Took two boys for a winters day hunt this morning in one of our easier goat areas. My son Matt has shot a few goats now but his buddy Coen hadnt shot anything bigger than a rabbit so it was time to make amends.

We strolled down the old track watching and listening for any sign when a half grown kid goat was spotted ahead and behind some gorse cover. Coen got first shot with the Rossi single .243 , over the gorse from about 30 metres. Happy boy and one less goat .



Another half km along the track , and off into the wilder country down a spur , along a pest control trail and we spy a biggish billygoat and a nanny sunning themselves on the ridgeline. Matthews turn for the shot , hes a bit smaller so father lent a shoulder for a rifle rest and the billy is history too



Down the narrow track some more , round a slight bend and two more goats wondering where their friends have disappeared to , so Father gets the shot this time , a small nanny falls victim but the boys get to pose for the pics



Shaping up to be a good morning , although the 6 rounds of ammo is now down to 3 ...

Down through the gorse , into the fern and up to the edge of the last clear bit of grass , and a large nanny goat standing sunning her self. Coens shot again , 70 metres , fairly steep downhill and no tree for a rest. Takes the shot , its a hit but the goat moves off and stands behind some fern so another shot and she is down.



As we were climbing back up the grassy and fern covered slope we spied some fresh probe holes i the grass - last nights kiwi probes as it searched for worms and insects. pretty cool because there arent many wild kiwi left in this area , and none that I was aware of down this part of the bush block. Another interesting nature lesson for the youngsters. not every day you get to see these probes and seldom this fresh





So , we scrambled back up the hill - why is it easier going downhill I wonder ? - and had a breather at the top of the slope on a strategically positioned stoat trap box. Back round the next wee bend in the track and three goats stand there looking at Matts billy goat that still lay across the track. They were in flight mode as I managed to nail the slowest of them with our 1 remaining bullet.

5 goats for 6 shots , a nice walk , some kiwi probe holes and a bloody nice winters morning And 2 12 year old boys who probably had a much better time than had they sat home and played computer games - but I doubt they would admit to that .

Sorry if this isnt as exciting as "real" hunting , but I have got something of a reputation as a goat hunter...and youngsters have to learn somewhere and where better than on accessable but still wild and cunning critturs like the humble goat?

Go one Muzza

Very cool Muzza, well done....and they have their dads smile

Thanks Bakes - only the blonde child-of-the-devil is mine. He gets his looks from his mother and his smiley nature from his father , as you can see.

The other one is one of Matts school buddies who is a country kid but doesnt get to do much shooting . I suspect that may change now tho.

( actually I beleive Matt gets his brains from his mum too , cos I still have all of mine ... )

Thats as real as any hunt can be.

Boys are great companions at that age and they will remember those outings all their lives.

Thanks for the post - you did well - a nice job of getting them out of the house and making it possible for them to learn about hunting.

It brought back memories of when my boys were young and trailed along on turkey and deer hunts.

Great stuff. We have been having terrible weather here in the Naki & the friendly cockey has shut the hunting because e is getting ready for calving. My 15 yr old girl and 12 yr old boy keep bugging me each weekend. School holidays are about to start.....let us see....

I know all about the crap Taranaki weather - been working out in it for days now and the novelty is long gone

With a bit of luck we may get back to that same spot over the school holidays too , although we have another place we havent visited for a while that is just as handy. Might be some more pics in the offing soon.

Sorry Muzza, I did not realise that you were in the Naki too & an even wetter part of the Naki! I did not know that you get Kiwi your way.

Nice work Muzza the little tackers will have those memories forever.
I think that is really important.

Exactly what boys--and girls--that age need. As you said, much better than sitting in front of a computer screen. Neat to see the Kiwi holes. I was hunting around Tamaranui last year and didn't see a one.

Dave Manson

Dave - you have to be aware that our lovely native Kiwi is a pretty endangered crittur in the wild. They arent found everywhere , and are pretty scarce in some areas , to the point of being non-existant in some areas now.

Because they live in burrows in the ground they fall prey to wild pigs , and pig hunters dogs account for far too many as well. So much so that kiwi aversion training is a big thing here for hunting dogs - electric collar training in the prescence of kiwi smells. It works pretty well too.

This area has a known 2 pair of kiwi , but not in the part we were hunting so it was pretty cool to be able to report back that we had found some . And in an area that has pest trapping in place.

Nakihunter - we have a lot of little pockets of bush out east of here before you hit the Matemateonga Ranges , and many of those bush areas have remnant kiwi populations. Certainly the Matemateongas has a large population , but under threat from cats and stoats all the same.

Whangamomona still has a large population. I used to be able to open my ranch sliders at night and hear them calling. Its only the young that are threatend by anything other than dogs. Once they are half grown, they can pretty much handle themselves against everything else.
Taranaki DOC couldn't give 2 shits about them unless its publicity. I found a few nests and young with egg sack still attached in less than ideal circumstances, yet DOC wouldn't do anything to help. I think my favourite response from them was "There are plenty around."

You are right Shanks - Eastern Taranaki does have good numbers of adult kiwi , but the survival rate of young ones is too low to offer even replacement numbers anually.

Doc dont have the money or staff to do much but they do support the likes of the Taranaki Kiwi Trust and the Eastern Taranaki Conservation Trust ( not its proper name , cant recall exactly.) Both these groups are private organisations doing pest control and advocacy work in the backcountry , and having good success in uplifting wild-born eggs and relocating them to Rotorua's Kiwi Encounter for hatching, then releasing back into the wild at a size that ensures much better survival.
It may not be the perfect answer but at least it is a step in the right direction

The advent of more securely fenced on-shore sanctuaries will increase the ability to raise captive reared chicks to a size where they can survive in the wild too - we have such an area to the east of here that has had its first crop of juvenile kiwi re-released into the wild this year.

thats what them yougums need .teach them hunting.better than tv