Bull Tahr hunting is well under way here in the southern alps of New Zealand. Reaching its peak late May early June, you can smell the stench of a bull Tahr long before you get a closer look at your trophy! Some people have the miss conception that they are easier to hunt this time of year because they are lower in altitude, are concentrating on the nannies and other bull encroaching on their harem. This couldn't be more wrong, the drop in altitude means snow on the ground and unlike Tahr we are not the most agile in the white stuff compared to them. Bonus for us they do produce a very dark coat in the winter which can sometime make them easier to see in the pure snow but blend in very well in broken snow terrain and rock out crops. Also their concentration may be on nannies and other competition, but with Tahr hunting at any time of the year, there are always scouts sat high on rocky out posts just watching, watching for you. With one whistle, which is their alert call, all your hard work, especially in the snow can disappear in seconds with few leaps and bounds they can be in the next mountain range.
Tahr live in this unforgiving landscape that has a huge amount of beauty about it as the seasons change, which is what makes Tahr hunting more of an adventure than just another hunt. Being in the mountains on a good day gives you a real sense of how old the place we live in is and how small we really are. When you finally confront a mob of Tahr on your adventure and see them move with grace and speed across what took you all day, you have to take off your hat to them, as it is not an easy task living at this altitude.
Most hunters can tell you of the good days in the mountains but they can also tell you of speed and force the weather can turn up there. Not long ago some great friend of mine were on their first Tahr hunt with me and managed to get stuck in to some yearlings and nannies for meat recovery on a beautiful summer’s day. By the middle of the afternoon the weather had other ideas, it became the windiest day of my life in the mountains and we spent the whole night holding the cross bars of our tents in hope we would be spared from the wind. Morning came and the wind had died out, the sun was up and we were back to beauty again, but it was a harsh reminder of the elements Tahr live among all year round. We had the option of chopper ride out and every one came out unscathed, which is always number priority, as the Tahr will always be there another day. Are only casualty from mother nature was rifle scope bent in a rock slide, thankfully Vortex Optics warranty covered me for a full replacement which was peace mind.
All this said, the beauty of Tahr hunting does not come without its challenges, like any hunting, but if we found it easy there would be nothing special about it.
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