Carefully we moved forward and upwards , sidling to the left of the spur as that was where Jive had indicated . We had covered just another hundred metres when Ray suddenly raised his rifle , took aim and squeezed off the shot . I hurried up to him .
“ Stag ,” he whispered . “ It ran down there into the gully .” “ Did you hit it ?” “ Dunno ; the shot felt good but it scarpered . Didn ’ t look hit though .” “ Well , we gotta check it out . You never know ,” I replied . “ You go down and look ; I ’ ll stay here .”
So Ray headed down into the scrubby gully while I waited above . Five minutes passed with no result , so I slithered downhill a few metres , following the stag marks but keeping in the open . I waited and then went down a few more metres .
A dark red spot on the grass caught my eye . I wiped it off . Blood !
Soon after , Ray appeared . He was dejected . “ Bummer . I must ’ ve missed ,” he said .
“ No you didn ’ t , “ I replied and held up the grass blade . “ I ’ ll go down with Jive .”
So we dropped into the scrub and found the trickle of the creek . Jive led , following the scent . He turned right upstream , then stopped just 50 metres ahead , tail wagging , eyes bright and sparkling . He had tracked and found the heart-shot stag .
Jive wasn ’ t a full Labrador , though his father was a pedigree one . It seemed his mother , contrary to the owner ’ s belief , had a mixed ancestry . Perhaps he had thrown back to a Huntaway ancestor , because he was of big build , but leaner and with a deep Huntaway-type bark . I recall when tracking his first deer – a young stag – that he stood proudly by it and proclaimed the kill with a very deep “ woof ! woof !”
His slightly mixed ancestry may have been an advantage , as finelybred Labradors seem susceptible to dysplasia of the hip . Anyway , Jive was superb company whether hunting , fishing or just around home .
The lifespan of a dog is cruelly short when compared to a human ’ s . Jive is dead but he has not departed . He is in the past , in the present and future as there ’ s hardly a day goes by that I don ’ t think of him with a moistening of the eyes and a quiet smile as I think of so many indelible memories .
Time heals and the smiles of many fine hunts together will become paramount .
Hunting
The lambs and goats of Panekiri Station
by Elliott Humphrey , 9 years , Thames Valley branch
On Saturday morning Dad and I left Tauranga for the long drive to Panekiri Station to help with the annual NZDA Thames branch fundraising project , docking lambs . I was a bit tired so I went to sleep for a while and missed seeing all the horses grazing along the roadside .
We finally arrived at the Waikeremoana Holiday Park , where we stayed in one of the cabins . It was a bit rainy and we tried fishing around the lake but had no luck . We got a surprise when Maureen Coleman from our local branch pulled up just as we were about to go down a track to the lake . Later on we found a cool waterfall down a track from the visitor centre .
Next morning we needed to drive the rest of the way to Panekiri . Dad and I had read about some good fishing lakes on the way , where trout of over 12 kg have been caught . The first lake was quite small so we walked right around it . Dad hooked a fish near the end and I reeled it in . The next lake ( Tuai ) was bigger . We parked near the power station and I started fishing . On my second cast I hooked another keeper , a nice rainbow that we had for dinner at the shearers ’ quarters with the other NZDA members .
After that we carried on to Panekiri . We had just unpacked when Maureen arrived and asked us if we wanted to go and hunt for some goats she had seen by the road . Dad and I were off !
When we came over the hill we saw loads of goats in the distance , so we snuck up on them . I got to have a shot . It was my first time with a . 223 .
“ It was my first time with a . 223 .”
The goats were about 60 metres away . I aimed at a big white billy , at the heart and lungs because those are the vital organs and where Dad said to aim . I pulled the trigger and the goat dropped really quickly . I was happy because I had just shot my first goat . Hooray ! Dad took some pictures and we took its head because it was my first trophy .
On the way back we spied three little goats down by the gully so I asked Dad if I could try and catch one . He reckoned I was wasting my time , but to give it a go if I wanted . He stayed up on the track and kept talking and walking to distract them . Just as they started to run away he
36 NZ Hunting & Wildlife 196 - Autumn 2017