NEW ZEALAND: Lochinvar Safaris - 5/09/25

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Was also missing my dogs. And this happened:

 

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Sunrise from the lodge:

Typical breakfast:

Staging area:

 

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Fairlie Bake House:

Steak and Cheese meat pie. Very tasty…

 

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Tuesday 13th
Day 3:

Full moon last night. Everything was laying down this morning. After walking and glassing for a couple hours, we spotted the Red Stag we were after. He was up the top of Hells Canyon bedded down in very tall grass and bush. No easy task getting to him.

All the Fallow Bucks were laying down too.

We made a plan for the afternoon hunt and went back to the lodge for lunch. Fallow Buck ground burger meat with all the trimmings for a good Venison hamburger.

 

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Day 3 - Part 2:

Made our way out to the hunting property and started our long walk in. Walked the trails doing some side hilling as we made our way up. It started out sunny then it got windy. Windier the higher we got. After about 3 miles, we got the spotter out and found our Stag.

We needed to climb and side hill another 1/2 mile pretty much straight up.

Jake says. This is as close as will get.

280 yards. 20 degrees up and cross canyon. Wind swirling and I need to set up to shoot right handed. I shoot left hand and my rifles are left hand. I’ll shoot a right handed rifle left hand. I can shoot right, but I don’t practice shooting right…

 

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Set up;

I can see 3 Stags and our shooter is in the third position and I only see his head. Jack says wait till they move into the clearing to the left where the sunlight meets the shadow.

We wait and finally the 3 start to move into the clearing where I can get a better shot. As the big Stag gets clear, I stay on him keeping the cross hairs directly on the shoulder, checking my bubble to ensure the rifle isn’t canted and as soon as he stops, I send one. The familiar sound of a solid “thwack” echos back and Jack says reload and shoot again! I don’t hesitate and send another right behind the shoulder aiming at the same spot and he goes down and does a deaths roll. So relieved to have him down! We were both exited and I shared my enthusiasm and appreciation with Jack! Hand shakes and high fives! We both relieved…

With the wind blowing and swirling around the stag, my first shot was low and back further than my aim point and the second was exactly where I aimed!

 

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Wind pushed the fog in on us. It was thick right after the shot.

 

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Day 4: Tahr…
Up at 4:30am, early breakfast, and on the road at 5:30am.

We drive around most of the day glassing. We make several stocks on Tahr only to determine no good shooters. Lots of walking and it was windy up high.

Scenery was breathtaking!

Lunch at a cool Shepard’s cabin near two streams. We packed in our lunch.

It didn’t look good to find a good Bull Tahr as the day was quickly closing out. Dose made decide to make a final pass through the 25,000 acre sheep and cattle ranch to see if our luck could change. Full moon the night before…

We spot Bulls 1,200 yards straight up the towards the top and in a very steep canyon. We are literally at the bottom near rivers edge. A couple looked “very fluffy” which made me grin hearing this. We commit.

The effort: Very steep, very tiring, it took a mile of brisk climbing to go get to the 1,200 yard spot to get set up to make a 200 yard shot that ultimately ended up being a 325 yard shot. We had to traverse on the opposite side of the canyon and behind the ridge line to avoid being detected and spooking the Tahr. There were several. I had to shed clothes on the way up. My clothes were soaked through by the time we reached our shooting vantage. I wore my backpack and brought water.

Jack spotted them below us by 30 yards but no way to get a shot. We set up to wait for them to move cross Canyon. He spots a mature old bull. I Stay back and he sets up the rifle. He signals me to come over and lets me know they winded us and says they are moving cross canyon. I see them at 200 yards.

I had a rushed shot because after they winded us and headed across the canyon and straight up and I couldn’t stay on them. I wasn’t panicked, but anxious. I was sweating and it was cold, so the steam fogged my glasses, then fogged my scope, then I lost sight of them. The shot went from 200 yards to 325 in an instant. I had to shoot right handed again. I asked Jack to quickly hand me my Bino lense wiper and wiped out the steamed scope lense, then the sun was in my eye. He had to shade the front of the scope with his hand. As soon as he did, I got the bigger of the 2 Tahr bulls insight (who were both quickly moving up) and then quickly adjusted the magnification, they stopped for a second, and made a quick shot. You hear that unmistakable and unusually loud, thwack! I saw him tumble in my scope. Perfect shot breaking the shoulder and getting the heart and lungs too. We were so excited! Obviously I thanked him and shared my appreciation for his effort, patience, and professionalism. After a quick discussion about retrieval, pictures, skinning and climbing back down in the dark. We agreed that safety had to come first.

Jack had to go retrieve the old bull because it was too steep for me to safely get there in time to be helpful before darkness set in. It would have had us going down, in a safe place, across, then back up the canyon, and then straight back up that steep side for me to get in a picture. It would have been dark then. I could have fallen a long way and got hurt. It took me 45 minutes to get down and in the dark. It was exhausting climbing up and was dangerous getting back down. Loose rock, muddy, big bushes and grass, and thorny shrubs.

Jack had to get to the Bull, take a few pictures, skin it, and pack it down in the dark. When he got down he told me it was the oldest Tahr they’ve ever shot -it was 14 years old. He was so happy and I was thrilled. My clothes were soaked through, it was cold until we got back to the truck.

I had no idea of the size, because I never saw horn before or after my shot.

It is a great bull Tahr and worth the effort. I proper hunt and one of my best!

 

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