Labour weekend for me was a chance to get back to basics. The Hunter Hills in South Canterbury is where my family has farmed for over 100 years and includes amongst other awesome features a 400 acre hill block.....gateway to many more hills, covered in native bush, deer, pigs, wallaby's and very much a protected family hunting block!
Several twilight outings into "gods own" netted some wallaby and a nice hind which was stalked and shot before the mission to carry it off. Hunting has been a favorite past time all of my life when my father taught me to shoot rabbits with a .22 aged about 10. In fact he preferred that we learnt to shoot with a .22 rather than the toy air rifles that many kids learn on.
For me it is all about reading the ground, outsmarting the target, being fit enough and then the skills involved in hitting the thing one you are in a position to squeeze off a round. Of course that favourite past time did eventually lead me into the Army where these skills are taken to a different level.....but then that is a different story!
Last night we had stir fryed venison and there is certainly a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I shot and butchered it and that it came from our part of the world. Does it get better than that? Roll on Christmas holidays and several weeks of the same.
Kendall
0 comments:
Post a Comment