GT’s Note:
Thanks for your messages of concern to our safety and that of our friends and family after the latest severe earthquake.The Quake devastated the Kaikoura area on the NE of the South Island.
Lots of property damage and infrastructure damage, but miraculously few fatalities. Our Wanaka location was not effected.
With Thanksgiving weekend complete and Christmas approaching, it is certainly a good time to reflect on family and friends and give thanks for another year to plan with anticipation.
Plenty of changes for all of us, with Donald Trump as President the hunters and gun owners in the USA should feel a sense of ease and relief. Now is the time for change and here’s hoping that Trump will make the difference.
Changes for our hunting operation have taken effect, the final stretch of the 13 km of fence are underway with completion expected by mid January. This extension of our Game Estate will add an additional 770ha (2500ac) to our Mt Maude area.
With an exclusive 10 year lease I’m excited to finally implement with certainty our game management plans though to 2026.
For now most of my time has been taken up on the riverbanks guiding my fly fishing clients. We have had good results so far and that is despite some very average weather. Trout do not seem to be as concerned as us when the temp drops from 18 degrees C to 7 degrees C. Trout are quite the opposite in many instances as the aquatic insects relish the cooler temps. Seeing some nice mayfly hatches at various times during the day and even a spinner fall in a blustery cold Southerly on the Mataura River a couple of days ago.
Stags and deer are growing velvet at very encouraging rates. I have spotted a couple of stags that I see every 4-5 days and I am impressed by what I see.
It will be fun to see which hunter is lucky enough to find them when the hunting begins in early March.
In the meantime think about your 2017 hunting schedule. How about including your family when you organize to hunt and holiday in New Zealand.
