INTERVIEWED BY ~ GREIG CAIGOUHunting for Adventures
The Raywards
Is there an attraction to hunting and adventure in the DNA of the Rayward family? In this interview we
meet the Raywards – Mark and Simon, along with Simon’s son Zac. All Hunters.Can you give me a quick overview of your work, guys?
Mark: After leaving school I worked in small animal pest control
for five years, but ultimately ended up training as an outdoor
instructor, which is where I have been for the last 28 years.
Fourteen years ago I went into self-employment and amongst
other outdoor education roles I currently work as a course
designer and safety manager for a sporting events company that
runs adventure races.
Simon: After older brother Mark convinced me it wasn’t all ‘guns
and roses’ in the pest destruction business, I ended up working
with a silviculture crew, later moving into logging. I have had a few
breaks along the way when as a family we spent seven winters
living in Wanaka. I worked at Cardrona as a ski instructor and bus
driver.
And son Zac works with you? Zac was schooled at home, which
meant he could help out when we needed a hand. He started
with us fulltime last year and is now a shareholder in Hightrack
Harvesting...he’s doing real well for an 18 year old.
So what do you most enjoy about hunting with your
son Zac?
Well I enjoy being with people who are passionate and I don’t
think you would find a more passionate hunter than Zac. We tend
to be competitive, especially rabbit shooting, where’s it’s all about
who’s got the biggest tally, or who pulled off the longest shot. I
remember both of us lining up on a rabbit once and planning the
3-2-1 shoot, but as we counted down, Zac shot on the ‘1’ – thatwas the first and last time I fell for that trick.
When we were hunting for pigs and deer, Zac used to rely on me
to glass for game so I had to introduce a rule that whoever saw
the animal got to shoot it. Needless to say, Zac got his own binos
and some keen glassing resulted. I appreciate that Zac doesn’t just
go out to shoot animals, sometimes he’ll spot 20 or so over a hunt
and chooses not to take any. Although Zac has many animal hides
and heads lying around the house, he has a lot of pictures and
videos as well.
You and your brother Mark have had some classic
hunts too, tell the readers about one that stood out
for you.
Well, my most memorable hunt wasn’t my best trip ever but it
went like this: I was studying at Canterbury Uni and Mark was
working in Culverden on pest control. He rang me up and said
he knew where some chamois were hanging out. There was a
problem as it was winter, with some snow around and I had no
sleeping bag or boots. Mark assured me he would sort out this
shortfall so I hitched to Culverden equipped with mountain biking
shoes and a backpack filled with the warmest clothes I had. On
arrival I discovered that Mark hadn’t found a sleeping bag or boots
for me, but he reckoned I shouldn’t worry, telling me “We’ll just
squeeze into my tent and you can sleep between me and my
mate!”
The trip was successful and I managed to shoot my first chamois- definitely not a trophy – but I absolutely froze. My slippery wet
52 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / September 2019How
To
INTERVIEWED BY ~ GREIG CAIGOUHunting for Adventures
The Raywards
Is there an attraction to hunting and adventure in the DNA of the Rayward family? In this interview we
meet the Raywards – Mark and Simon, along with Simon’s son Zac. All Hunters.Can you give me a quick overview of your work, guys?
Mark: After leaving school I worked in small animal pest control
for five years, but ultimately ended up training as an outdoor
instructor, which is where I have been for the last 28 years.
Fourteen years ago I went into self-employment and amongst
other outdoor education roles I currently work as a course
designer and safety manager for a sporting events company that
runs adventure races.
Simon: After older brother Mark convinced me it wasn’t all ‘guns
and roses’ in the pest destruction business, I ended up working
with a silviculture crew, later moving into logging. I have had a few
breaks along the way when as a family we spent seven winters
living in Wanaka. I worked at Cardrona as a ski instructor and bus
driver.
And son Zac works with you? Zac was schooled at home, which
meant he could help out when we needed a hand. He started
with us fulltime last year and is now a shareholder in Hightrack
Harvesting...he’s doing real well for an 18 year old.
So what do you most enjoy about hunting with your
son Zac?
Well I enjoy being with people who are passionate and I don’t
think you would find a more passionate hunter than Zac. We tend
to be competitive, especially rabbit shooting, where’s it’s all about
who’s got the biggest tally, or who pulled off the longest shot. I
remember both of us lining up on a rabbit once and planning the
3-2-1 shoot, but as we counted down, Zac shot on the ‘1’ – thatwas the first and last time I fell for that trick.
When we were hunting for pigs and deer, Zac used to rely on me
to glass for game so I had to introduce a rule that whoever saw
the animal got to shoot it. Needless to say, Zac got his own binos
and some keen glassing resulted. I appreciate that Zac doesn’t just
go out to shoot animals, sometimes he’ll spot 20 or so over a hunt
and chooses not to take any. Although Zac has many animal hides
and heads lying around the house, he has a lot of pictures and
videos as well.
You and your brother Mark have had some classic
hunts too, tell the readers about one that stood out
for you.
Well, my most memorable hunt wasn’t my best trip ever but it
went like this: I was studying at Canterbury Uni and Mark was
working in Culverden on pest control. He rang me up and said
he knew where some chamois were hanging out. There was a
problem as it was winter, with some snow around and I had no
sleeping bag or boots. Mark assured me he would sort out this
shortfall so I hitched to Culverden equipped with mountain biking
shoes and a backpack filled with the warmest clothes I had. On
arrival I discovered that Mark hadn’t found a sleeping bag or boots
for me, but he reckoned I shouldn’t worry, telling me “We’ll just
squeeze into my tent and you can sleep between me and my
mate!”
The trip was successful and I managed to shoot my first chamois- definitely not a trophy – but I absolutely froze. My slippery wet
52 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~ August / September 2019
How
To