|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754 |
I am still around...I am off to the Greenstone River tomorrow for five days, it will be cold, but I am looking forward to it. Part of it is the challenge of exploring as well isn't it - can I get into this hanging valley, and be able to live and work there, totally independent. And if you can, will there be more animals because its too far or too high for others...it's being able to operate in the wild country. And if you can drive there, it's not deep enough in the wilderness. You have to back pack if you want that experience. Helicopters flying around annoy me for that reason. Unfortunately horses are no longer permitted to be taken into our national parks, or I would own a pack horse for sure, which is why you don't see them in Jamie's videos. Hunting with pack horses are no longer part of the culture after that changed in the sixties.
Just about all the hunting in New Zealand is 'backpack' hunting, and involves a lot of walking, fly-camping, and river crossings. For any kind of hunting other than the back of a farm, you need to be able to carry a pack at least several kilometres from a road, and often over very rugged terrain. However, NZ has an excellent public hut system in the back country.
It was a surprise for me when I first got on the internet that a lot of the American hunting forums had separate backpack hunting sections, as if it was a specialist activity. I sort of thought everyone hunted deer like that. But I have found that the way we hunt deer is sort of like what people do for elk hunting in the States.
People also don't have private family land for hunting, deer leases, or deer camps the way they do over there. I really wish we did; it means that hunting can often be more family orientated in the US, and I think we miss out on that a lot.
So the average attitude towards hunting is a little bit different, there more of a combination and crossover of exploring, hiking, alpine climbing combined with hunting. I think most New Zealanders would find, say hunting red deer in the highlands of Scotland, fairly tame. CH its great to hear from you again! I hope all.is well!! And thanks for your insight into what is generally perceived as a pretty stock standard activity for alot of kiwi hunters - that is to hunt and gather for food (on foot) and spend days awsy in NZs native bush and mountains. I think perhaps we (kiwis) sometimes take for granted just how common backpack hunting is and how it is second nature to many kiwi hunters! Hearing your perspective made me smile (and miss home!!). Best regards, Jamie I am still around!...I am off to the Greenstone River tomorrow for five days, it will be cold, but I am looking forward to it. Part of it is the challenge of exploring as well isn't it - can I get into this hanging valley, and be able to live and work there, totally independent. And if you can, will there be more animals because its too far or too high for others...it's being able to operate in the wild country. And if you can drive there, it's not deep enough in the wilderness. You have to back pack if you want that experience. Helicopters flying around annoy me for that reason.
"A person that carries a cat home by the tail will receive information that will always be useful to him." Mark Twain
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
good luck up the greenstone CH!! i spent an unplanned night under the stars with just my day cloths and emergency blanket up there in late august and it was freezing. had to get a fire going to fight off hyperthermia. man was is cold. my head torches werr both flat from being on in my pack and so i couldn't walk out in dark
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3 |
Last edited by BuzzH; 06/19/18.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,580 Likes: 17
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,580 Likes: 17 |
What does backpack hunting, and being a backpack hunter, mean to you??? I am 35 years old now but I started backpack hunting at 14 years old with my hunting mentor - named Stan Lowe. He was in his 60s at the time and was a forestry colleague of my father's. Stan Lowe showed me places in the remote and rugged NZ mountains that took such a firm grip on me that i gave up all competitive sports to focus on backpack hunting. I lived and breathed it. And every backpack hunt was hard graft; every animal killed ended up in the kicthen pot and then spoken of on a Sunday night roast dinner where i would reflect on my adventures and share them with my family who were not huntwrs; but appreciated the venison or wild pork. My first solo backpack hunt was an overnight trip into the Kaimais of new zealand (North Island) and I was only 16 years old. But by the age of 17years i had finished school and left home - and spent every breathing moment looking at maps for the next backpack hunting location. And at the time, I would backpack hunt in pursuit of wild pigs, red deer or sika deer - species all of which were scattered throughout the state forests and national parks of my region. At 18 i moved out of the local district to go to univeristy and onto bigger and better pastures. The Southern Alps of Nz. A backpack hunters paradise. Chamois, Tahr, Pigs, red deer, Wapiti (elk)... all became part of the staple diet. Fast forward to today and i am blessed with a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters 6 and 4years old. And while I love them all dearly - with a love that has no finite end - I also have this burning desire to leave them for weeks during the year to quench my other endless passion - backpack hunting. How can i be so selfish to leave my young family, i sometimes ask myself? But the call of the wild is strong. And i need it to feel complete. I need my family but i also need the remote wilderness. Backpack hunting has taken such a firm hold of me that it is hard for me to place in words. What does being a backpack hunter mean to you? I am now trying my hand at self-filming my backpack hunting expeditions in hope that film will convey what words alone cannot. Here is a recent backpack hunting adventure for Sambar deer into the Victorian Alpine National Park of Australia. My hunting films are generally not short action packed films that tell the whole story in the time it takes to play a rock song... They are intended to simmer away at what it means to me to be a backpack hunter. day 1 https://youtu.be/MiBy-_w2NSYday 2 https://youtu.be/630uF7oKYCUBest wishes from the Southern Hemishphere and God Bless MountainMan You should lobby the moderators to create a backpack hunting specific forum. They'd probably jump all over a great idea like that.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,918 Likes: 3 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 25,945 Likes: 7
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 25,945 Likes: 7 |
What does backpack hunting, and being a backpack hunter, mean to you??? I am 35 years old now but I started backpack hunting at 14 years old with my hunting mentor - named Stan Lowe. He was in his 60s at the time and was a forestry colleague of my father's. Stan Lowe showed me places in the remote and rugged NZ mountains that took such a firm grip on me tat i gave up all competitive sports to focus on backpack hunting. I lived and breathed it. And every backpack hunt was hard graft; every animal killed ended up in the kicthen pot and then spoken of on a Sunday night roast dinner where i would reflect on my adventures and share them with my family who were not huntwrs; but appreciated the venison or wild pork. My first solo backpack hunt was an overnight trip into the Kaimais of new zealand (North Island) and I was only 16 years old. But by the age of 17years i had finished school and left home - and spent every breathing moment looking at maps for the next backpack hunting location. And at the time, I would backpack hunt in pursuit of wild pigs, red deer or sika deer - species all of which were scattered throughout the state forests and national parks of my region. At 18 i moved out of the local district to go to univeristy and onto bigger and better pastures. The Southern Alps of Nz. A backpack hunters paradise. Chamois, Tahr, Pigs, red deer, Wapiti (elk)... all became part of the staple diet. Fast forward to today and i am blessed with a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters 6 and 4years old. And while I love them all dearly - with a love that has no finite end - I also have this burning desire to leave them for weeks during the year to quench my other endless passion - backpack hunting. How can i be so selfish to leave my young family, i sometimes ask myself? But the call of the wild is strong. And i need it to feel complete. I need my family but i also need the remote wilderness. Backpack hunting has taken such a firm hold of me that it is hard for me to place in words. What does being a backpack hunter mean to you? I am now trying my hand at self-filming my backpack hunting expeditions in hope that film will convey what words alone cannot. Here is a recent backpack hunting adventure for Sambar deer into the Victorian Alpine National Park of Australia. My hunting films are generally not short action packed films that tell the whole story in the time it takes to play a rock song... They are intended to simmer away at what it means to me to be a backpack hunter. day 1 https://youtu.be/MiBy-_w2NSYday 2 https://youtu.be/630uF7oKYCUBest wishes from the Southern Hemishphere and God Bless MountainMan Well schitt, I guess it would mean five horses all died in the same year. And it would mean an epidemic had also wiped out the cow herd in the pasture. Cause I ain't never been hungry enough to carry meat out six to ten miles. I thought about it once, back in 1983. But quickly said phouck that! We went home and came back with the horses. I tried carrying a back pack once. Fall of 1974. Three miles in, started at 10,000 feet, camped at 13,000 ft. Started with 30 lbs, ended up with 50 lb, because I and two other gents lightened the loads of three young women, all from coastal areas, who were suffering from the altidude. It ended up being a five mile walk downhill, coming home, with the fifty pound pack. It took ten years for the shin splints to heal. Phouck that! That is why God gave us horses.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754 |
Yeah August can be cold up up there. I bet that was a really long night. Last time I got caught out overnight it was in the middle of a swamp, had a to crawl up on a [bleep]. Just lucky it was summer.....There is snow forecast at some stage, but I am hoping to get three days of reasonable weather out of it. I just hope it doesnt rain - I have gone to a flintlock
"A person that carries a cat home by the tail will receive information that will always be useful to him." Mark Twain
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 754 |
good luck up the greenstone CH!! i spent an unplanned night under the stars with just my day cloths and emergency blanket up there in late august and it was freezing. had to get a fire going to fight off hyperthermia. man was is cold. my head torches werr both flat from being on in my pack and so i couldn't walk out in dark Yeah August can be cold up up there. I bet that was a long night. Last time I got caught out overnight it was in the middle of a swamp, had a to crawl up on a bunch of reeds. Another one of my dumb decisions route finding. Just lucky it was summer.....There is snow forecast at some stage, but I am hoping to get three days of reasonable weather out of it. I just hope it doesnt rain - I have gone to a flintlock
Last edited by CarlsenHighway; 06/19/18.
"A person that carries a cat home by the tail will receive information that will always be useful to him." Mark Twain
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
These images sum up what backpack hunting means perfectly - my favourite is the one with the sheep on your pack on top of the nountain with steep slopes and lake behind. it just immediately transports me there and we can see the blood sweat and tears that would have been involved to climbing, killing and then packing out the meat and trophy. Thank you for sharing.
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
What does backpack hunting, and being a backpack hunter, mean to you??? I am 35 years old now but I started backpack hunting at 14 years old with my hunting mentor - named Stan Lowe. He was in his 60s at the time and was a forestry colleague of my father's. Stan Lowe showed me places in the remote and rugged NZ mountains that took such a firm grip on me that i gave up all competitive sports to focus on backpack hunting. I lived and breathed it. And every backpack hunt was hard graft; every animal killed ended up in the kicthen pot and then spoken of on a Sunday night roast dinner where i would reflect on my adventures and share them with my family who were not huntwrs; but appreciated the venison or wild pork. My first solo backpack hunt was an overnight trip into the Kaimais of new zealand (North Island) and I was only 16 years old. But by the age of 17years i had finished school and left home - and spent every breathing moment looking at maps for the next backpack hunting location. And at the time, I would backpack hunt in pursuit of wild pigs, red deer or sika deer - species all of which were scattered throughout the state forests and national parks of my region. At 18 i moved out of the local district to go to univeristy and onto bigger and better pastures. The Southern Alps of Nz. A backpack hunters paradise. Chamois, Tahr, Pigs, red deer, Wapiti (elk)... all became part of the staple diet. Fast forward to today and i am blessed with a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters 6 and 4years old. And while I love them all dearly - with a love that has no finite end - I also have this burning desire to leave them for weeks during the year to quench my other endless passion - backpack hunting. How can i be so selfish to leave my young family, i sometimes ask myself? But the call of the wild is strong. And i need it to feel complete. I need my family but i also need the remote wilderness. Backpack hunting has taken such a firm hold of me that it is hard for me to place in words. What does being a backpack hunter mean to you? I am now trying my hand at self-filming my backpack hunting expeditions in hope that film will convey what words alone cannot. Here is a recent backpack hunting adventure for Sambar deer into the Victorian Alpine National Park of Australia. My hunting films are generally not short action packed films that tell the whole story in the time it takes to play a rock song... They are intended to simmer away at what it means to me to be a backpack hunter. day 1 https://youtu.be/MiBy-_w2NSYday 2 https://youtu.be/630uF7oKYCUBest wishes from the Southern Hemishphere and God Bless MountainMan You should lobby the moderators to create a backpack hunting specific forum. They'd probably jump all over a great idea like that. that would be a fantastic idea to set up a backpack hunting section.
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
What does backpack hunting, and being a backpack hunter, mean to you??? I am 35 years old now but I started backpack hunting at 14 years old with my hunting mentor - named Stan Lowe. He was in his 60s at the time and was a forestry colleague of my father's. Stan Lowe showed me places in the remote and rugged NZ mountains that took such a firm grip on me tat i gave up all competitive sports to focus on backpack hunting. I lived and breathed it. And every backpack hunt was hard graft; every animal killed ended up in the kicthen pot and then spoken of on a Sunday night roast dinner where i would reflect on my adventures and share them with my family who were not huntwrs; but appreciated the venison or wild pork. My first solo backpack hunt was an overnight trip into the Kaimais of new zealand (North Island) and I was only 16 years old. But by the age of 17years i had finished school and left home - and spent every breathing moment looking at maps for the next backpack hunting location. And at the time, I would backpack hunt in pursuit of wild pigs, red deer or sika deer - species all of which were scattered throughout the state forests and national parks of my region. At 18 i moved out of the local district to go to univeristy and onto bigger and better pastures. The Southern Alps of Nz. A backpack hunters paradise. Chamois, Tahr, Pigs, red deer, Wapiti (elk)... all became part of the staple diet. Fast forward to today and i am blessed with a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters 6 and 4years old. And while I love them all dearly - with a love that has no finite end - I also have this burning desire to leave them for weeks during the year to quench my other endless passion - backpack hunting. How can i be so selfish to leave my young family, i sometimes ask myself? But the call of the wild is strong. And i need it to feel complete. I need my family but i also need the remote wilderness. Backpack hunting has taken such a firm hold of me that it is hard for me to place in words. What does being a backpack hunter mean to you? I am now trying my hand at self-filming my backpack hunting expeditions in hope that film will convey what words alone cannot. Here is a recent backpack hunting adventure for Sambar deer into the Victorian Alpine National Park of Australia. My hunting films are generally not short action packed films that tell the whole story in the time it takes to play a rock song... They are intended to simmer away at what it means to me to be a backpack hunter. day 1 https://youtu.be/MiBy-_w2NSYday 2 https://youtu.be/630uF7oKYCUBest wishes from the Southern Hemishphere and God Bless MountainMan Well schitt, I guess it would mean five horses all died in the same year. And it would mean an epidemic had also wiped out the cow herd in the pasture. Cause I ain't never been hungry enough to carry meat out six to ten miles. I thought about it once, back in 1983. But quickly said phouck that! We went home and came back with the horses. I tried carrying a back pack once. Fall of 1974. Three miles in, started at 10,000 feet, camped at 13,000 ft. Started with 30 lbs, ended up with 50 lb, because I and two other gents lightened the loads of three young women, all from coastal areas, who were suffering from the altidude. It ended up being a five mile walk downhill, coming home, with the fifty pound pack. It took ten years for the shin splints to heal. Phouck that! That is why God gave us horses. ....50lb... that is just a warm up!! I have back packed in some 75 to 80lb of gear into the nz mountains on 10 day huntingtrips. That is living my friend and its nothing to scorn at. Horses would be niCe too for those long hauls into remote country.
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
good luck up the greenstone CH!! i spent an unplanned night under the stars with just my day cloths and emergency blanket up there in late august and it was freezing. had to get a fire going to fight off hyperthermia. man was is cold. my head torches werr both flat from being on in my pack and so i couldn't walk out in dark Yeah August can be cold up up there. I bet that was a long night. Last time I got caught out overnight it was in the middle of a swamp, had a to crawl up on a bunch of reeds. Another one of my dumb decisions route finding. Just lucky it was summer.....There is snow forecast at some stage, but I am hoping to get three days of reasonable weather out of it. I just hope it doesnt rain - I have gone to a flintlock Flintlock..... does that must mean a lot more preparation of the kindling and dry ferns etx to make fire?? curious to know more And yes it was a brutally cold night i basically slept on the campfire embers. amazing how much wood we burnt that night
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 171 |
God willing, I also still plan to go backpack hunting well into my retirement. i am 35 years now though so that is sometime away yet. thanks for sharing your personal memories. some absolute classics there. must bring back all the memories looking over a lifetime of adventures
Hunting is not just a hobby, its a lifestyle! For those of you interested in checking out some hunting photos, check out my personal hunting website: www.mountainman.co.nzMM
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,391
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,391 |
To me it proves that many of the best things in life can only be experienced by those w/ an open mind and a willingness to make the effort to expand their horizons. The feeling of travelling alone and self sufficient in remote areas focuses the mind in the moment like few other things.
mike r
Don't wish it were easier Wish you were better
Stab them in the taint, you can't put a tourniquet on that. Craig Douglas ECQC
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 46,107 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 46,107 Likes: 6 |
The feeling of travelling alone and self sufficient in remote areas focuses the mind in the moment like few other things.
mike r Well said, and the main reason I've resisted getting a SPOT, it would take away from the self-sufficiency. And for NZ, there is a backpack hunting forum, scroll down the list and you'll find it.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,885 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,885 Likes: 1 |
I grew up hunting in Alaska starting in the mid 60's. Back pack hunting is hard work, often very tiring and can be painful. If one is not careful and alert it can quickly take a turn for the worse. I have many memories of poor sleep nights even though exhausted, sore muscles, hunger, dehydration, disappointment, etc.
But, I have more memories of accomplishment, whether I made a gut pile or not, hunting uncrowded places, spectacular views and exciting moments. Doing an extended back pack hunt in Alaska, or other remote locations is probably not a good idea, all things considered. But, many do it every year, so it is their call.
If you are young and strong and feel the call of the wild then back pack hunt as often and as long as you can. Old age comes quickly and it gets harder the older you get!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2 |
God willing, I also still plan to go backpack hunting well into my retirement. i am 35 years now
Good luck with *that*. At 35 I would climb and descend 6 mountain ridges just to avoid the crush of opening day. At 62 I need to construct a plan to make it from the recliner to the chitter. ,...cain't be fuggin' around, either. First fart, it's time to start planning or I end up chittin' the chair. The wife don't understand. She's younger than me,....and doesn't eat as much fiber.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,287 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,287 Likes: 1 |
In my view, "Backpack Hunting" isn't dayhiking into hunting country, making a kill, and packing meat out on your back... that's normal hunting. Backpack Hunting is going into the wild's - at least overnight - to however many nights out desired/required. It's self-sustained, carry-it-all on your back, multi-day hunting in the wilds. In my case I go solo. I'm 57 years old and still doing it...
“Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2 |
In my view, "Backpack Hunting" isn't dayhiking into hunting country, making a kill, and packing meat out on your back... that's normal hunting. Backpack Hunting is going into the wild's - at least overnight - to however many nights out desired/required. It's self-sustained, carry-it-all on your back, multi-day hunting in the wilds. In my case I go solo. I'm 57 years old and still doing it... I guess I can understand why you blotted out your face. But puttin' a bag over the Elk's head seem excessively paranoid.
|
|
|
|
569 members (16gage, 160user, 10ring1, 12344mag, 1beaver_shooter, 117LBS, 72 invisible),
2,565
guests, and
1,244
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,741
Posts18,495,077
Members73,977
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|