Bruce Hunts Aotearoa: Where's The Tahr?
It was the last weekend of July and we had only managed one Tahr for the rut and although it was my biggest bull to date it was nothing to write home about. That being said, Tom and myself planned another trip in a nearby valley with the hope that he too could put a bull on the ground.
A quick call had Trout on a plane and it didn't take much to convince newbie hunter MJ to give Tahr hunting another go.
An early rise put us halfway up the hill as the sun rose and it wasn't long before the glass was out. After a few hours of fruitless efforts, MJ and myself made the call to move and met up with the others on another ridge looking out over a promising looking face.
MJ having a cuppa after an hour or so of fruitless glassing.
With four sets of eyes searching it didn't take long to find a mob of nannies and a few bulls feeding their way down the face. I pulled the spotting scope out and started searching for a decent bull that would leave us happy with this years rut.
Tahr through the spotting scope. The bull in question on the right.
The Tahr were moving quickly and it made for hard work evaluating the bulls. By this stage the Tahr had moved to the valley floor and were moving toward a steep grassy face that we could get opposite of providing a short 200m shot to the furthest point on the face. This was our chance.
The boys making their way around the hill
A group of Tahr moving around the face. They can be so hard to spot in country like this.
Tom & Trout closing the distance toward the end of the ridge. The Tahr were moving around the face in the background.
Tom & Trout closing the distance toward the end of the ridge. The Tahr were moving around the face in the background.
We dropped down and sidled toward what we thought would be an ideal shooting position. Half an hour later we were set up and the Tahr started appearing on the grassy face. As the bulls walked on to the face, Tom and I studied them and made the call that one was worth shooting.
A well placed shot high in the shoulder dropped the Bull where he stood and the steep terrain carried him far down the face out of site. Wicked, a Bull on the ground.
Trout and MJ were sitting around to our right and decided to take another to fill the freezer.
From here a plan was made to retrieve the animals and get back up the hill before darkness set in. During the steep descent to the river I slipped on a rock and promptly rammed it into my right cheek. This left pain and later a lot of bruising.
A black and white shot showing the shear steepness of the terrain.
Once at the creek we located the animals, both had landed together on the side of the creek, so we dropped our gear and headed over the water with camera, torches and knives.
Tom, Trout & MJ with Toms Bull
As a momento for a beaut day hunting with the lads Tom asked if I could skin his Tahr so he could get it tanned. The horns measured 11.5 inches, this wasn't the big bull we were hoping for but it was Toms first bull and was going to make great patties for the freezer. The four of us made quick work of butchering the animals and managed to get back over the creek just on dark.
That grin shows the stoke of a successful days hunting
Now began the long slog over the hill and back to the ute. By 10pm there were four lads with grins on their faces, happy after another day in the hills.