Tahr hunting in the magical Rangitata Canterbury.
This hunt took place in April of 2023. As most people were gearing up for the annual big red stag roar hunt, we had different ideas. Each year April is the time of year where people normally flock to their spot x for hunting big roaring stags, that wasn’t the case for us. As most people do, they start planning their next big trip whilst they are still on one, we were out hunting in January thinking of what to do with ourselves april. Initially it was just “try and get a big red” but suddenly it switched to a “big bull”.
Although people would say April wouldn’t be a good time to chase thar, We had different thoughts, although i would love to get a big nice thick Bull tahr skin and head, I wouldn’t really consider myself a “trophy hunter” dont get me wrong i would love to chase a big old bull with a thick cape, but some trips are more than the bighead to prove you had fun. It’s the excitement of chasing a meat animal and just getting out into the backcountry and enjoying yourself.
This trip started off in Ashburton where the compulsory bakery stop was due for a steak and cheese pie and a sausage roll. We made our way down into the Rangitata where we were meeting up with the chopper. I was frothing as I saw the chopper not too far up the road. In no time we loaded the big girl up and the whirly bird took us high into the tops. As we landed we had a quick discussion of what we wanted to get out of this trip, we both agreed to try and get a few nannies to do our small part in controlling numbers and also getting some meat, and if we see an nice old bull with a thick cape we wouldn’t say no to him.
The first day was spent glassing the deep gullies and steep hills, the first animals were picked up at around midday. After hours of glassing we were finally glad to see some life in here besides us. It was a big mod of nannies but no bull. There were around 10-15 in this mob. We went very picky and took the only one that gave us a nice clear view into the shoulder. BANG! The 6.5 creedmoor let rip right into the shoulder. It was pleasurable to see the first animal of the trip down. We spent the rest of the day glassing around until we made the call to call it quits and start making our way back down to the hut on the valley floor. On our way down we must have woken up a young bull because as we were walking through the tussock a young bull stood up and came out of the tussock which gave us a bit of a surprise. To add to us waking him up from his afternoon snooze,for the next hundred meters or so he was just following us and looking at us. This was probably due to the fact he had never seen a human before as he was so young.
Day two came around the corner quicker than anything. The plan for the day was to get into some untouched territory from us before. Day two involved a lot of walking and climbing and more walking and more climbing. This is just about what we did until lunch time where we parked up for some salami,cheese and crackers. Lunch was going well, then something caught our eye. It was a mob of about 30 nannies with a bull leading the pack. I’ve never dropped my food so quickly. We quickly got the binos and assessed the bull, but to our disappointment it was a bit too young and we couldn’t be bothered walking all the up the hill to go get some nannies, so back to the cheese and crackers it was. This basically was it for animals seen that day.
Day three’s plan was a bit firmer. Get some meat. The plan for the day was to just get some meat to take home. The morning started off as every other tahr hunters does, climbing,climbing and more climbing until we saw the first animals. It was perfect six nannies on the distant knob. Bang!! One down Bang! Two down. Successful afternoon. The rest of the day was just making our way back to camp to have a hearty dinner before the chopper picked us up in the morning.
While our mission was accomplished, the trip was bittersweet as signs of heavy culling were evident. The once-thriving tahr population had dwindled, leaving a somber note on the landscape. Despite not encountering the elusive big bull, the memories forged during this unconventional hunt will forever echo in the vast wilderness of Canterbury.