Out October 1st in all good bookstores and supermarkets nationwide and also available in Australia.
The NZOH Oct/Nov issue features my article on Fiordland's magnificent Wapiti. The largest round horned deer in the world. The Fiordland herd is the biggest outside its native homeland of North America.
First introduced to NZ in 1905 they are a highly sought after trophy, but it takes a certain type of hunter to venture into the extreme environment that is Fiordland and hunt wapiti.
My briefing for this assignment was... Louise, we want an exciting adventurous wapiti story hopefully with a hunter who has secured a decent trophy and has some great photos.
It was up to me to find this person, interview them and tell their story, and I did.
His name is Scott Turner and he's what I call an intelligent hunter. Thoughtful and in tune with his environment. Like the hunters of old and with the same outlook on venturing into the wilderness such as the great Archie Kitto - see my post on Archie for his story titled: "Mists of Time." 15/04/2012
With this type of hunter its not about just going out and killing an animal, they embrace the entire experience, they know how to survive in the wilderness and they respect nature and the natural environment. They don't take anything for granted and they go prepared mentally and physically. Scotts training for venturing into Fiordland is something I asked him about.
This is my fifth feature for NZOH and one Im very proud of. I asked Scott the hard questions and the fun ones. Regarding supplies..."What would you hate to have left behind on the kitchen table?" His reply, "Chocolate, I have a sweet tooth."
But I'll leave it there.
You'll have to read the article to find out what else Scott takes in his pack, about his trophy, his highlights and how he and his hunting mate Marc survived in one of the worlds most challenging and exciting places to hunt.
