Kiwis Hunting Goats:

- This is a story about what old men get-up-to - when they retire in New Zealand!

 

Yo Rod, (by e-mail)

How's your neck? -  I suppose you've spent the morning staring skywards watching the NASA

Balloon launch ?? (- NASA launched a huge experimental scientific 'Space balloon' from Wanaka in 'Central Otago' last week).

'Our' NASA Balloon Being Inflated at Wanaka Airport.

 

 - Nothing so exciting to see up here - although it was the A&P Show last week !! - Just an excuse for bagpipe owners to make a noise. - It's a Club 'shooting weekend' here so fingers crossed that it will be decent weather to take the toys out for some fresh air.          

                                                   __________

 

Hi Marty
 Went goat shooting on Sunday and four of us got 20.  My Gun City Ranger
AR15 ..223 performed well - and the 69 grain Hollow Points are deadly on goats.
I have attached a picture of a mob taken at about 250 metres before we
opened up. You seldom see them in a 'gallery shoot' situation like this!

 - We are off to Gore tomorrow for an Aussie Muscle-Car show (taking our
2004 HSV Coupe GTO Le).

Holden HSV - Something Like This?

 It is still quite warm down here and the ground is dry as a chip. - Our neighbour across the road is a piper - but he has a crook shoulder at present and can't squeeze the bag to practice  - Bugger!  - I have no time to gaze at balloons!

 -   We went up goat shooting about 5 weeks ago in the same area and got 10, but I was carting my 14.5lb .30/06 long range rifle and we got onto them at about 150 metres.

 - When you are my age (68 in a couple of months) the steep country is bloody hard going even without carting a heavy rifle!  This time I took my Chinese .223 Ranger AR15 (from Gun City) with 20" barrel and 7" twist which shoots 69gr ADI Outback ammo into sub .5" groups at 100 metres.

  The scope is a Nikon P223 4-12 x 40 with trajectory compensation (which is spot on to at
least 350 metres).  The 69 gr Sierra HPs are deadly killers on goats.  This last trip was a goat control trip for the station owner by members of our local Rod & Gun Club.

Nikon P 223 4-12x40 Scope Mounted on an AR15.

  The country is very steep and rocky with lots of bluffs and narrow gullies so they don't have to move far to get into safety.

We saw a couple of good mobs and several smaller groups of 2-3 animals.  Two guys went up on the Saturday and got 8, and four of us went on Sunday and got 20.

  Some nice legs taken (they slow roast nicely) and back steaks (for tasty
curries) were taken from the younger animals, - and some meat for dog tucker from the
older ones.

Roast of Young Goat Leg

 - On the way out we saw a Red Deer hind and yearling on the track which stood and looked at us from about 30 metres while I went around to the back of the Toyota Hi-Lux and retrieved my rifle and magazine - but they "bolted" as I closed the bolt!

 They will keep - as they are only 10 minutes from home!

Cheers, Rod

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- It's a hard life in the South Pacific Colonies  eh.

Note: Captain James Cook is recorded as having released the first pair of goats into East Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound way back in June 1773. - Since then the feral goat has been a true asset for people here over 242 years - but has been regarded as a pest from time to time.

 - Milk, meat, skins and Angora & Cashmere fibres for clothing are all valuable produce - and that is forgetting the goats usefulness for clearing unwanted weed plants when developing paddocks in farmland.

Marty K.