Hunting personalities
Alain Jorion and the Grand Slam
Tony Orman talks to Alain Jorion of Gisborne – believed to be the only hunter to take a top-class trophy of all our 13 big game animal species .
Many years ago , NZDA member Alain Jorion ( now aged 73 ) set himself a goal : to obtain by “ fair chase ” methods top-quality representative trophies of all the big game animals available in New Zealand .
This ambitious task took Alain decades simply because he set himself such a high standard in both trophy quality and hunting ethics . He is the only NZDA-recorded person to have achieved the Grand Slam .
“ Throughout those years , I spurned extra help such as access by helicopter , use of spotlight and so on – but I did use a dog at times when hunting pigs , an accepted practice in this country ,” he says .
By ethical hunting and patience , Alain eventually achieved his aim by taking trophy chamois , red deer , sika deer , Himalayan tahr , whitetail deer , wild goat , wild boar , wallaby , rusa deer , wild sheep , fallow deer , wapiti and sambar deer .
Some trophies stand out in his mind in terms of comparative satisfaction and sense of achievement . Time taken is a factor in his ratings , with the fallow deer and rusa standing out .
While it was a personal achievement , Alain is quick to acknowledge the invaluable help he had from NZDA members . In the early 1960s , when his family shifted to Silverstream in the Hutt Valley , a neighbour was NZDA stalwart the late Russ Mitchell , who attended many conferences measuring trophy head entries .
“ Russ had a big and positive influence on me ,” says Alain . “ He was one of the most knowledgeable hunting men in New Zealand . He was not just a shooter , but a truly selective hunter .”
Russ ’ s influence set the foundation for Alain ’ s ambition to shoot at least one good trophy of each big game animal , while also observing ethics to the utmost . “ I began to think not of numbers , but of quality ,” said Alain .
Alain Jorion with his Gisborne red deer stag – not one of his Grand Slam trophies , but indicative of the good heads to be taken today
In 1968 Russ and Alain , along with other NZDA members Peter Plim and John Riley , headed to the Big Wanganui River on the West Coast of the South Island , where he shot a 14 pointer . But unfortunately it had a
Alain Jorion ’ s Grand Slam trophies and awards
Highest aggregate Douglas Score 1722⅞ . ( Minimum of a head of all 12 species , not including moose )
Chamois 27¾ * Fallow 209¼ * Goat 121⅞ * Pig 19½ Red deer 304⅝ * Rusa deer 173 2 ⁄ 8 *
* Record book trophy
Sambar 176 Sika deer 168 Tahr 40¼ * Wapiti 280 Whitetail 124⅜ * Sheep 78 *
28 NZ Hunting & Wildlife 196 - Autumn 2017