One thing that makes a good hunter is the ability to stay quiet.
It’s a skill that helped Hikutaia brothers Leon and Noah King to successfully hunt and shoot two deer on a recent hunting trip.
Sixteen-year-old Leon and 11-year-old Noah went hunting with their grandad on family land near Napier/Taupō during the April school holidays, Leon said.
The hunter, who is also a year-12 student at Paeroa College, said he shot a 9-point Red Stag with a Brown x Bolt 308 Rifle, while younger brother Noah shot a Red Deer hind.
It wasn’t Leon’s first rodeo, as the seasoned tracker said it was the sixth deer he’d hunted.
“My granddad taught me how to hunt. He has been a hunter for years.”
The young tracker said he always wanted to do it and “now I love it too”.
One of the challenges for deer hunters was getting close without the stag seeing or smelling them, he said.
“The weather can play a big part but we were lucky this time the wind was going to the right so he didn’t smell or hear us.”
A top piece of advice Leon wanted to share with new hunters was to always hunt with the wind in their face or “you’re wasting your time” as the deer would smell them before they started.
When he was getting ready to take a shot, his thoughts revolved around making sure “I don’t miss”.
His dream animal to hunt was a Sika Deer, he said.
Meanwhile, younger brother Noah said the most important thing he would tell a new hunter was to be safe and shoot the shoulder or the neck.
The hunting trip with his grandad and brother was a significant one for Noah.
Not only did the young hunter shoot a Red deer hind, it was also his first time behind the rifle.
“This was my first time I got to have a go at shooting a deer.
“I have been hunting before with my brother and granddad but this time I got to have a shoot,” he told The Profile.
The hunter-gatherer, who is also a year-7 student at Hikutaia School, said it was a challenge to keep the rifle steady and he was nervous he would miss.
“It felt like it took a long time. Once I had taken the shot I yelled. I dropped it with a big smile and my brother Leon said ‘shot Noah’.”
The animal at the top of his dream hunt list was a Red Stag Deer.
There were two things he said he always made sure of before any hunting trips.
“We always check we have walkie talkies and we are safe before we head off hunting.”
Noah believes two things that make a good hunter are being quiet and knowing how to roar.
“I want to become a good and safe hunter,” he said.
By DAVIDDA HIKATANGATA
