to choose an outer layer that suits us and our style of hunting. Bush stalkers want something quiet, alpine guys want something durable and light and duck shooters want camo.
Hunters Element has developed a wide range of Barrier layers to suit every hunting situation. We believe your Barrier layer should be carried with you at all times, not only is your jacket there to keep you dry, but it could save your life if something turns pear shaped. We like to think of these as a survival tool. To be carried at all times, but only worn when needed.
Barrier layers need to be packable, light weight, quick drying, breathable and most importantly waterproof. Most Hunters Element Barrier layers are made using 3 layer laminated fabrics. This means there is an outer layer of fabric, a waterproof / breathable membrane and an inner layer all sandwiched together. The Inner layer is a tricot fabric that is primarily there to protect the membrane from wear on the inside of the garment. It also helps to add a bit of strength to the fabric so its less likely to tear or rip. Here is a diagram showing how the 3 layer fabrics are built up. This diagram also shows perspiration and heat passing through the fabric and rain stopping at the outer layer:
The membrane in our jackets is an extremely thin layer with millions of tiny microscopic holes in it. These holes are small enough that a “solid water molecule” cannot penetrate the membrane, however they are also large enough so that a “water vapor molecule” (which in its gas form is much much smaller) can pass through. Making the fabric waterproof and breathable. The trade off with these membranes is that they are extremely fragile. Gorse, matagouri and blackberry are your worst nightmare, easily puncturing the membrane and causing it to leak. Here is a microscopic photo taken of a waterproof / breathable membrane like the ones we use in our jackets:
We have tried our hardest to combat the membranes fragile nature with a variety of outer face fabrics in our jackets, however we are constantly trying to tread the fine line between durability and stealth. A heavy durable outer face fabric is noisy, while a nice soft quiet one isn’t very durable. We have several options in our Barrier layer range, from a nice soft jacket for bush hunters, a durable lightweight fabric that dries very quickly but is a tad noisy and our flag ship XTR Hydrafuse PacStealth fabric, which is a combination of quietness, durability, pack-ability and the ability to dry very quickly. Its hard choosing a jacket that is right for you, so we have developed this chart showing all our jackets and their attributes to help choose a jacket that is best for your hunting:
We will be looking into our jackets in more depth in coming blog posts, as well as introducing a few new garments we will be offering this hunting season.
Alex Broad – What are we wearing? Mid Layers
Everyone is different and everyone needs different things out of their hunting gear. Mid layers are where you customize your hunting clothing to suit you.
Mid layers are there to control your temperature. There are many options for mid layers, from a basic fleece tee to a highly technical soft shell garment. All these will give you different amounts of insulation. The trick is finding what suits you and works in your hunting situations. At Hunters Element we call our Mid layer garments our Furnace layer, think of it as your own personal thermostat.
Common sense prevails when choosing what mid layers you will wear for each hunt. If you’re sitting on exposed ridges or in a damp mai mai, you will want a few layers or 1 thick one to provide the right amount of comfort and warmth, the opposite if you’re busting your guts in steep country chasing pigs.
Your mid layer needs to wick moisture, much like your base layer does. To keep your body dry and warm you need to draw the moisture from your base layer to the mid layer, then into the atmosphere. A mid layer treated with DWR (durable water repellent) won’t do this. DWR treatments are designed to inhibit the fabric from absorbing moisture, this stops the wicking process in its tracks, leaving your base layer soaking wet. If you then sit down to glass on a cold exposed ridge, you chill off real quick. Because the moisture is trapped at the base layer level, it chills your core. This can lead to an uncomfortable hunt at the very least, or in extreme cases hypothermia. Ive made a couple of very basic animations to help describe how this works:
Base layer shown in light grey, Furnace mid layer shown in yellow. This animation shows a Furnace layer with DWR treatment:
Base layer shown in light grey, Furnace mid layer shown in yellow. This animation shows a Furnace layer with no DWR treatment:
Most cheap fleece garments, especially the ones sold in packs are DWR treated to inhibit the amount of rain and water these garments retain, unfortunately this oversight leads to a slimy, sweaty uncomfortable garment when you’ve been doing a bit of work and the sweats come on.
Hunters Element currently offers 1 dedicated mid layer garment, the Ascend top. It’s a highly technical fleece garment with good wicking ability. This garment is specifically designed to be worn over a base layer and under an outer layer if the weather is less than desirable. The Ascend top is a medium weight fleece, you can throw another layer under or over it to increase your level of insulation. Specific areas of this garment have been designed with new ultra high wicking fabrics to wick sweat where it’s needed most, under arms etc. The main body of this garment utilizes a brushed fleece fabric to insulate your core and keep you warm.
While Hunters Element only offers 1 dedicated mid layer garment at present, we do have many cross over garments. These can be used not only as a mid layer but also as an outer layer. These garments are generally windblock soft shell or fleece, and use a laminated 3 layer fabric. The fabric these garments are made from is 100% waterproof, however the fuzzy fleece inside layer, designed for warmth, can’t be seam sealed. This makes these garments shower resistant and not suitable for heavy downpours.
The versatility of these garments creates a more compact hunting kit and enables you use one garment for a large variety of hunting situations. The Hunters Element Core soft shell is our flagship windblock garment. This piece of clothing is designed to be worn everywhere, the fabric consists of a high loft fleece interior for insulation, a waterproof / breathable membrane and a close knit soft shell outer layer which sheds water with ease. Clever seam placement minimizes water entry, combine this with huge underarm zips to expel heat and you have one of the most versatile all round hunting garments on the market.
Hunters Element also has a new windblock garment due for release this hunting season. The Rugged Bush Coat is highly technical windblock fleece garment whose design is based around the classic swannie. A long cut, large chest pocket, large front zip and a fully adjustable hood all work together to create a hunting garment for the hard core hunters. Designed with warmth and stealth in mind this garment will work well as a Barrier layer in mild weather conditions as well as a heavy mid layer in those extreme conditions we have all become used to while hunting in New Zealand.
Also due for release this hunting season are our new box sets of fleece clothing. No we aren’t jumping on the cheap bulk clothing band wagon, our garments use a variety of top quality fleeces, incorporate features our customers have asked for and are constructed from proper fitting patterns. Our set includes the Dryarse pants, Techincal mans micro tee, Hardmans heavy fleece tee, the Spare Pocket bush shirt and a beanie. This set covers you form head to toe in top quality mid layer fleece garments at an affordable rate. We have not sacrificed quality so we can jam a few extra useless pieces into our packs, instead we concentrated on top quality fabrics and useful garments that are built to last. After all what use is a porcelain mug in your hunting kit?
Mid layers are predominantly there for insulation, however there are many cross over garments that can be utilized in a variety of situations. The key is finding what mid layers work for you and teaming these up with a good quality base layer and a good quality barrier layer, next post Ill look at Barrier layers, how they work and what they should be used for.
Alex Broad – What are we wearing? Base layers
Arguably the most important part of a hunting kit is what you’re wearing. From your head to your toes, every bit of gear is as important to the next and can make or break your trip into the hills.
At the core of every clothing system is your base layer. Whatever you choose make sure it functions as you need it too. A good base layer fits well, is comfortable and most importantly wicks moisture. The wicking ability alone is enough to keep you comfortable for hours on the hill in miserable weather or the opposite, cold and damp. The design team here at Evolve has had plenty of experience hunting all across NZ in a variety of conditions while wearing a variety of gear. One thing has stood out, there are good base layers and there are some not so good. There are some suitable for the 10 acre townie farmer which won’t be any good for the southern alps thar hunter. Unfortunately the marketing machines behind some brands will have you believe otherwise.
A good base layer will wick moisture off your skin and transport it through to the outer layers of clothing. This ensures you are dry, which also keeps you cool in the summer, warm in the winter and minimises painful chaffing and discomfort.
These days we are feed all sorts of jargon about base layers. There are many converts preaching the benefits of natural fibres vs. synthetic fibres; however the key argument clearly is in favour of synthetic fibres. If your hunting in damp conditions or working hard and sweating you need something to keep your skin dry, natural fibres just won’t do this. By holding onto and absorbing moisture, natural fibres will keep you damp and cold, they will make your waterproof / breathable jacket feel as though it leaks and is clammy, they will also chill you to the core if you stop on an exposed ridge for a quick glass and not to mention gain weight by absorbing moisture, leaving you carrying unnecessary weight and even more stuffed at the end of a long day.
The one area where natural fibres have traditionally exceeded synthetic fibres is smell. Sure in the past your old poly props have probably stunk to high heaven after a few days in the bush, but these days there are many treatments applied to synthetic fibres which are often superior in reducing the stench retained in the garments. “Aegis” is a new treatment which treats the synthetic fibres on a microscopic level to eliminate odour. The Aegis treatment will not wash out and has been proven worldwide to work extremely well.
The Hunters Element Prime Winter range of base layers is treated with not only Aegis anti bacterial treatments but also a wicking agent to improve the fabrics natural ability to wick moisture.
The fabric used in the Prime Winter range has been designed with a special waffle weave interior; this is brushed to increase its wicking ability as well as create a small parcel of air which insulates your body keeping you warm. The exterior is cleverly woven to increase its surface area, this not only promotes wicking but also the fabrics ability to transport the moisture off your skin, into the fabric and then away from the fabric and into the next layer or into the air, leaving your base layer dry and more importantly you dry.
The Prime Winter has been cleverly designed to eliminate seams on pressure points and also utilises flat lock stitching to further reduce pressure and discomfort caused by seams.
The Prime Winter range has been designed to keep you dry and warm; however we don’t always want to be warm. On a hot day the last thing you’re thinking about is keeping warm, this is where the Prime Summer range comes into play. These garments have been designed much like the Prime Winter with wicking and comfort in mind, however a slightly looser fit and designed to take the sweat off your body, keep the sun off your body, and also provide an evaporative cooling effect to help keep you cool.
The Prime Summer is also treated with the Aegis anti bacterial treatments and the wicking treatments to further its performance as a base layer. Check out the Prime Summer range here:
So there you go, a base layer for every situation. The key part of every hunting kit, well designed and thought out to cover all your bases.
Alex Broad – Reflection and Planning
The start of another year is here, this for most of us makes us think about the year ahead and what we want to achieve.
With the Roar only 2 months away for me, this is a good opportunity to finalise any planning and really get the ball rolling on some of those “trips” that have been up in air for a while.
It’s a good time to reflect on what you did last year, what worked and what didn’t, how you’re going to increase the enjoyment you get out of hunting and how you may or may not change what you do.
Last year I didn’t get out for the roar at all due to an inconsiderate mate deciding to get married at the other end of the country smack in the middle of it, and me being too disorganised to sort out a hunt while down there.
This year however a trip has been planned, but not into a usual haunt. Instead into new country none of us have hunted much before. In order to be successful we started planning this trip a month or 2 ago. Booked the bach, started talking to hunters in the area, deciding what gear we will need to take in with us and drawing on past experiences in order to know what to expect.
Sounds like pretty elementary stuff, but you’d be surprised what you can dig up just by doing a bit of research. The old saying “Plan for the worst and expect the best” is something to keep in mind.
Reflecting on past trips and experiences can be invaluable when planning a trip away. Remembering what happened last time you were in that part of the country at that time of year? From memory last time we had a quick walk in this block, we wouldn’t have gone more than 100m into it before we found some pretty impressive stag sign. Mental note: take it quietly on the boundary. Sometimes you’re reflecting on what you carried in with you. Mental note: 60 cans of beer were unnecessary. Other times you reflect on the gear you were using. Mental note: Froze my backside off on that flash expensive bed roll 2 years ago in a frost. Or it might be something simple like not roaring at a deer just because you “think” it’s a spiker and will be fun to wind up. Mental note: spikers can sometimes turn into quite massive trophies never to be seen again in the fading light.
This year a good mate from school will be joining us. It will be his first Roar. A relatively inexperienced hunter, we need to keep in mind what we were like when we first started hunting. Buck fever is something that comes to mind, it can make or break a hunt. It can be a catalyst in a situation where a bad decision leads to a lifetime of regret. Too many people are injured or killed in New Zealand’s bush. However if we are aware of where others have gone wrong, we can learn and prepare ourselves so things like this never have to happen again.
Finally the gear we use, how did this go last year? In your kit was there anything you could have used? Anything that’s worn out and needs replacing? Or perhaps anything that failed and led to a less than enjoyable time in the hills?
The time to get yourself organised is now, start thinking about your trip away this roar, not how big or how many deer you’re going to shoot but rather the finer details, these all compound to give you a good time.
In the next blog entry Ill look at the beginnings of a good hunting kit, and possibly the most important part of everyone’s kit, what you’re wearing.
Alex Broad – This has to be seen!
If you ever wanted to hunt in Africa, or go mountain biking over there, you’d better check this vid out:
And always wear a helmet……….
Alex Broad – Boxers or Briefs?
We can harp on about layering systems, base layers, wicking etc all we want, but the simple fact is most of us are not wearing technical underwear to match the technical base layers we throw on over the top.
The 5 packs of cotton underwear we often receive at Christmas don’t do our base layers justice when we are out and about in hills. Cotton absorbs moisture leaving us damp, uncomfortable and often chaffed.
Hunters Element is about to remedy this, but before we can release some technical underwear we need to know what do our customers prefer, tight fitting sport style boxer shorts or briefs?
Leave us a comment below with your vote.
Alex Broad – Sambar hunting
Sorry its taken a while to back to you guys about my first foray into Sambar country.
While not a successful trip, I learnt a lot.
Sambar live in horrible thick crap, they are big, they have small hooves, they have massive turds, they can fit through some pretty small holes in the thick crap they live in, they make a huge amount of noise crashing through the thick crap they live in when you spook one, and they will hold pretty tight until you get almost on top of them, this generally induces heart stopping pulse rates and for those of you with weak bowels……. you can fill in the blank.
Here are a few pics I managed to snap of the environment:
The beginning of an old Sambar trail on the boundary, this hadn’t been touched in a week or so, which probably coincided with the cows being put into the paddock on the boundary:
Sambar bed in the long grass:
Sambar rub on a cabbage tree:
Sambar bed under a flax bush:
A Sambar turd:
The veiw from inside a Sambar tunnel through the flax, I had to crawl through these on hands and knees:
The veiw from up the cabbage tree, everything you see out there is head height and thick, not so great for stalking in:
So that was my first attempt and knocking over one of these beasts, I will definitely be back for sure.
Alex Broad – Sambar Hunting???
So Ive been lucky enough to be invited to tag along on a friends Sambar hunt on the weekend. He was lucky enough to draw a DOC block in the Manawatu.
Ive never hunted Sambar before, but have bumped into one while hunting another species of deer, they are pretty big!
I have no idea what to expect or how to do it, so if any one out there has any tips or pointers post a comment. Any help I can get will be greatly received.
And hopefully after the weekend, a few pics and a story to follow this up.
Cheers,
Alex.
Alex Broad – Andrew Becomes A Man
It had been a very very long time since I had last been hunting and I was in need of some recoil therapy.
My fishing Buddy Andrew happened to know a top bloke over in the wairarapa who was running a farm that was infested with goats and the odd deer. A few phone calls and Michael, the manager, was more than happy to take us out for a look around the farm.
Andrew hadn’t hunted before but was keen as mustard to get amongst it and see what it was all about. The first mission was to see if the resident mob of reds were home, No luck there, so we continued on spying a few goats here and there, but after a recent bomb up they were pretty sketchy.
It wasn’t long before we were set up shooting across a gully at a small mob in the gorse. Michael quickly secured his first goat, quickly followed by myself, then it was Andrews turn. I thrust the rifle into his hands and got him lined up on his target. ”how hard does it kick?” I replied with “hold it tight, you’ll know when its gone off. The triggers pretty light too”. Andrew let rip and knocked over his first goat, he was stoked to say the least. A tricky shot, with the wind howling up the gully and Andrew resting over his knees.
We carried on finding ourselves in a similar situation shooting across another gully, a few more goats secured, when out of the blue I noticed a tan “goat” walking up the ridge opposite us. I brought the rifle up only to see that it was a lone fallow hind. Michael had been working on this farm for only a couple months and hadn’t seen any fallow yet, but was absolutely wrapped to spy this one. He gave me the all clear to let her have the good news, but she must have known what was going on, she carried on up the ridge without stopping and didn’t give me a shot.
We headed off the long way home and stopped to bomb up another mob in some pines, another goat each, a quick photo and a reminder of how much Ongaonga hurts!
Andrew was wrapped with his first hunt, and now he can officially call himself a man.
Good on ya mate!
Furnace Layer: Ascend Top Is Here!
Made from a combination of AltusTM 225gm micro fleece and hi wicking ForceTM 4-way stretch fabric. This garment features a technical semi fitted pattern designed to minimise heat loss and promote maximum wicking ability. Force fabric has been placed in the high sweat areas to increase moisture transfer and decrease garment drying time. AltusTM 225gm micro fleece has been used in strategic areas to maximise warmth.
- Zippered chest pocket with locking slider
- Low profile thumb holes
- Longer length cut
- ForceTM wicking fabric
- AltusTM 225gm micro fleece
- Light weight and durable
- Resists odor causing bacteria
Colour: Frost green
AVAILABLE NOW! RRP $54.95
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Insulation Layer – Mid layer – Warmth management
Warm
Durable
Quick drying
High loft
Low odor
High breathability
DWR
Furnace Layer is the mid layer, the sole intention of which is to give you insulation/warmth. You can add more than one layer here to adjust your body temperate to the desired level. The key qualities for this layer are that it does not restrict the moisture transfer from your Prime Layer to the atmosphere. Furnace products are suitable to be worn with or without a Barrier Layer depending on the conditions and use. Furnace products are semi fitted so they will layer comfortably. As this layer is often used without another layer on top it is important to have good sized, strategically located, zipped pockets.
Alex Broad – Some northern hemisphere deer
I recently got an email from an old mate who now resides in London. He’s not a hunter but misses the outdoors and the rural lifestyle we are so lucky to have in NZ.
He recently snapped this pic on a bike ride:
30 mins bike ride from the centre of London, in Richmond park.
Something we don’t get to see very often or experience in NZ. Would be pretty cool to have a few roaming round the botanical gardens…………
Amy Marshall – My first Thar hunt
We headed down south for my 1st Tahr Hunt and into to some nasty looking weather. After a smooth drive in we set about defrosting the cold concrete hut with a trailer load full of fire wood.
The 1st day out hunting was marginal weather with some horizontal snow to keep us company. We were looking for a good spot for lunch in a creek bed when out wandered an old nanny, I am not sure if she saw us or was moving at top speed (crawling pace) but Aaron soon had his 1st Tahr of the trip. Later after looking at her horns we discovered she was about 16 years old! If only she had been a bull!
We headed back to the hut via the bluffs and spotted a few more Tahr above us, I did a good job of educating them with a couple of wayward shots, but they didn’t seem to concerned and slowly wandered up the bluffs and over the ridgeline.
The next day the weather was even worse, with snow falling and the wind blowing. After a day spent feeding wood into the fire we decided to go out for a walk mid-afternoon. I put on all the clothes I had bought with me and we wandered up a ridge above a creek bed. As we were heading up Brad spotted a Tahr on the opposite side of the creek and called me over to take the shot.
I lay in the snow, rested my rifle on my pack and lined up the shot, I hit it in the shoulder but it kept running a short distance, on advice from the boys I gave it a couple more to make sure, the last one an attempt to get it to roll down the bluff to the creek bed.
The animal stopped, unfortunately at the top of the bluff, if only it had made life easy and fallen into the creek!
But I was stoked! I had my 1st Tahr, and on my 1st trip too! I waited up top while Ian went across to recover the animal. While he was climbing down into the creek and we were taking some photos Aaron noticed another Tahr very near where my one lay, he quickly dispatched of that one which obliged us by tumbling on its own accord into the creek bed.
We all dropped into the creek to recover the animals just as the wind picked up and wrapped us up in a blizzard of snow.
Where I shot my Tahr (across the creek to the bluffs above)
My first Tahr! A young Bull
If you look closely you can see my Tahr (to the left), and Aarons Tahr looking back at us!
Not the best weather, but still a great trip
Alex Broad – Ducks and Roosters
You will have read last week that Rob and I were heading up the line for a bit of an assault on the local game bird population with our mate Dave.
The reports leading up to opening day were positive, plenty of ducks on the pond. As usual they all disappear a week or so out from opening day. Opening day came around, rain and little wind, the decoy spread looked great and the hide was well dressed. The only thing lacking was the ducks. We managed 4 for the morning, thats right just 4. After a feed and a regroup at the local we ventured out for the evening shot, it was even quieter, just 2 birds down. We put it down to everything being so wet, which disperses the ducks out into puddles in paddocks etc. We put the Genaration 4 XTR Jackets and Trousers to the test in the rain, they performed flawlessly as part of our layering system. For a whole days shooting we remained dry and comfortable, quite important when theres nothing coming in.
Sunday dawned fine, but windy, surely the pond would shoot better today? Nope, a handful of ducks came in and were dispatched for the morning. Another feed and regroup at the local and it was decided we were going head up to The Hunters Paradise to give the owner Shane a hand with the pukekos.
We pushed them into a pond choked up with Raupo and sent the dogs in. The pukes came out in 1′s over about 1/2 an hour or so, which provided some great shooting. In the middle of all this a pheasant came a long to check out the commotion, Rob and I flushed him out of the fence line and I had my first pheasant.
Shane offered us a shot on a few more pheasants, so we went for a wee wander through the crops, we put up plenty of birds, leaving the hens and only downing another 2 cocks.
We also put up 3 big red hinds, an awesome sight, they had been getting into the crops, and it showed!
This style of shooting was perfect for our prime summer range of clothing. We hunted all afternoon in the prime summer, XTR gaiters and Razorback boots. The prime summer wicked the sweat, and blocked most of the wind, leaving us dry and warm, but not too hot when we had to slog up the hills.
The Hunters Paradise is a registered pheasant preserve, and offers a different shooting experience to most of the other preserves. It is purely walked up hunting, you can bring your own dog and Shane runs several different pricing structures to make it affordable for everyone. Thanks again Shane, it was a great experience. Have a look at Shane’s website here:
From here Rob and I traveled further up the line to meet up with another mate, Kerry, for some pheasant shooting on public land. This was a totally different experience from the preserve.
We had to really work for the birds, but it was extremely rewarding. The first day we put up 2 cocks, and knocked them both over. Kerry’s dogs worked really well all day, and were so stuffed they had to be lifted in and out of the truck at the end of it. The next day we hunted a different public area, only putting up 1 cock, which we just couldn’t hit…………..He’s a touch wiser now. Cheers Kerry for sharing your spots with us, we will definitely be back next year!
So that was our opening mission, ducks weren’t there but the roosters were fantastic. We’d love to hear how everyone else got on, just post a comment below and let us know.
Cheers
Alex.
Alex Broad – Opening Day!
Thats right, opening day is tomorrow and I know we are all getting excited for another season of cold, wet, windy, early mornings.
This year I’m tagging along with Rob on his annual opening day tradition. This will be my first proper opening day shoot, and I’m really looking froward to it. The pond has been well fed and the duck numbers, I’m told, are pretty good.
We’ll be on the road and stuck in mai mai’s for the next few days, but will keep the blog updated when we can.
Good luck to all our followers, don’t drink too much, keep your powder dry and may your barrels be hot!
Cheers,
Alex.
Alex Broad – Nik Gibson’s 7 point stag
I recently received some pics and a very brief description of Niks most recent hunt.
Nik has been a good mate for years and has recently taken up Bow Hunting while living in West Oz. What can I say, he has taken to it like a duck to water!
This is his first bow shot NZ red stag, a 7 pointer, shot at 28 yards in open country.
Well done Mate!
Keep it up and keep sending me pics.
Alex Broad – XTR Generation 4 has arrived!
We have just received our 2011 shipment of Frost Green XTR jackets and trousers, the latest XTR design (generation 4) is an entirely new direction for hunting wet weather gear.
Realtree APG XTR Jackets and Trousers arrive mid March. We will have full details on www.hunterselement.com by friday 11 Feb.
Alex Broad – The New Contour Pack – Scabbard Preview
Our latest shipment of hunting packs has just arrived, these packs have been redesigned and reworked following lots of feedback.
We have made the packs stronger, rearranged a few things to make them easier to use as well as introducing a couple of new ones to fill some gaps in our range. We hope to have our full range of new packs on our website in the next couple of days.
Here is a short preview video showing the new Contour pack and its redesigned rifle scabbard in use.
With a bit of practice its quick and easy to get your rifle on and off your pack without having to take the pack off your back.
Alex Broad – Norsewood and districts school, “Take a kid Hunting and fishing comp”
We recently received a letter of thanks and a few pics from the organizers, Stuart and Pete, of the “Take a Kid Hunting and Fishing competition” for the Norsewood and districts school.
It looks like they had a lot of fun and a heap of entries,
Well done guys, it was a pleasure to hook you up with some sponsorship, we hope your competition continues to grow.
Robert Wilson
Alex Broad
zanemirfin
James Morris
jamespearse
Bish
mickgibbo
Andrew Sturt
