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Tahr Hunt July 2021 with son's first bull
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My second son Kenny and I have recently finished a Tahr hunt on Lochaber Station where my boy shot his first ever bull Tahr. Happy days ! I was looking for a bigger bull seen in the same vicinity but we couldn't find him and although I came home empty handed it was a satisfying hunt that rekindled my hopes for a really big Tahr.
We booked and hunted with guide Snow Hewetson who is one of the operators having access to Lochaber Station. He runs only free range hunts there and while Lochaber carries Tahr, Chamois, Red Deer, Fallow Deer and Pigs it's really only Thar that Snow hunts there. Neither Chamois, Red Stag nor Fallow really grow decent headgear there.

There is a bit of background to how this hunt came to be. My best bull Tahr comes from Lochaber which I hunted with guide Glenn Ralston who sadly died suddenly in 2018 as a young man. We had discussed future hunts there intending to take one of the really big bulls that with luck and work are a real possibility. Then in 2019 I met Snow, discovering he hunted Lochaber and we discussed my dream bull plans, agreeing to do a hunt in 2019. Snow is a decent man and a Tahr enthusiast. He is the kind of guy NZ hunters need to represent and defend their interests. He has served on the NZ Tahr Foundation and is a long serving member of New Zealand Deerstalkers Association, the longest established and largest organisation fighting for the hunters' cause here.
In 2019 my right knee finally packed up requiring surgery so the hunt was postponed until 2020. Then CV disrupted that plan when Lockdowns occurred over prime hunting time so the hunt was again postponed until this year. We set dates for May but when the NZ / Australia travel bubble opened then Snow had to take a few Aussie hunters who had booked last year and we were pushed back to early June. Then came the huge Canterbury floods of early June cutting off roads for a while and causing great flood damage on Lochaber itself. Repairs to farm tracks were urgently undertaken and we could have hunted mid June but Snow had promised to go with some hunters to a West Coast ballot block hunting Tahr so we finally settled on dates in early July. I knew this was getting late for hunting rutting bulls, along with the shortest days of the year, and could reduce our opportunities but by then I was just determined to go after so many delays. We saw a little rutting activity, half hearted and obviously the tail end and also saw bulls well away from the nannies, heading back to their late Winter spots to regroup and recover in post rut bachelor bands.

We decided to drive South for this hunt. For us North Islanders it's a long haul over two days covering more than 1300 kms one way, involving a ferry crossing of Cook Strait and an overnight stop en route. Our Ferry was the Kaitaki. Crossing the Strait takes close to three hours.



Before meeting Snow down South we had time to visit Brian Harre, a longtime hunter and well regarded rifle maker who is still making the odd rifle these days. It was a pleasant catch up over a cuppa or two.

Brian on left as viewed.


Once at Lochaber we managed to reach our base camp in vehicle 4WD over the roughly repaired track. This time of year it gets quite cold in these valleys and Snow brought in a good load of firewood for the log burner. Good thing too. It was needed and used. Otherwise the huts are well equipped for a comfortable stay of a few days. However, there are no bathing facilities but we were not worried.



[url=https://postimg.cc/MM2dh1pb]

On arrival on Monday the forecast was for rain which didn't roll in until Tuesday night with a big drop in temperature. So we got a bit of hiking and searching done for one and a half days but the wind was blowing hard and eventually got up to howling by late Tuesday. In these conditions walking over some ridges was a bit dicey, needing care as the wind was strong enough to knock you off your feet. Sitting down to glass Kenny took off his pack which the wind caught, causing Kenny a hard chase to arrest it's escape. In this wind many Tahr were down low in deep creeks with a few higher ones in well sheltered pockets. Mostly we were seeing relatively young bulls at this stage.
We had several hours of strong rains Tuesday night that eased off in the very early hours. I think that's when the snowing started which was revealed at dawn Wednesday morning. At least the wind seemed to have blown through by then.

[url=https://postimg.cc/FfkXmbgY]



Snow was glassing our surroundings and found a bull up in the snow. We all looked through the spotter and thought it a decent bull.



Kenny was keen to have a crack so after a hurried brekkie we got organised and set off. We made some height up a farm track before hitting the hill, heading high for some rock outcrops above the bull's position. The higher we went the deeper the snow. Our legs and feet became damp. Reaching the lookout we couldn't find the bull anywhere so started sidling across in the same direction we last saw him heading. Suddenly he popped out of a crevice below as he had seen us and then the breeze carried our scent down . The bull took off running downhill, down through one gully and up the other side. We thought he might pause over the next crest so we followed. There was no sign of him once we were on the crest so we carried on sidling through another gully up onto the next crest. We sat and glassed. Spotted Red Deer and a couple of Fallow and one bedded Tahr that was not our boy. We had to admit defeat. We stayed a bit longer, glassing, until the icy wind picked up and drove us down to warmer levels. Back at our hut we had late lunch before following the creek behind the hut into it's gully. Glassing until dark we saw numerous Tahr low down happily feeding but didn't see anything worth chasing. That night the whole galaxy of stars was on complete display with the certainty of good weather next day.
Indeed next morning was a beauty. Cold, clear, frosty and still. A great day to hunt. We headed into the zone we had finished in yesterday. Again we climbed into the snow zone and sidled a couple of faces. Snow found the bull a little unexpectedly. We had just climbed out of a small gully and a small mob of Thar were ahead on the crest. The bull was above, looking down at us quizzically. Kenny made his approach and preps unseen behind a rock pile before discreetly resting on the rocks surface as he lined up. Through my binos I saw the mane shiver as the first solid shoulder shot connected. With nannies the bull ran right, seemingly unaffected, back into the gully we just came through. We chased for 150 yds before Snow pointed to the bull sitting down. As he got to his feet Kenny got the second shot in. Again the bull ran right. "Shoot, shoot,shoot again" - from Snow. Kenny's third shot caught him squarely on the run, through ribs into the chest. The bull somersaulted over nose first and landed dead. My boy's first bull Tahr. Happiness, smiles, handshakes, reliving the moments. It was a very good day. Body size was average. We calculated the bull's age at 5.5 to 6.5 years. A great first bull to take. Kenny was shooting a Blaser .270W with Hornady SST 130 gn bullets. Snow's message was to not use this bullet for Tahr which are solid muscled beasts. He has seen much better and faster kills with Hornady ELD-X 145 gn bullets in .270W.
After pics and caping we packed everything up and made a slow descent to the track which we followed back to the hut.











The remaining days were spent searching several gullies for the elusive Mr. Big, and while the weather favoured us Lady Luck did not. Mr. Big remains a mystery until another day. Still it was enjoyable work. Climbing high, glassing gullies and faces. Seeing good numbers of bulls, some with very dark coats contrasting against splendid showy manes. We saw more Red and Fallow Deer and a few Pigs here and there. We didn't depart unhappy. I don't think any hunt is ever a bad hunt. Every hunt is just part of the journey that I want to continue.

Landscape


On top after a good climb. Mt Cook off in the distance.


Hunting.... it's not everything, it's the only thing.
 
Posts: 1994 | Location: New Zealand's North Island | Registered: 13 November 2014Reply With Quote
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Was wondering how you guys got on. Nice bull, congratulations Too Kenny!
 
Posts: 4212 | Location: South Island NZ | Registered: 21 July 2008Reply With Quote
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Great report and hunt and especially that bull. What is the horn length, looks to be up quite good with those long points.

Interesting your guides comments on the SST bullets. We were using 139gr SST's in our 7mm-08s with good success on tahr back in June but maybe with the shorter barreled rifles with suppressors the lower velocity helps keeps the bullets intact. We had some pass throughs and some not. My bull was taken at about 50m with my unsuppressed 22" barreled Marlin with MV close to 2900fps and I had a one shot, near enough to a DRT, through the shoulder into the chest cavity and out.
 
Posts: 3827 | Location: Nelson, New Zealand | Registered: 03 August 2009Reply With Quote
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stunning country. Great hunt mate.


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Posts: 7964 | Location: Bloody Queensland where every thing is 20 years behind the rest of Australia! | Registered: 25 January 2001Reply With Quote
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Gents,
Appreciate the kind comments, thankyou.

Shanks, Kenny says thanks very much.

Eagle, Snow took quick measurements. IIRC, 12 inch length, 8.50 inch bases. Like you I have used SST's, but 150 gn in a 30.06, on bull Tahr. I thought them quite good but only after slowing the velocity a little. When used at higher velocity on deer the bullets fragmented readily which I didn't like. I used Interbonds for a while and always preferred their retained weight and penetration. When I couldn't obtain Interbonds a few years ago I switched to Barnes TTSX and have continued using them. Kenny recovered one SST from his bull just under the offside skin. It was just an expanded jacket without any lead core.

Bakes, yes it really is spectacular country. Tahr, that terrain and Tahr hunting just seem to be the perfect match.


Hunting.... it's not everything, it's the only thing.
 
Posts: 1994 | Location: New Zealand's North Island | Registered: 13 November 2014Reply With Quote
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for what its worth, i tried SST's in my 270, and found they just didnt perform. So maybe its a performance in that cal thing.
 
Posts: 4212 | Location: South Island NZ | Registered: 21 July 2008Reply With Quote
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quote:
shankspony
posted 14 July 2021 20:51
for what its worth, i tried SST's in my 270, and found they just didnt perform. So maybe its a performance in that cal thing.


You might be right there, in the context of Tahr bulls. Although I've seen Kenny get good kills on Goats, Red Deer, Sika, Fallow with the 130 gn SST's. All are more lightly muscled than bull Tahr. The way SST's fragment has always made me somewhat suspicious of potential bullet failure. In my mind at least I'm happier using bullets that retain weight more reliably.


Hunting.... it's not everything, it's the only thing.
 
Posts: 1994 | Location: New Zealand's North Island | Registered: 13 November 2014Reply With Quote
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Awesome,

A hunt id rally like to do some day.


I have walked in the foot prints of the elephant, listened to lion roar and met the buffalo on his turf. I shall never be the same.
 
Posts: 813 | Location: In the shadow of Currahee | Registered: 29 January 2009Reply With Quote
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However, there are no bathing facilities

We dont care about that, us hunters lol.

Interesting re the sst`s also and it pays to listen to blokes that know.
Good pics/report too.



Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002
 
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tu2
 
Posts: 744 | Location: Australia  | Registered: 31 October 2012Reply With Quote
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Great hunt report and photos. Congrats to your son on a fine tahr.

That is stunning country that I hope to revisit soon. Was lucky enough to hunt in 2019 (before the cull). Lots of glassing and walking. My hardest hunt to date.
 
Posts: 103 | Location: Texas | Registered: 08 January 2021Reply With Quote
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Originally posted by Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy:
Great hunt report and photos. Congrats to your son on a fine tahr.

That is stunning country that I hope to revisit soon. Was lucky enough to hunt in 2019 (before the cull). Lots of glassing and walking. My hardest hunt to date.


Don't worry about the cull, we probably saw a few less nannies out in the open than other trips although plenty still in the scrub but we saw a lot more bulls moving about, in fact it was a bull fest really. Quite a few lone bulls although they often joined a herd that already had a bull in residence which didn't seem to mind the intruder.
 
Posts: 3827 | Location: Nelson, New Zealand | Registered: 03 August 2009Reply With Quote
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.

Grant, A good story and superb photos! If not for Corona I would have been down in May. Great bull your boy got there for a first tahr! Congrats and thanks for taking the time to post. Appreciated and something to look forward too!

Charlie

.


"Up the ladders and down the snakes!"
 
Posts: 2253 | Location: South Africa & Europe | Registered: 10 February 2014Reply With Quote
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Beautiful country and trophy, thanks for sharing. Well done Kenny!


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Posts: 3291 | Location: Southern NM USA | Registered: 01 October 2002Reply With Quote
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Always something special about a family hunt and your boy did exceptionally well!


Best
 
Posts: 621 | Location: Manitoba, Canada | Registered: 10 September 2013Reply With Quote
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Grant, I just saw this. Great job!


Frank



"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953

NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite

 
Posts: 12501 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: 30 December 2002Reply With Quote
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Hi Frank,
Thankyou very much.
Wow, long time, no talk. Hoping all is good in your world. I miss our meetings. Hope we can do so again in the new CV world.


Hunting.... it's not everything, it's the only thing.
 
Posts: 1994 | Location: New Zealand's North Island | Registered: 13 November 2014Reply With Quote
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