2 Years

With the days growing slowly longer some of us

kid ourselves that spring isn’t far off but I was

shivering under the tent fly while trying hard to

stay warm on the packed earth

Only minutes before, Annie the dog had tried to force her way back into my

sleeping bag after sneaking out for a call of nature and her sharp claws had

ripped a hole in my poofter pad. I was gutted – my expensive mattress was

history!

That got me up and about, piling on

warm clothes and boots before sparking

the gas cooker into life. Eventually the

hissing steam from the billy woke the

Gotman from his slumber and I poured

hot coffee into our mugs for our first fix

of the day.

The new dawn spread light to the

east in the dripping forest as we

organized ourselves for the day

ahead. This primarily involved a 100 yard

walk through the bush before we broke

out into the sparse tussocks and got to

a rock buttress where we could watch

over a steep gully system just as we’d

done many times before. If we were lucky

some deer might be out, catching the

first warm rays of sun while they searched

for morsels to eat.

Early morning mist drifted up the gully

from the snaking river thousands of

feet below as our cold fingers gripped

binoculars. We both frantically glassed

likely spots for the glow of an animal,

hoping to win the (nonexistent) prize for

finding the first deer. I tend to check spots

where I have seen deer before, almost like

a speed reader, before settling into a

rhythm of methodically searching

feed guts, slips and everywhere else

my experience tells me I should look.

Slowly, as the mist burnt off and the

black panther found a spot in the sun,

I passed over a shape on a large slip.

Something about the shape stopped me

and I backed up a couple of yards and

refocused. Had it moved? I checked again

but was still not sure as it blended into its

surroundings so well. The fact that I am

WRITTEN BY ~ GLENN MORRIS

gy

Gotman from his slumber and I poured

hot coffeff e iintotoooururmmugugssfoforr ouour first fix

of the day.

The new dawn spread light to the

east in the dripping forest as we

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The Ngaruroro

River snaking

through the

Kawekas

Gotman glassing

with the 300WSM

set to go

42 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / Septem-

How

To

Years

With the days growing slowly longer some of us

kid ourselves that spring isn’t far off but I was

shivering under the tent fly while trying hard to

stay warm on the packed earth

Only minutes before, Annie the dog had tried to force her way back into my

sleeping bag after sneaking out for a call of nature and her sharp claws had

ripped a hole in my poofter pad. I was gutted – my expensive mattress was

history!

That got me up and about, piling on

warmclothesandbootsbeforesparking

thegascookerintolife.Eventuallythe

hissin

for morsels to eat.

Earlymorningmistdriftedupthegully

fromthesnakingriverthousandsof

feetbelowasourcoldfingersgripped

binoculars. We both frantically glassed

likely spots for the glow of an animal,

hoping to win the (nonexistent) prize for

finding the first deer. I tend to check spots

where I have seen deer before, almost like

a speed reader, before settling into a

rhythm of methodically searching

feed guts, slips and everywhere else

my experience tells me I should look.

Slowly, as the mist burnt off and the

black panther found a spot in the sun,

I passed over a shape on a large slip.

Something about the shape stopped me

and I backed up a couple of yards and

refocused. Had it moved? I checked again

butwasstillnotsureasit blendedintoits

surroundingssowellThefactthatI am

WRITTEN BY ~ GLENN MORRIS

GotmanfromhisslumberandI poured

hotcoffeff eiinttoooururmmugugssfoforrouourfirst fix

of theday.

Thenewdawnspreadlighttothe

eastinthe drippingforestaswe

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feetbelowasourcoldfingersgripped surroundingssowell.ThefactthatIam

The Ngaruroro

River snaking

through the

Kawekas

Gotman glassing

with the 300WSM

set to go

42 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / Septem-

How

To