SOMETHING WILD HAPPENED THIS LABOUR WEEKEND. AFTER MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OF BEING INVOLVED IN DESIGNING THE STONEY CREEK SISTERHOOD RANGE AND CONNECTING WITH INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN THE HUNTING COMMUNITY, I FINALLY EMBARKED ON MY FIRST WOMEN’S HUNTING TRIP. I’M STOKED TO SEE JUST HOW FAR THE SISTERHOOD RANGE HAS COME SINCE OUR LAUNCH IN FEBRUARY 2017. AS A DESIGNER, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN DRIVEN BY AN UNWAVERING NEED TO CREATE INNOVATIVE GEAR THAT FUNCTIONS SO WELL, YOU DON’T EVEN NOTICE IT. IT’S BEEN A FANTASTIC JOURNEY SO FAR AND I’M CERTAINLY STILL LEARNING AND INNOVATING.
My first experience hunting was in my early 20’s, when my then-boyfriend invited me to join him and his dad deer stalking in the back blocks of Kingston. While the relationship didn’t last, I’m grateful for the introduction to his world and my love of hunting and the back country has only grown since. If memory serves me, we shot a whitetail spiker that weekend. Rare for that area, I remember his father saying.
But it wasn’t just the clean air or the physical and mental act of stalking an animal that stayed with me. The whole experience turned out to be life-altering in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
I remember preparing for the hunt a few days before, wondering what on earth to wear. I was pretty green; up until that point I had only shot rabbits with my dad at our crib in Middlemarch. It didn’t take long to discover, back then in 2004, that no New Zealand brand made a specific women’s hunting range. I can still clearly recall venturing into the local outdoor hiking store and buying a pair of baggy men’s cotton cargo pants because I thought the pockets would be useful. Then I bought some blaze camo fleece from the fabric shop and made myself a bush tee.
Of course I realised at the first river crossing, ten minutes in, that the cotton cargos were a bad choice and I longed for the gaiters the others were wearing. I ripped the crotch in the pants thanks to that low hanging men’s fit and I got pretty cold trudging through snow on the tops because those pants wicked like a thirsty sailor! But the pants changed my life and my career path too. Thinking about it, I wish I had kept them as a memento.
Fast forward to today, when I have almost 14 years’ experience designing outdoor apparel – for both men and women. It’s been hugely rewarding to get out in the hills wearing gear that I’ve had a hand in developing. And being able to experience that with other work mates, friends and family and our test team members definitely amplifies the reasons I love what I do.
When I stumbled on fellow hunter Moana Robb’s Instagram page as we were launching the Sisterhood range, I thought to myself ‘far out, check out this chick getting it done!’ I imagined that one day I might be out there chasing those dream hunts with her and others like her. We connected and traded stories for a few years and finally set a date for me to have a crack at my first Chamois. I’ve never hunted with just one other woman before and, to be honest, I was both nervous and extremely excited to be heading back to the mainland at Labour Weekend. This hunt symbolised so much for me. Not only was it a species on my hunting bucket list, but I’d be pursuing it with another hunter who had encountered the same ‘male-only hunter’s clothing’ challenges as me. I do feel really stoked to be part of an epic brand that helps ensure everyone is having the best possible experience, in gear specifically designed for them. I guess that’s why the Sisterhood range has always had a special spot in my heart.
So, that Friday afternoon I arrived at Moana’s home wearing a big grin. After a quick catch up, we got stuck into getting our gear ready and hit the road to set up camp for the night. As is often the case, the weather forecast largely dictated where we ended up but Moana also had the extra challenge of choosing a location better suited to my ability. I was nursing a bad knee ahead of surgery the following week and wasn’t in the best physical state to be scaling bluffs carrying a multi-day pack. I didn’t want to put my new mate in a tricky situation, either.
We dubbed that first day ‘the honey pot’, based on the number of species spotted. We left camp at 6:30am and started climbing; the number of animals we saw grew with the elevation. Fallow and reds in the morning, then wallabies, then a surprise towards the end of the day.
My recent hunts have mainly been pig hunts so I was super exited to move at a slower pace and spend more time glassing. I love glassing, it’s similar to spending hours at a time looking at the tip of your fishing rod, my mind slows right down and my thoughts are quiet, there’s only a few activities in my life where I can get to this state - surfing being the other - and I really appreciate the benefits from it.
Moana has abundant knowledge from her veterinary nursing and Department of Conservation careers, as well as overseas travel. I enjoyed learning about the flora and fauna of the area we passed through.
The day was hot and, with no chamois spotted, it was almost time to head back. Mo stood up from her glassing spot to have one last look down the other side. Within minutes, she returned with the most bewildered, excited expression and whispered “OMG it’s a tahr”. I was gobsmacked. Earlier, she had shown me the shrubs tahr like to eat but said it was pretty unlikely they were in this area.
We were quick to change our focus from chamois to tahr and made a speedy decision to drop down and have a crack at the bull that was bedded up in a steep ravine. The wind was not in our favour, nor were the wallabies darting all over the show, and we missed a clear shot by a narrow window. To be honest, I was just stoked to see my first tahr and to have something so unexpected drop into our day.
After losing sight of the tahr, we began our walk out and arrived back at camp just after 10pm, hungry after several hours of trading wild food recipes. We decided to pack down our Armadillos and head back to Twizel, then hunt a different spot in the morning.
As expected, the next day was a complete contrast weather-wise, with a front forecasted to move in around 3pm from the west. The wind gusts were strong enough to force us into a crouch on the ridgelines, so it was on with the Frostline Jackets. It didn’t take long to spot the first chamois of the trip, too far away to shoot but an opportunity to set up the spotting scope and take a good look at him. We continued around the face into a basin and made our way up the opposite ridgeline to come out on top of him. Then, a moment of déjà vu. Mo stopped and said again “OMG it’s another friggen tahr”. Once again, in an unlikely area. We joked that next time we should plan a tahr hunt and we might get luckier with chamois.
The weather seemed to be holding off so we kept going. And I’m glad we did. Mo spotted two more chamois on the other side of the ridge then watched through the spotting scope as I found a comfy spot to take a shot. This all took a bit of time as I was waiting for a lull in the wind.
At 278 yards, I squeezed the trigger. Due to kickback, I’ve never been very good at keeping my eye sighted in through the scope so my ears were tuned to listen for the thud. Thanks to the wind, it took the slightest bit longer to hear the impact but in that split second of waiting, I was thinking the worst. Then I heard it, and looked up at Mo, who grinned and said “hit.”
There really is something incredible about being out in the back country and sweating your ass off, taking in those massive vistas, being challenged and pushing yourself to adapt to the environment, weather and your own mind. And to do this in the company of another hunter who shares the same drive makes every part of it better. As Mo said on the walk out, it doesn’t take long for a hunter to forget about the punishing times and become amped for the next challenge. She’s dead right. Thrilling as the hunt was, my new bond with Moana was easily the best part of the weekend and I am already fizzing and making plans for our next hunt.
Sarah Macdonald. Senior Designer, Stoney Creek Ltd.
