NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To
Why?
Because I could, and because I wanted to challenge myself and push the fringes of what was workable and safe as part of my journey toward a lighter approach to hunting.
So here are some thoughts, a bit of the storyline of that hunt, and what's in it for you - all part of adventures for New Zealand hunters and celebrated in this 100th issue of the magazine.
Peter Ryan's excellent book “Hunting Moments” recounts a Yup'ik hunter's story from a community with a long history of fishing and hunting traditions. These people live in Alaska and across the roof of the world into Siberia.
Peter tells how they have words for ideas that we cannot express simply, such as their word “upterrlainarluta” which carries the idea of ‘always getting ready’, where every moment is about getting ready for the next. For example, in our context, we can appreciate how a farmer's or a gardener's work flows from one season to another, getting ready for the next phase of the upcoming season. I see parallels for us as hunters.
Part of my ethos of always getting ready is striving to increase my physical and mental capacity. Exploring lighter or more versatile alternatives is integral to that.
We already know a lot about why we hunt. One study in the USA revealed that many hunters move through ‘stages’ during the lifetime of their hunting experiences. One stage might be the ‘trophy stage’
