Got into Vic yesterday and just home this morning from packing the Moroka30 75L pack around the hills for ten days with Shankspony and Lost and Late,two Kiwi boys that would walk the legs off any bastard.Another member
HendrikNZ had to cancel at the last moment unfortunately.

May 12 ,flew into Christchurch on the East coast then we drove six hours across the NZ Alps to the West Coast to Fox Glacier and propped there overnight for the trip in the next morning.

We set out in rain for our first camp which was a non stop 6.5 hour trip through rough country. The rain didn't stop.We stayed there two days and the second arvo 1.5 clicks upstream from camp and a click off the river I was lucky to have rolled two Chamois bucks one evening for our tucker and then next day we walked another 11 k`s up river which resulted in us three hunters being 28 k`s off the road from where the truck was parked.

We traveled through rivers,creeks, bush,fkn jungle,avalanche chutes,under glaciers that were dropping ice chunks the size of farm sheds and through boulder fields and it was all the way up hill to where the big bull Tahr were way to fuckery above us.This was no walk in the park down a gravel road trip this was pain all the way but through the most incredible country I have ever seen.
Shankspony had a 300 metre long avalanche of ice and snow roar down the chute he was on and it stopped 200 m`s above him, he had been glassing Chamois across the valley when he heard it coming and as he said "i got the fuck out of there quick as " I saw the avalanche trail myself and the 1/2 k plumes of snow and ice dust hanging in the air from another that rumbled down from a glacier above us...geezuz!
It was tough on the gear and on the feet,three of my toenails will drop off this or next week and believe me the knees and hips are feeling it too.

I have walked through a million frosts but have never climbed through rocks where they are covered in black ice,you cant see it but it was coating every bloody thing you put a boot on,some places where hands on all the way and a slip could have had horrible consequences.

Robs Moroka 30 gear? Undoubtedly as good as it gets,tough well and truly made properly and i loved especially the rifle carrier in the middle of the pack as an outstanding extra...climbing through the bush and the rocks meant a hunter had both hands to hang on with and that was a definite bonus.
The pack stood up to everything thrown at it and coped with it all,rain,falls,rocks and scrub and with a total weigh up of just over 30 kilos it proved its worth.. with its inherent toughness,comfort and a multitude of pockets for everything i have concluded that its worth recommending to anyone that wants to pack in to anywhere. "haha thats if my recko is worth anything"
The Moroka 30 s/bag was too hot for me and i used it as a blanket unzipped,heaps of room and warmth galore,my mate was in a feather bag and calling the temps 'cold' through the night even though he was tightly zipped up,i was warm as! Great bag with a monster amount of room too.

Bottom river country heading up and into the far distant hills


Tahr walls up high one morning after some severe climbing




Thats not rock but pure ice the cobber is by




The little dome rock dead centre of pic had a bull on it and believe me its safe as too!



this is him all of two k`s away


another bear way off




We walked 2 hours from 4.45AM in the dark from camp below the furthest ridge on the left side for bulls seen up high the arvo before.



Second last basin in the distance was a destination for Tahr bulls


second lump behind the pointy one in pic centre was a rest spot from where i was when had a crack at a bull, after climbing from the river way below.
I shot over him and there was a big chance of no recovery even if I had rolled him..tough rough country.


Feathered friend that stayed with us a while when we were high above the river.He obviously didnt know what he was chewing on eh!


Some results on the best ever backpack with Shankspony and Lost and Lates chamois bucks.


We saw 20 bulls in ten days and couldnt get near them as they were well off the bush line and way to fuckery high in the rocks and ice at daybreak.
As many or more Chamois as well.

A great hunt sums it up,one doesnt have to kill to make it so!
Many thanks to HendrikNZ and his wife for their hospitality prior to and after the hunt..excellent food,wine and great guntalk.

The bottom line?

There were no helicopters involved in this hunt!

Great stuff mate.

Great stuff for sure.. I did my tahr/chamois in the same fashion.. 'Cept mine ended in a nice life flight/medivac chopper ride out to Greymouth and then onto Christchurch and nice extended stay in the hospital!!

Wonderful stuff and I plan on returning to that same area and doing this hunt again.. minus the ending.

Thanks for sharing the hunt with us.

That is cool country. Puts our "mountains" to shame hey.

Great to hear you made it back, it was great hosting you guys.

and I'm definitely in for the next one!

Cheers
H

Cheers Gryph, it was a pleasure to show you round our hunting grounds over here. Will catch up with you shortly.

Glassing at the 'flat spot" mentioned previously with Shanks and LostnLate



Up higher.



Shanks with his buck



Glacier calving up high



Another of the solid ice not rocks Shanks is by,amazing to me from this hot old country.



Curried Chamois coming up,my second little fella.



There`s Tahr on those faces...try getting to them haha.



Above this ice was a deep chasm that rumbled monster ice chunks down it that literally shook the spur we were on,greet booming noises that I will never forget.

Great story, great pics, Thanks for sharing!
What calabre were you guys using? I would guess at least 7mmR Remington mag?

Absolutely Marvelous country. Thanks for sharing those pix.

quote:

Originally posted by Erny:
Great story, great pics, Thanks for sharing!
What calabre were you guys using? I would guess at least 7mmR Remington mag?

I took my 7mmRM as did LostnLate also,Shanks rifle was a 280 AI

Wow. What a hunt! Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

you fellas' know what "adventure" is!!
tough,wild country and tough wild critters!

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:
Wow. What a hunt! Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

Congrats and thanks for the stunning pictures!

Having rested up a little and reviewing my pics I`m wanting to get back into that country,sort of hanging too actually.

I think I took around or close too 200 pics...just not near enough either.