Getting away from firearms Simon, what about a
favourite bit of kit for you?
Well, being warm and dry are up there for me, so I would have to
say a good light tent and a quality sleeping bag. Favourite piece
of hunting kit is a range finder. On the open tops it can be hard to
judge distances, and rabbit shooting with subsonic ammo means
that anything over 50 yards gets ranged before shooting.Mark, I know you’ve learned to get by on all sorts of
kit, with lightweight gear being really important in
adventure racing. I understand in your meat hunting
years, ‘lightweight’ generally meant no gear, or
carrying not much at all.
Yeah, that’s true. Just a knife and parka mostly, and food choices
were pretty interesting. I would often head into the hills after
work on Friday and come out Sunday, taking just a packet of
biscuits, a block of almond cake icing, an apple, some dates and
half a loaf of bread. In my twenties I never used a cooker...unless
someone had one for a longer trip.Simon, I understand both you and Zac are active
Christians – is there any sort of connection between
your faith and your time in the outdoors?
I certainly appreciate God’s playground. Yes, I definitely feel a
greater connection with God when I contemplate the beauty of
the natural forests and the rugged mountains that He created for
us to enjoy.So, finally getting back to that DNA question. You
Raywards love your outdoor adventures – for all
sorts of reasons – so what hunting trips are on the
bucket list?
Mark: A week up high in Canterbury with tahr, chamois and Reds,
in summer.Simon: Fiordland is definitely on the bucket list.
Zac: Fiordland and Stewart Island would be up there on my
list. They both seem like great places for challenging hunting
adventures.Greig: NZ is full of great opportunities, everywhere, so
add something to your bucket list of adventures too, and
get out hunting...like the Raywards.Here's Nelson lad Ollie Inch
with his first chamois taken on
Zac with a solid stag a trip with ZacMark and the girls
on the topsAugust / September 2019 ~ NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE 55Getting away from firearms Simon, what about a
favourite bit of kit for you?Well, being warm and dry are up there for me, so I would have to
say a good light tent and a quality sleeping bag. Favourite piece
of hunting kit is a range finder. On the open tops it can be hard to
judge distances, and rabbit shooting with subsonic ammo means
that anything over 50 yards gets ranged before shooting.
Mark, I know you’ve learned to get by on all sorts of
kit, with lightweight gear being really important in
adventure racing. I understand in your meat hunting
years, ‘lightweight’ generally meant no gear, or
carrying not much at all.Yeah, that’s true. Just a knife and parka mostly, and food choices
were pretty interesting. I would often head into the hills after
work on Friday and come out Sunday, taking just a packet of
biscuits, a block of almond cake icing, an apple, some dates and
half a loaf of bread. In my twenties I never used a cooker...unless
someone had one for a longer trip.
Simon, I understand both you and Zac are active
Christians – is there any sort of connection between
your faith and your time in the outdoors?I certainly appreciate God’s playground. Yes, I definitely feel a
greater connection with God when I contemplate the beauty of
the natural forests and the rugged mountains that He created for
us to enjoy.
So, finally getting back to that DNA question. You
Raywards love your outdoor adventures – for all
sorts of reasons – so what hunting trips are on the
bucket list?Mark: A week up high in Canterbury with tahr, chamois and Reds,
in summer.
Simon: Fiordland is definitely on the bucket list.
Zac: Fiordland and Stewart Island would be up there on my
list. They both seem like great places for challenging hunting
adventures.Greig: NZ is full of great opportunities, everywhere, so
add something to your bucket list of adventures too, and
get out hunting...like the Raywards.Here's Nelson lad Ollie Inch
with his first chamois taken on
Zac with a solid stag a trip with ZacMark and the girls
on the topsAugust / September 2019 ~ NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE 55