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00:00:00Hi, I'm Paul Endel, owner of Continuous Group Railton.
00:00:03I'm here to introduce the next episode of NZ Hunter Adventures.
00:00:10New Zealand is an outdoor paradise full of endless towering mountains
00:00:14that are inhabited by a variety of impressive big game animals.
00:00:19Join us as we explore these wild places and challenge ourselves physically and mentally
00:00:24while harvesting delicious game meat for all to share in the spoils.
00:00:30Life is a mountain, start climbing and don't look back.
00:00:35This is NZ Hunter Adventures.
00:00:40For our final episode this season we'll be chasing all things feathered and foul
00:00:45and we're hoping a couple of new additions will aid our quest over the coming days.
00:00:50All packed up for a good old duck safari.
00:00:53We've got a bit of a mobile duck camp on wheels this year.
00:00:56We've got a caravan so we can move around and have a nice camp.
00:01:00The boat's had a few mods there and then you've shouted at a new outboard.
00:01:03Yep.
00:01:04And a new steering system and extensions and all sorts of luxuries.
00:01:09And Andrew you've got a new chassis.
00:01:10Yeah yep, just 12 months now so we'll see how she goes on the big water down here.
00:01:14Should be good.
00:01:15And not too much of a plan, we're just going to head south and try to find a few ducks
00:01:19on the rivers, should be fun.
00:01:21Awesome.
00:01:22South Island waterfowling safari.
00:01:24So this is one of the big rivers we used to haunt quite a bit 15 years ago.
00:01:28And the challenge here is there's a lot of water, fast water, and so it's actually finding
00:01:33a spot where you can recover your birds.
00:01:35Often the ducks will sit in the safest spot which is the littlest shingle spit right out
00:01:39in the middle of the main flow.
00:01:40And you can't shoot it, you can't recover your birds, it's dangerous with the dogs.
00:01:44While Greg and Andrew were scouting the nearby section of river to find us a shooting posse
00:01:49for the morning, Emel and I had trucked onto a perfect spot to park up for the night, getting
00:01:54dinner underway and eagerly waiting to hear what exactly the boys had found.
00:02:06Outstanding Willie, outstanding.
00:02:09So what do you reckon of this set up?
00:02:12It's not bad, it's not bad, better than tenting that's for sure.
00:02:15Yeah, heck of a set up.
00:02:17Very comfortable.
00:02:18And more importantly, you boys were on the river scouting, what did you find in the
00:02:22way of ducks?
00:02:23Yeah, we found a few, not massive amounts of birds, but huntable.
00:02:26You know, we set the decoys tonight, hopefully the river stays at that level and yeah, just
00:02:30a quick, simple boat ride in the morning and yeah, very luxurious.
00:02:35So no, it looks good.
00:02:36Alright, roll on the morning.
00:02:50The boys has done the first boat ride across to drop some gear and now they're coming back
00:02:54for me, Willow and the rest of our duck hunting set up.
00:02:58A bit foggy this morning, but hopefully it clears off.
00:03:03Ready for a push?
00:03:10We're at the spot, Andrew's already got a few decoys out.
00:03:13We're just going to set the boat, pull it up and this will be a portable maimai, making
00:03:17a theme of everything portable.
00:03:19Let's do it.
00:03:21Getting the last of the decoys ready to put out.
00:03:24Are we on time?
00:03:25Uh, surprisingly yes, but there's still time for that to go wrong.
00:03:30I'm going to run half a dozen of the FFD goose floaters and then we've got the good old
00:03:36aviary rest of sleepers, fully flocked, and two dozen fully flocked ducks that we put out
00:03:42last night.
00:03:42So what did you actually see here yesterday?
00:03:45Well, it was a bit of a mix really.
00:03:46There was about 40 mallards just in this little bit of calm water here.
00:03:49So yeah, there's enough ducks in the general area.
00:03:52I think it'll work.
00:03:53And so they're resting, roosting here?
00:03:55Yeah, yeah.
00:03:55I just sit out here all day and hopefully they're off at the moment feeding on worms and what
00:03:59have you and come back to their loafing spot and surprise.
00:04:03Sounds good, number one scout.
00:04:06Full faith.
00:04:07I'm only the number one scout if it works, otherwise it's all Greg's fault.
00:04:13Beautiful spread, gentlemen.
00:04:15Already had a few ducks come in on first light.
00:04:17What, you mean we weren't early enough?
00:04:19Care to the camera, Willie?
00:04:20You know how it goes.
00:04:21What are we loading up with?
00:04:22We reckon they're going to be close and fluttering, eh Andrew?
00:04:25So we've just got little two and three quarter inch federal blue packet, one and eight ounce
00:04:29falls.
00:04:30Fantastic little load.
00:04:35Single on the left.
00:04:39Coming low on the left.
00:04:47First ducks down.
00:04:49Rather close to the water, Gregory.
00:04:51I know.
00:04:51And it'll be interesting whether those far goose decoys float for the rest of the day.
00:04:57We'll lay back.
00:05:01We'll lay back.
00:05:02Good dog.
00:05:05Good dog.
00:05:06That is one massive plump drake.
00:05:09Beautiful.
00:05:12Gray leg float.
00:05:18There you go, Greg, you're allowed to water shoot these.
00:05:20That was quite pretty the way they cupped in.
00:05:22Mmm.
00:05:24A little bit quiet so far this morning, chaps.
00:05:26Are you sure there was 40, 50 birds in here?
00:05:28Positive.
00:05:30They'll turn up.
00:05:31What shall we do in the meantime, Willie?
00:05:33Any suggestions?
00:05:34Uh, well there's this thing called breakfast that usually brings ducks.
00:05:38We could try with that.
00:05:39That sounds like a top idea.
00:05:40How many apples have we got?
00:05:42Whatever that one is sitting there.
00:05:44My one, my one, Jess.
00:05:45You've got to be kidding me.
00:05:47Hang on, hang on.
00:05:48There's no Mayan team.
00:05:51What's the update about breakfast, Andrew?
00:05:54Ah, it's a bit of a, um, a bit of a debate as to who's to blame.
00:05:58But we may have left some important parts of the operation behind.
00:06:02But it's all right.
00:06:03Today's just a trial run.
00:06:05Tomorrow will be a different kettle of fish.
00:06:07It's good.
00:06:09That parry's coming back from the left.
00:06:16Is it your parry, Dad?
00:06:19Three in.
00:06:19Three out.
00:06:21Single out front.
00:06:29Nice.
00:06:30Woohoo!
00:06:31Headshot.
00:06:32That was quick.
00:06:34That was super close.
00:06:36The headshot too.
00:06:38You guys sound surprised.
00:06:46Sit.
00:06:47Sit.
00:06:52Oh, pear coming up.
00:06:58Ready, take the pear.
00:07:02Two down.
00:07:04Oh, pear's still behind us.
00:07:06Should we?
00:07:17Nice shooting.
00:07:19Ziggy, back.
00:07:24Here's all the birds turning up.
00:07:26Oh, hey, we're getting some mallards.
00:07:28Willow back.
00:07:30Yes, good dog.
00:07:34Good dog.
00:07:38Hmm, pretty quiet.
00:07:40Yep, I think she's all over for us here today, Willie.
00:07:42It's a start.
00:07:43Six mallards in the bag.
00:07:44But yeah, we need to find a slightly betterer duck camp, Andrew.
00:07:49Hang on, no, let's just start again.
00:07:50You're not blaming me.
00:07:52I like all the eyes are going on you.
00:07:55No, I guess we'll pack up and then you guys will get boating the river.
00:07:59Keep scouting.
00:08:00Try and find the mother load for tomorrow.
00:08:02And while you guys are scouting the river,
00:08:04I'll go back, pack the mobile duck camp and follow you up and meet you wherever I need to go.
00:08:09What a setup.
00:08:13All right, the duck camp on wheels is on the move again.
00:08:16Just packed the caravan.
00:08:18Today was a good test run.
00:08:20Just remembering how hunting ducks on the fast water works.
00:08:24And yeah, hopefully they find a load of ducks.
00:08:26So cool having the caravan, just being able to chuck everything in.
00:08:29Just makes it easy to hunt a whole lot of different places.
00:08:32So pretty cool.
00:08:36Big decision had to be made, Andrew.
00:08:38Yeah, we've gone with ducks rather than an easy spot to hunt.
00:08:43It's the X, so fingers crossed.
00:08:49We're mixing it up tonight with some cured patties.
00:08:55There you go, Willie.
00:08:56Thank you very much, Andrew.
00:08:57Great.
00:08:58We've got some great tucker.
00:08:59Another nice campsite right on the edge of the lake here.
00:09:02And what have you guys found in the way of birds for tomorrow?
00:09:04More mallards than the one we tried to hunt this morning.
00:09:07We're right on the X, right where they want to be.
00:09:09All right, roll in the morning.
00:09:14An early start in the caravan saw us ready in gear for the day ahead and soon on our way
00:09:18to the river.
00:09:19We would hopefully right a few wrongs on these hard-earned fast water ducks.
00:09:26Boating went amazingly well and it's pretty much as we remembered it.
00:09:29The boat's quite a sore thumb here, isn't it?
00:09:31There's no other vegetation to hide it in.
00:09:33It's the only place we can be because we've got to kill the birds right there, don't we?
00:09:37Because there's so much fast water behind us and there.
00:09:39Young dogs out into that river, it's just not a go, is it?
00:09:41It is what it is. There's other sticks and stuff around so we'll just have to wait and see what
00:09:46happens.
00:09:48Single coming in front.
00:09:58Oh, nice shot.
00:09:59Yeah.
00:10:00One duck down.
00:10:01One duck down.
00:10:02Oh, single down Windy's coming back up.
00:10:10Nice shooting, Andrew.
00:10:12It's good. Nice green head too.
00:10:14Maybe a patch of green on them.
00:10:16Well, you know. Any green's better than brown.
00:10:20Sadie back. Yes, Sadie, back.
00:10:25Good shooting. Good retrieve.
00:10:27Drop it. Good.
00:10:31Behind us.
00:10:34Right here. Right here. Right here.
00:10:44Well done.
00:10:45Hey boys. Ziggy, get in. Good boy.
00:10:47We got that pretty drake too.
00:10:51Good boy.
00:10:52So far, the morning was playing out nicely.
00:10:55Enough ducks were returning to the spread to keep our barrels warm and the Chessies busy,
00:10:59but it wouldn't be a true Dooley duck hunt without the odd eventful moment.
00:11:03Peer coming on the right. On the right, Emil.
00:11:12Sadie back. Sadie back.
00:11:15Of course, I still had a shell stuck out the side of my gun, didn't I?
00:11:18That was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard you go and go click and I folded your drake.
00:11:25Look at that. Stunning South Island green head.
00:11:30Bit of a court-martial here, Andrew.
00:11:32I mean, lovely shot, good retrieve, but you stole the right-hand bird, my drake, my greenie.
00:11:37Well, to be fair, if there's three shooting and there's two ducks,
00:11:42I'd rather steal your duck than Greg's.
00:11:44The consequences are far less severe from you, my friend.
00:11:49What happened to you, Greg?
00:11:50I had a shell stuck out the side.
00:11:52That's good. Safety first. Safety first.
00:11:55We were contemplating shifting the boat.
00:11:56I think for safety's sake, you should have your gun like that for the rest of the day.
00:12:00And what are you thinking now?
00:12:01We've had that single work straight in when you're out and now that pair.
00:12:04I don't know. It's not going to come from that.
00:12:05Single right here.
00:12:10Go now, Willie. Go now, Willie.
00:12:15Oh, nice shooting, Willie.
00:12:18Nice shoot.
00:12:19We had a good number of birds come back to the setup this morning.
00:12:24Some have flared off, but yeah, we've got a few on the ground.
00:12:27So it's breakfast time. I'm caffeinating.
00:12:30And Andrew, our breakfast chef, is doing his porridge supreme,
00:12:33even featuring fruit and yogurt today, so.
00:12:37Yeah, it's good that you remembered it this time, Willie.
00:12:40Well, no, no questions.
00:12:44Oh, single duck right here.
00:12:49Yeah, should agree, should agree.
00:12:52Nice shooting.
00:12:53Beautiful, beautiful.
00:13:02Well, the duck before last, I think I hit three bangs, didn't I, for one duck?
00:13:07My duck?
00:13:08I thought we only hit one bang.
00:13:11Yeah, we did give you the easy one, though, the fluttering.
00:13:15Yeah, the older members of the party need the slower ducks.
00:13:18Come straight in, in front.
00:13:20Am I shooting?
00:13:24Nice shot.
00:13:26Where'd he come from?
00:13:28Straight down the river.
00:13:30Sadie back.
00:13:31That's good when they don't have to fly over the boat.
00:13:37Drop it.
00:13:38Good.
00:13:38Good girl.
00:13:39Definitely on quality over quantity today.
00:13:42Another beautiful greenie.
00:13:46Peer in front, peer in front.
00:13:49Show Willie.
00:13:55Ziggy, Ziggy, get in.
00:13:57Ziggy, okay.
00:13:58Willow, back.
00:13:59Willow, back.
00:14:00Yes.
00:14:03Ziggy, back.
00:14:04She's gone, isn't she?
00:14:06It's near boating in a minute.
00:14:07After managing to carefully avoid the main current all day, we weren't so lucky with our last pair of ducks.
00:14:13And with the dogs not letting up in pursuit, some quick jet-powered assistance was needed to ensure a safe
00:14:18outcome.
00:14:19Oh, welcome back, guys.
00:14:21Where'd you go?
00:14:22Well, yeah, those two birds, they got in the fast current quick, and the dogs were off.
00:14:27That was the plan.
00:14:29Launched the boat.
00:14:30We caught up with them.
00:14:31They kept both birds, which was pretty amazing, but fairly dicey on that corner with overhanging
00:14:35willow, so I'm glad we did go fast.
00:14:38But yeah, great way to finish.
00:14:39Shall we pack up and keep scouting for tomorrow?
00:14:42Yeah.
00:14:42Got a bit of boating to do, but yeah, we had a good morning in the end and picked our
00:14:46few birds.
00:14:46Yeah, it was a good day.
00:14:48Thanks, guys.
00:14:52That was another nice little hunt this morning.
00:14:54Well worth heading out.
00:14:56Probably haven't quite cracked it yet in terms of ducks on the river, so the boys are scouting upstream now
00:15:00for our final days hunting tomorrow.
00:15:03Hopefully they can find something pretty special.
00:15:05It'd be good to finish with a bang.
00:15:07So yeah, we're leapfrogging the vehicles upstream to meet them.
00:15:11What's the plan, guys?
00:15:12Found a duck camp, about 100 birds, so just sorted the gear out.
00:15:16Going to race down to the river, set up decoys and find a spot for the boat and that'll be
00:15:20it.
00:15:22This is our spot.
00:15:23The birds, when Andrew and I scouted earlier, were lined up along that bank there.
00:15:27We've got some fast water down there, but they can run both banks.
00:15:30It's an ideal place for young dogs to learn how to hunt fast water.
00:15:36Right, well, we're all set up.
00:15:38Everything's ready to go, so we should just be able to zoom in in the morning,
00:15:41set the boat up and into it.
00:15:44It's a bit sad.
00:15:45Tomorrow's the last day, isn't it?
00:15:47Yeah, it's just been a taste of a South Island waterfowling safari, isn't it?
00:15:51Yep, done enough just to make him want more.
00:15:55Do you think they'll let us keep this caravan?
00:15:58It's been pretty cool, isn't it?
00:15:59Oh, it is.
00:16:00Is it not ours?
00:16:03It is until we give it back.
00:16:11Another early start this morning for our final days hunting.
00:16:14The boat ride was, yeah, pretty spot on and yeah, lovely spot here.
00:16:18The boys have obviously put the decoys out yesterday.
00:16:20We're just finishing dressing the boat, dragging some sticks around and Andrew,
00:16:24I'm sure, is the OCD who'll have to touch every single decoy and move it one inch to the right
00:16:30or left.
00:16:30Yeah, another 10 minutes.
00:16:31We should be in there and ready to go.
00:16:33Looking good.
00:16:35Yeah.
00:16:36Think of our spot, Willie.
00:16:37It's cool.
00:16:38I see what you mean.
00:16:39You've got middle, single decoy, above, single decoy.
00:16:45Going around the left, then down the...
00:16:53Nice shooting, Andrew.
00:16:55First duck of the day, Willie.
00:16:56Yeah, good shot.
00:16:58All right, last day of the trip.
00:17:01Bring it on.
00:17:02We doubled the first day's tallies yesterday, 6 to 12.
00:17:05Now 12 to 24 would be quite nice.
00:17:08If they continue like that, we'll be in good shape.
00:17:10Yeah.
00:17:12Right.
00:17:16A single coming back now.
00:17:28Another nice single.
00:17:29Good work, Zig.
00:17:30He come in pretty, Willie.
00:17:32Yeah, he did.
00:17:32There were a few others flapping around, so yeah, let's see what happens.
00:17:37Sun's coming up.
00:17:39Here comes the sun.
00:17:44Two down, River.
00:17:48Yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:17:55Did we all shoot the top one?
00:17:57Run down the current flat out with her, Willie.
00:17:59Don't even try and send her, just run.
00:18:01Duck hunting isn't usually considered the most physically demanding sport,
00:18:05but today, we're shaping up to be a bit of a different story.
00:18:08And just for some added fun, we had some further complications to manage.
00:18:13River's coming up, is it?
00:18:14Yeah.
00:18:16Oh, that's sitting in water here now.
00:18:20That's a good one.
00:18:23Oh, right here, right here.
00:18:31Go, boys.
00:18:33Woo-hoo.
00:18:35Nice shooting.
00:18:35Well, that's actually what we even have to shoot.
00:18:37Nice pair.
00:18:38Indeed.
00:18:39That's how they're meant to do it.
00:18:40God, they came pretty, didn't they?
00:18:42Yeah.
00:18:43Just right in the hole.
00:18:44Up and bang.
00:18:46Beautiful.
00:18:47Finally getting it sorted.
00:18:50Duck right here.
00:18:51Duck.
00:18:57Nice shooting.
00:19:00Ziggy, back.
00:19:02Right, and we're very close to breakfast, Willie, so it won't be long.
00:19:06Looking forward to that.
00:19:08It's been a long, chaotic couple of hours.
00:19:09This was meant to be the relaxed day.
00:19:11Remember when everything went right?
00:19:12And when your father is involved, nothing is relaxed.
00:19:15You should know that by now, Willie.
00:19:19Breakfast time.
00:19:23Oh, oh, out in front.
00:19:24Single in front, Emma.
00:19:32Nice shooting.
00:19:34That's the best shot you've ever done.
00:19:35Sadie back.
00:19:35Gears back.
00:19:39Good.
00:19:40Good dog.
00:19:42We have ducks coming up river.
00:19:45This is not a drill.
00:19:46Come up.
00:19:48Four-pack coming.
00:20:00Go, boys.
00:20:06I only had two shots of my gun.
00:20:10Oh, boy.
00:20:16Oh, single duck right here.
00:20:20Oh, Andrew, I reckon with Dad hogging that bird over on my right hand side like that,
00:20:27it's time for lunch.
00:20:29Cured's finest.
00:20:31A few birds still drifting in?
00:20:32Yeah.
00:20:33A few lunchtime ones, as per usual.
00:20:35So while we ate, we may as well eat.
00:20:37Oh, three right in front, right in front, right in front.
00:20:51Raindau.
00:20:52Nice.
00:20:52All right, dogs.
00:20:54Ziggy, Ziggy.
00:20:55Okay.
00:20:55Roll her back.
00:20:57Yes.
00:21:03That was cool.
00:21:04Three birds right into the spread.
00:21:06Course just after the bacon went on.
00:21:08Best duck attractor ever.
00:21:10I mean, Andrew's flocked light bulb full-body mallard decoys.
00:21:14They look the part, but bacon never fails.
00:21:20Every time bacon does the job.
00:21:23Yeah.
00:21:23It is not a myth.
00:21:24Look at it.
00:21:25They're just beckoning us.
00:21:26Proven.
00:21:27Yeah.
00:21:27And I mean, they just came.
00:21:28They were the best ducks of the day.
00:21:30And downwind too.
00:21:31You see, they just followed the bacon up.
00:21:33Straight into the hole.
00:21:35Yeah.
00:21:35My head was just towering up here.
00:21:36We could have just about offered them a bun.
00:21:38They were that close.
00:21:40We started with healthy and now we go.
00:21:42That is stunning.
00:21:43Look at the glaze on them.
00:21:47Just the crunch on the outside makes all the difference.
00:21:52It's nothing like a warm bun.
00:21:56Single coming behind him.
00:21:57Single is going to be going down over our left shoulder.
00:22:03You on it, Emil?
00:22:05No.
00:22:06No.
00:22:06On it?
00:22:07No.
00:22:10Willow back.
00:22:13Yes, good dog.
00:22:18I'm not sure if we caught it on camera, but single drake came in.
00:22:23Headshot.
00:22:25And that means those breasts are left in great eating condition.
00:22:30Are they ready to go, Willie?
00:22:31Yep.
00:22:32Round two is back to bear sticks.
00:22:35All right, I've got a few orders.
00:22:36It's not getting any colder, Willie.
00:22:39Is it that hot?
00:22:40It is.
00:22:41You get that in you.
00:22:42That's incredible.
00:22:44Too hard on the left.
00:22:45Our final hunt on the river was turning into a truly satisfying one.
00:22:49Not just for the growing bag, but for the way the birds worked the spread and decoyed,
00:22:53exactly as we'd hoped.
00:22:55Nice shooting.
00:22:56The shooting was clean and the dogs were gaining skills and confidence with every retrieve.
00:23:01Oh, they came good.
00:23:02They did.
00:23:03It was cool.
00:23:03All the makings of a great day waterfowling.
00:23:08Swans?
00:23:10Swans coming?
00:23:11Yep.
00:23:19Me too.
00:23:20Woohoo!
00:23:22Swans down.
00:23:23I'm going to go with the dog.
00:23:26Oh, what a way to finish.
00:23:28Bit of a swan smackdown.
00:23:31We wanted to try and get 20 birds.
00:23:33Well, we ended up with more than 20 birds.
00:23:3520 mallards.
00:23:36And the dogs have had some pretty challenging swims in the river that got higher and higher
00:23:41and faster and faster all morning.
00:23:43Yeah, the ducks decoyed.
00:23:45I mean, the ones that came in decoyed so well.
00:23:47Right in front of us, just beautiful light, sun on them.
00:23:50And yeah, some good shooting, some good dog work from the young dogs.
00:23:55Yeah, overall a great end to the day, really.
00:23:57Yeah, it was a satisfying shoot to finish the trip.
00:23:59You know, we didn't really hit any super high numbers, but we set out just to have an adventure
00:24:04with boat, caravan, and give the three new dogs some work on this fast water.
00:24:09And we've ticked all those boxes.
00:24:11Don't complain.
00:24:13Visited some old haunts, and I'm sure we'll be back.
00:24:15Yeah, in the caravan, I wasn't quite sure how it'd go on a trip like this, but it was perfect.
00:24:20You know, we could shift each day, camp where we wanted to, do our own thing with dogs.
00:24:24And yeah, just thanks to the Fortis boys for letting us borrow it.
00:24:29Brilliant.
00:24:30What was it to keep?
00:24:31Keep, borrow, it's the same.
00:24:33Same with you doolies.
00:24:38Farewelling our southern duck safari, it wasn't long before we were once again
00:24:42heading out under the cover of darkness.
00:24:44Setting the trap for another round of ducks, and this time, hopefully a few geese too.
00:24:49We're back on the river early this morning, different location and up amongst the mountains,
00:24:54which you'll be able to see when it gets a bit of light.
00:24:57There's a few geese and ducks that have been watching for a couple of weeks on the main river,
00:25:01and then on a few backwaters, and then hopefully they'll fly down and join our decoys.
00:25:06I'm on this bit of a slow channel here.
00:25:08So I'm joined by my local codder, George Mannering, for the day.
00:25:12And the old man's here, we've built a bit of a log and stick mimeye.
00:25:15So the plan is just get all the decoys sorted, whip these trucks away,
00:25:19and then be into it on first light.
00:25:21And just to bulk up the goose breed, because there was about 150 birds here,
00:25:25we're running some of these new greenhead gear fully flocked silhouettes.
00:25:28Look very realistic, and of course they just keep the size down when you're transporting them.
00:25:33Super quick and easy to set up.
00:25:34It should be pretty fun using that Avery panel blind.
00:25:37It's done a good job blocking out the front.
00:25:39Coolers on, not too far away from being ready.
00:25:42Almost time to load up.
00:25:43How are you feeling?
00:25:45Pretty excited, mate.
00:25:46A bit of work's gone on to watching these birds,
00:25:49so it'll be cool to see if they do what we think they're going to do.
00:25:52You're running the axle here, and how do you find those?
00:25:55No, I love it. That's very good.
00:25:57They've been a great addition to a deaf duck hunter.
00:26:06I'm pretty much ready on first light.
00:26:08There's been a few geese in to the spread already.
00:26:10It's a good sign as long as they come back.
00:26:14I'm excited.
00:26:15You know, it's not often you get a whack at both duck and geese in a good camp.
00:26:19Emil, single drake.
00:26:23Right here.
00:26:25On it.
00:26:28Nice, George.
00:26:29Well done.
00:26:31All right.
00:26:32We have a bird down.
00:26:33Bird down.
00:26:34Lovely drake.
00:26:35He's got orange legs.
00:26:36That's a good start.
00:26:38Oh, geese.
00:26:42Go boys, go.
00:26:43Take him.
00:26:48I had to cover you at the end there.
00:26:49I was a bit worried, Greg.
00:26:50That was going to beat you at the corner.
00:26:52I was sort of waiting because it wasn't really my bird, but challenging, isn't it?
00:26:55You can't swing on them.
00:26:56Tough when a bird's doing it too well and you can't shoot it, isn't it?
00:26:58Yeah, exactly.
00:27:00Two Canada's.
00:27:01Awesome.
00:27:02Here's a malloc.
00:27:03Malloc, malloc.
00:27:05On it.
00:27:06Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:07Too close for them.
00:27:08Too close.
00:27:09Too close.
00:27:11We're going to have to shift our decoys.
00:27:13A grey just came in and landed five meters from the blind.
00:27:17They are working.
00:27:18Awesome.
00:27:19A pair of mouths up above.
00:27:28Two birds, one shot.
00:27:30Nice work, buddy.
00:27:31Hey, I shot two.
00:27:31Oh, did you?
00:27:33But I hit that stick, so it probably was your shot.
00:27:36That was synchronized shooting.
00:27:38I thought I was the only one who shot.
00:27:42Geese coming, geese coming.
00:27:57Nice.
00:27:58Awesome.
00:27:59Three Canada's right in.
00:28:01You just can't beat Canada's over water.
00:28:03Water fouling's about water.
00:28:06Got a few geese drifting down winds, so we're just worried they might either flare the birds
00:28:10or the birds would drop short and pitch it with them, so we're sitting back our trusty Labrador.
00:28:14Fetch back.
00:28:15Those last three geese, as they pitched, they came in, saw the bellied up bird, they lifted
00:28:19and then still committed.
00:28:20It was pretty special to see that.
00:28:22Pretty skinny for a Labrador, that dog, eh?
00:28:25Must be an old Labrador.
00:28:26He's moving, moving slow.
00:28:27Doesn't like getting his feet.
00:28:30Worth the effort.
00:28:31Watching these birds for a few weeks, figuring out their patterns, where they're sitting.
00:28:35You know, a few mouths, a few cannies in the bag.
00:28:38I'm stoked already.
00:28:40Pretty river duck.
00:28:43White ring there.
00:28:45Not massive.
00:28:46Mallards, mallards, mallards.
00:28:47Mallards, mallards, get in.
00:28:48Run, Emil, run.
00:28:57Three, three here, or four grades.
00:29:02Take the pair.
00:29:07Well, the first lot dumped upstream, and then these greys came in hot.
00:29:11I think I shot both the pair, because I saw your barrel going left.
00:29:14Did it, George?
00:29:15Yeah, that third bird split left, and I swung left and left your toe at Willie,
00:29:19so I'm glad you cleaned them up.
00:29:21The best thing is, I beat Dad to both.
00:29:23I never fired a shot.
00:29:24I was going, which one are they shooting at?
00:29:25So I shot nothing.
00:29:27That's unlike you, old hoggy.
00:29:30Duck, duck, duck, duck.
00:29:31Now, down.
00:29:31Duck on the right.
00:29:35Geese, geese, geese.
00:29:51Nice, good shooting.
00:29:54We all shot the right bird that time.
00:29:56How good.
00:29:58Nice work, brother.
00:29:59Three shots, three geese.
00:30:00Nice work.
00:30:01That was pretty.
00:30:02That's a nice range.
00:30:04That's, you know, like 20 yards.
00:30:06I can handle that.
00:30:07Yeah.
00:30:07These five yards are a bit of a struggle when you're in such close quarters like this.
00:30:11Yeah, that was fun.
00:30:15Honkers.
00:30:17Unreal spot to hunt.
00:30:18The sun's just hitting the snow-capped mountains up above.
00:30:21Yeah, she's a high country duck and goose hunt today.
00:30:24And yeah, the birds started coming really well, and then we've had a few belly-up geese,
00:30:27which hasn't helped.
00:30:28And just with the water flow being a little lower today, our big backwater here has tried
00:30:33up a bit, so a lot of the birds are pitching up above us, which is making it a bit
00:30:37tricky,
00:30:37but still having a heap of fun.
00:30:40Swan on the right, Emil.
00:30:41Here you go, George.
00:30:46Yours, George.
00:30:50Nice shot.
00:30:54Big swan.
00:30:55Well done, mate.
00:30:56B-52 down.
00:30:58What a mixed bag.
00:30:59We're getting mallards, cannies, swan.
00:31:02What a spot to be hunting, eh?
00:31:04Yeah, it's pretty special to be on these rivers, Willie.
00:31:06We're very lucky to have them as a resource in Canterbury.
00:31:08You know, we hunt ducks all season.
00:31:10We chase the salmon through the summer, and you know, we enjoy the time with friends and family
00:31:13on the jet boat, barbecues on the river bank.
00:31:15And of course, big game in the headwaters.
00:31:17Yeah, I stick to the lowland a bit more these days, Willie, but no, definitely a lot of time
00:31:21spending those hills, and it is quite a treat to have such a cool spot right at the doorstep.
00:31:27Yeah, very lucky indeed.
00:31:29Geese coming from the left, fellas.
00:31:31Geese down left.
00:31:52Yeah, a little frustrating on the geese, wasn't it?
00:31:55Nothing like geese to frustrate you, Willie.
00:31:56That's what they always like to do.
00:31:58Caught that big mob heading to the paddocks right in, but pitched upstream.
00:32:02A wee quick reset with the decoys.
00:32:04I think we might be able to just create a bit more of a hole,
00:32:06and see if we can just drag him a bit more this way.
00:32:08If they can pitch for it earlier.
00:32:09Yeah.
00:32:14We're from the right, am I?
00:32:27Nice work.
00:32:28Man, they came in pretty.
00:32:29Oh, they came beautifully, didn't they?
00:32:31That was just spectacular.
00:32:33Duck from the right, duck from the right.
00:32:35They're oyster catcher, sorry.
00:32:37What was it?
00:32:37Man, it looks like a duck.
00:32:39Oyster catcher.
00:32:40I don't know.
00:32:40Oyster catcher.
00:32:40That's a duck.
00:32:41That is a duck.
00:32:43Yep.
00:32:44Nice, George.
00:32:45Beautiful.
00:32:47Well done, mate.
00:32:48I saw the orange beak.
00:32:49Was it following an oyster catcher?
00:32:50I was like, oh, oyster catcher.
00:32:52No?
00:32:53Duck, oyster catcher, duck.
00:32:55My local river hunts have proved a bit hit and miss in recent years,
00:32:59but today's shoot was shaping up to be a cracker.
00:33:02To be doing it amongst some incredible high country scenery,
00:33:05and with the Canada geese playing the game too,
00:33:08it just couldn't get much better.
00:33:10I've got a hot frying pan.
00:33:11What are we cooking?
00:33:14We've got some nitrate-free bacon, sand, some bear sticks.
00:33:18Duck and his hot dog.
00:33:23Surely this is going to bring some birds.
00:33:25Surely.
00:33:27Okay, that's it, boys.
00:33:29Thank you, chef.
00:33:30And just like clockwork...
00:33:32Geese down left, on their way up.
00:33:35Honkers.
00:33:48Now, go, go.
00:34:04Now, go, go.
00:34:05You're going to train.
00:34:06Yeah.
00:34:08Oh, man.
00:34:09How good was that?
00:34:10Yeah.
00:34:10That was satisfying.
00:34:11Great shooting, boys.
00:34:11Great shooting.
00:34:13Oh, that was satisfying.
00:34:14I didn't have many rounds of my gun, but luckily I just picked my middle birds,
00:34:18and everyone I pointed the gun at fell down.
00:34:21A bit of teamwork.
00:34:22We worked from the outside zone, me and Greg, and it worked well.
00:34:24All that calling played off, Willie.
00:34:27But you know what probably really did the work?
00:34:30The Vikings.
00:34:31Yeah, dude.
00:34:33Getting it right on a big flight of those cunning Canadas sits pretty high on
00:34:37the list for any waterfowler, but the fun wasn't over just yet.
00:34:40Duck's downstream, boys.
00:34:41Just downstream.
00:34:46Are you on it, Emil?
00:34:47Yes.
00:34:51Woo-hoo.
00:34:52Good shooting, mate.
00:34:55Typical.
00:34:55My gun's over there.
00:34:57I couldn't reach it.
00:34:58Oh, damn it.
00:34:58No gun.
00:34:59I was like, where's the reinforcements?
00:35:00And then Greg wasn't shooting.
00:35:02I was like, that was cool.
00:35:03The old midday flight, the old six pack.
00:35:05That's awesome, eh?
00:35:06No, it wasn't.
00:35:07No, it wasn't.
00:35:08Awesome for some of us.
00:35:09Someone left their gun behind.
00:35:11The goose retriever left his gun out of the blind.
00:35:26Nice.
00:35:27Nice double tack.
00:35:30Nice.
00:35:31Awesome, mate.
00:35:31They came just like they should.
00:35:34Willie back.
00:35:35Usually a great day's duck hunting is associated with strong winds and rough weather to keep the
00:35:40birds moving, but today reinforce that some solid bluebird day hunts are there for the taking if
00:35:46you mix up your approach and put the scouting work in.
00:35:48Good boy, yeah.
00:35:50What a satisfying day.
00:35:52It's just so cool to finish with that big flight of honkers down into the decoys.
00:35:56Hunting geese over water is just one of the best things I think there is with waterfowling and
00:36:00of course to get some public land.
00:36:02Mallard's a heap of fun.
00:36:03Cheers, guys.
00:36:04Yeah, such a good day in the big river, Willie.
00:36:06Lots of fun here.
00:36:07What do you think, Greg?
00:36:08I just like it when you get it wrong to start with and then you make a couple of changes
00:36:12and get it right.
00:36:12And to get that train wreck with those honkers, as you said, Willie, right away to finish.
00:36:17Push those mallards out past five yards.
00:36:19It's a bit close there, 25 yards, a lot more fun.
00:36:23Plenty of birds and meat there to process, so yeah, freezer's going to be healthy for the rest
00:36:28of the year.
00:36:29But we do have two days left of the duck season, so watch this space.
00:36:34But maybe our river hunt wasn't finished just yet.
00:36:41And of course, it's guaranteed whenever you start to pack up, geese will come or ducks will come.
00:36:47But this pair, we called in and the boys cleanly dispatched.
00:36:51And hopefully, Emil caught it on the GoPro.
00:36:54That's a wrap.
00:36:56The advancement in decoys has been pretty incredible since I first started out game bird hunting.
00:37:01And these days, we're lucky to have a great range of duck decoys available here in New Zealand,
00:37:05suited to all budgets in a variety of hunting scenarios.
00:37:08If you're just starting out or looking to bulk up your existing spread,
00:37:12the Avery Essential Series Mallard floaters, six drakes and six hens,
00:37:16are hard to look past and offer unbeatable value at $150 for a dozen.
00:37:21A step up in realism, feather detail and durability are the Avery Prograde Mallard Harvester floaters.
00:37:27With seven drakes and five hens, they come in a range of body positions,
00:37:30from upright, resting, to feeding, allowing you to create a far more lifelike spread.
00:37:35If you're after the Rolls Royce of duck decoys, then the Avery Prograde fully flocked Mallard active floaters are it.
00:37:42The flocking eliminates that unnatural sheen or glare you can get off plastic decoys in certain conditions.
00:37:47And although they require a little more care when transporting,
00:37:50their natural colour pop is unbeatable in terms of realism.
00:37:52If you've got dry land or banks to set up on, full body decoys can be a great addition to
00:37:58stand out from the crowd.
00:37:59Much to the delight of kiwi waterfowl hunters,
00:38:01hunting and fishing has brought back the Avery Prograde full body Mallard sleeper resters, known as light bulbs.
00:38:07They're incredibly versatile, suited to the edges of ponds, lakes and braided rivers,
00:38:12and your land-based paddock hunts too.
00:38:14Of course even the best decoys aren't much use if they're not rigged properly,
00:38:17and start drifting off just as the shooting heats up.
00:38:20Many of us have learnt this the hard way, and the most functional system we've found
00:38:24is the Avery Keel Grabber decoy rigging kits.
00:38:27Available in four and seven and a half ounce J weights,
00:38:30they allow you to adjust your decoy string length to suit the water depth,
00:38:33while the rubber bungee system takes the hassle out of decoy transport and storage.
00:38:37So to maximise your opportunities on opening morning,
00:38:40head down to your local hunting and fishing New Zealand store before this year's game bird season
00:38:44to check out their full range of duck decoys and other array of handy waterfowling kit.
00:38:55We're back out on the big water on Old Alley for a mixed goose and duck hunt we hope.
00:39:01So we're using my old reliable tow-behind line called Honka,
00:39:06towed it out with old Bigfoot, the Can-Am.
00:39:07It's like a boat come mai mai come trailer,
00:39:10and we can get this into places where it's too shallow to get the boat in.
00:39:13We're on a bit of an island.
00:39:15Hopefully there'll be enough wind to make a few waves out there,
00:39:18push the birds back and shore just enough that they'll cut through and look for this inland water.
00:39:22And here we'll be waiting and hopefully it'll all go according to plan and we'll get a few birds in
00:39:26the bag.
00:39:27Basically done, back in the morning.
00:39:33With Greg having done the hard yards on the set-up, we rolled back in early the next day,
00:39:37but from here on in it was in fact me who was going to be put to work.
00:39:43Good to be heading out onto Te Wai Hora, the big pond for closing weekend.
00:39:47Everyone asks us, do you guys hunt anywhere else?
00:39:49And I don't know, all I say is why would we?
00:39:52We have this season, but it's just an epic mecca of waterfowl and wild country.
00:39:58And a bit of a role reversal going on today.
00:40:01After a full season of filming, we're going to give Emil a shot behind the shotgun,
00:40:04and I'll be taking his job behind the camera.
00:40:07You know, often he's saying,
00:40:08why don't you kill those ones cleanly, boys?
00:40:10I had great footage.
00:40:11And often I'll be saying to him,
00:40:13why don't you get those ones on camera?
00:40:15So we'll see how it goes.
00:40:19I'm not so keen on this idea, because it means I'm going to have to do all the calling,
00:40:22and I'm really going to miss Willy's goose calling.
00:40:24And great shooting, of course.
00:40:26Oh, I can cover the shooting, don't worry about that.
00:40:28Just the calling.
00:40:30Can't wait to tell Willy off, not getting the birds to start in front and go behind,
00:40:35and then after like seven shots all go down.
00:40:39Yeah, what do you think I'm in for on the camera?
00:40:41By far the most frustrating thing to film,
00:40:43like getting them on camera cleanly and following them,
00:40:47and so much going on all the time, so.
00:40:49The challenge is set.
00:40:51Yeah.
00:40:51How does she sound?
00:40:55Not bad?
00:40:56What ammo are you running today, Dad?
00:40:59Good old federal speed shot for the shots further down the mag,
00:41:02and black cloud up the front.
00:41:04Hopefully they don't have a tight baton.
00:41:09Let's go.
00:41:14Single duck in front, what's that?
00:41:17Spoonie?
00:41:17Spoonie, spoonie.
00:41:18Yeah.
00:41:22Oh, I can cover the shooting, don't worry about that.
00:41:25I was on it nicely.
00:41:27What's the score so far, Emma?
00:41:29For me, zero shots, zero birds.
00:41:33What are these in front?
00:41:37Here we go, in front, there.
00:41:39Take it, take it.
00:41:42Nice second.
00:41:44It's behind it, eh?
00:41:45What happened there, Emma?
00:41:47Spoonie Drake, can you?
00:41:48Who's swan?
00:41:49Swan's on the right.
00:41:53Come on, Emma.
00:41:54Go, Emma.
00:41:58It just went click.
00:42:02What's the score, Dad?
00:42:04Well, I got my swan.
00:42:05I don't know if I happened to Emma.
00:42:06He's mucking around and playing.
00:42:07Bit of a technical error.
00:42:09I didn't quite finish loading my gun and it just went click.
00:42:13It's a mallard.
00:42:19Take it, Emma.
00:42:23Behind it, every time.
00:42:25Every time.
00:42:26It's all right.
00:42:29I think we'd better put a dog on that bird over there.
00:42:32That hawk sitting on the bank over there just waiting for it to drift in.
00:42:35It's waiting for its breakfast.
00:42:36Might as well give them a bit of work.
00:42:38If you hear something that sounds like a sick mallard,
00:42:41it'll be me trying to call Greg.
00:42:43Ziggy, get in.
00:42:45Ziggy, back.
00:42:48Slightly wanderly line, but not too bad.
00:42:51Good boy, yes!
00:42:56Emil's first spoonie drake.
00:42:58Two shot drake.
00:42:59It'll be one shot after the editing.
00:43:01It's all right.
00:43:02You got it.
00:43:02We're happy.
00:43:04Willow, back.
00:43:08Good dog, Willow.
00:43:12Good dog.
00:43:13Oh, it's a drake too.
00:43:15Two drakes for the morning and we've left the swans for Greg.
00:43:19Bigger targets for him, you know?
00:43:22Look at that.
00:43:24Two drakes.
00:43:26Pretty colours and spoonies they are always cool.
00:43:29Look at the beak.
00:43:31Duck's coming from the right.
00:43:35Yes.
00:43:37Yes.
00:43:38Yes.
00:43:44Oh, .
00:43:47What's it like, Willie?
00:43:49To be fair, I'm actually quite enjoying it.
00:43:52You know, the challenge of having to get ducks on film again certainly ain't easy.
00:43:57Probably more the shooters who have been leaning down the side this morning.
00:44:01Four honkers.
00:44:11Yes.
00:44:13Believe it.
00:44:14My thumb caught through my callers.
00:44:17What happened to that?
00:44:18I had to give Willie my caller yesterday and the loop that the call I gave him came out of,
00:44:24I put my thumb through it just then and I was trying to grab my gun.
00:44:28We've told you guys we're the experts at this game, right?
00:44:31All right, swans.
00:44:36Yes.
00:44:37Go Emil.
00:44:41Nice, I just helped you with your one.
00:44:43I need all the help I can get.
00:44:51Are you enjoying yourself shooting Emil?
00:44:53How's that going?
00:44:54It's good fun, yeah.
00:44:55Just enjoying yelling at Willie.
00:44:57Did you get that one?
00:44:58And he's yelling at you.
00:44:59Did you get that one Emil?
00:45:02Single coming straight in front low Emil.
00:45:04Drop it, drop it, drop it.
00:45:08Good shot.
00:45:10It's my first spoonie for the year I think.
00:45:12Our closing weekend shoot on the Bigwater was proving a really fun one.
00:45:16Simply getting to experience this wild wetland environment alone made it worth the effort.
00:45:21And while we didn't hold any great expectations bird wise,
00:45:25there was more than enough happening to keep us busy.
00:45:28Yeah, I'm on them.
00:45:29But as for the permanence of the roll reversal.
00:45:34I think the verdict was still out on that one.
00:45:37Ah, hmm.
00:45:39Hmm.
00:45:40I don't know what excuses to use, but didn't get them.
00:45:43Even legends miss, mate.
00:45:45Yeah.
00:45:45I think I've seen you miss one smear with me still.
00:45:49Two geese, two geese.
00:45:53I'm standing up to shoot.
00:45:57Got one.
00:45:59Will I pack?
00:46:04Get in.
00:46:05Good dog.
00:46:06That's almost half her size.
00:46:08It's a good effort by Willow.
00:46:10Big honker.
00:46:11Yep.
00:46:13A honker.
00:46:16Wait.
00:46:18Okay.
00:46:22Hear that honk, there's some geese somewhere.
00:46:24Here we have, there's three coming.
00:46:25Right here, look.
00:46:31I'm going to stand and shoot.
00:46:40Three shots, three geese down.
00:46:43Sorry about poor old Emil.
00:46:45Emil on the drone.
00:46:47Can't fly a drone and shoot.
00:46:49Somebody had to do it.
00:46:51Willow, okay.
00:46:52Willow, okay.
00:46:53Yes, Willow back.
00:46:56Ziggy back.
00:46:58Speak for me.
00:46:59Good boy.
00:47:02Good boy.
00:47:04Look at those are big honkers too.
00:47:06We fooled a couple of big granddaddies there.
00:47:10We all know how much we love bacon and the smell of it and the taste of it.
00:47:13But these days we're told we're going to minimize the amount of nitrated and preserved
00:47:17meats that we eat.
00:47:19But old Kurt from Cured, look what he's done here.
00:47:21Beautiful nitrate-free bacon.
00:47:23Tastes just as good as the other stuff.
00:47:25And it is fantastic.
00:47:29Single melon.
00:47:32Yes, yes.
00:47:33Take him.
00:47:34Take him, Emil.
00:47:39Dween kill, you know.
00:47:42Oh, my God.
00:47:45What's going on with your shooting, Emil?
00:47:48Oh, that was a pretty tough retrieve, wasn't it, Willow?
00:47:52I hear parry's honking somewhere.
00:47:54Oh, here's a fear over on the list.
00:48:00Hi, are you ready?
00:48:01Yep.
00:48:05First parry for the day down.
00:48:07Little black cloud on a high-powering parry.
00:48:12I think that's your day done, Emil.
00:48:15Pretty calm now.
00:48:16Yep.
00:48:17There's not a breath of wind now, is there?
00:48:20And if there was, it's the wrong direction.
00:48:23But we had some fun.
00:48:24There was actually enough birds on and off all day, despite the lack of wind.
00:48:27Didn't always come the right way, and Murphy certainly was on our back today.
00:48:30Crikey.
00:48:31Still, we ended up with a good bag of Canada's, and a handful of greenheads, and a handful of spoonies.
00:48:36And this one.
00:48:38No, it was good fun.
00:48:40More fun on the camera, but definitely hard.
00:48:43You shot all right.
00:48:44You shot all right.
00:48:45None of us shot fantastically.
00:48:47It's duck season over.
00:48:48On to the upwind for August.
00:48:50Yep, give the pointer a run.
00:48:51All right.
00:48:59While the duck season's done and dusted for this year, the beauty is the upland season carries on
00:49:04for another month, depending where you're hunting in the country.
00:49:07While Dad and Joe, who's the breeder of Bud, the English pointer, are down hunting chukka.
00:49:11Dad's using his new A400 upland 28 gauge, having a bit of luck down there.
00:49:15I think they've got a few chukka down.
00:49:17I'm joining Scott, a friend of Joe's, and we're going to have a crack at the Canterbury
00:49:22pheasant season.
00:49:23The last day is today of the three weekends, and you and Emil got out yesterday.
00:49:27How'd you get on, Scott?
00:49:28Yeah, got out for the afternoon, and yeah, I guess you could say it was one of those typical
00:49:32pheasant days where perseverance paid off, and the dog did his job.
00:49:37Got a few good points on some quail.
00:49:39Get it, Laz.
00:49:40Quail.
00:49:42Got one.
00:49:43Get it, Laz.
00:49:44Get it.
00:49:44Good boy.
00:49:46Good point, buddy.
00:49:48Laz got onto a few hens.
00:49:50Ah, he's onto something.
00:49:55Hen.
00:49:56Good boy.
00:49:57But I just managed to get a nice rooster in this little last hour of life.
00:50:04Go!
00:50:05Find it, Laz.
00:50:06Find it.
00:50:09Oh my god.
00:50:11That was, uh, yeah, just happened sudden.
00:50:14Oh, you're such a good boy.
00:50:17Good boy, Laz.
00:50:18Good boy.
00:50:20Got to keep just pushing, eh?
00:50:22So yeah, it's a good day.
00:50:24Awesome.
00:50:25And what's your rough plan you're thinking for today?
00:50:28We're in a similar area that we were in yesterday afternoon, so we're going to just go in the opposite
00:50:33direction and just see if we can put Lazlo in the good spot and hopefully he does the rest.
00:50:38Well, here's hoping and of course we're only hunting rooster birds and the limit is one bird
00:50:44per person, so two cocks and maybe a couple of quail is what we're hoping for.
00:50:48Yeah, that would be the ideal sort of scenario.
00:50:51All right.
00:50:51We heard that rooster crow down river, is that where you're thinking we'll head first?
00:50:55Yeah, that could be a good place for us to start.
00:51:05That bird was possibly, possibly in here.
00:51:09Yeah.
00:51:10Damn!
00:51:13Damn, I should have followed him.
00:51:15So we've come about, what, 100 meters from the vehicle and we're just chatting and Laz put up a
00:51:20beautiful rooster in the middle of this broom here. Caught us slightly off guard.
00:51:25Good job. I should have followed you, shouldn't I?
00:51:28Good job, Doug. Good start.
00:51:31Having done plenty of pheasant hunting with Dad and his pointers along the North Island's
00:51:35East Coast rivers growing up, it all came flooding back. Just how quick and on your game you had to
00:51:40be
00:51:40at all times. And now with the added challenge of trying to capture it all on camera, well,
00:51:46I reckon we had our work cut out.
00:51:48Ten.
00:51:50Plenty of warning on that one, so that was good.
00:51:52Just had to trust the dog and tracked us through here. And what do you know, there's a hen up
00:51:57there,
00:51:57just in range, but luckily, yeah, we identified it nice and quick, so no worries there.
00:52:03And good work Laz. Pheasant's two, hunter's zero.
00:52:05Yeah, that was cool.
00:52:07It's definitely keen.
00:52:09Looks like Laz is pointing, he's locked up.
00:52:13Good boy.
00:52:17Oh, a hen.
00:52:24I'm Scott out of Southland.
00:52:26I've been hunting upland birds with my dog for the past seven or eight years. And yeah, I like the
00:52:31challenge and exploring the terrain, especially around these North Canterbury rivers.
00:52:36My dog, Lazlo, is a Hungarian Vizsla. I mainly just use him for upland birds and he sort of hunts
00:52:43close by, but normally indicates pretty good and gives us plenty of warning when birds are nearby.
00:52:49It doesn't always go to plan, but yeah, we always manage to have a pretty good hunt with him.
00:52:54I do a bit of running also, so he's a bit of a running companion, which is good because it
00:52:58keeps him fit.
00:53:05Oh, a rooster. Damn it. Good boy Laz.
00:53:10Good dog.
00:53:11Put up four pheasants, so getting onto a few, but hunters are on zero.
00:53:17Yeah, just caught us off guard and that last one jumped behind a tree.
00:53:20That's good. Covering a bit of ground and Laz is still king, so we'll carry on further upstream.
00:53:30Quail. Oh, hen. Hen.
00:53:32Hen. Yeah.
00:53:33Hen pheasant. Good boy Laz.
00:53:36A big fat quail got up as a hen pheasant.
00:53:39And if that was a rooster, it was a dead bird.
00:53:43Yeah, that was perfect though.
00:53:45Trailing the fast and lean machines of Scott and Laz, we were covering some serious ground
00:53:49and all the signs were looking promising. If only we could strike the right bird.
00:53:55I think he's pretty keen in here, so I'll just smash in there, get ready.
00:54:05Bird.
00:54:08Hen. Hen, yeah.
00:54:10Good boy.
00:54:12Oh, if only it was a cock.
00:54:21Oh, hen.
00:54:22Still no luck on the pheasants. Close, but no cigar. A couple of hens put up, but we can hear
00:54:27some quail
00:54:28calling in the distance, so we'll close the gap and try to have a go on those Scotty.
00:54:32Yeah, for sure. Let's get into it. Come on, Laz.
00:54:38Quail.
00:54:39Too quick for us.
00:54:41We're pretty good going.
00:54:42You know, we've put up, what, eight or nine birds,
00:54:45a few cocks, but they just haven't been in a shootable position.
00:54:48Yeah, it's kind of the way it goes sometimes, but um,
00:54:52probably a bit like yesterday. You just gotta keep at it and,
00:54:55yeah, it ain't over till it's over, so still got a nice piece up ahead of us.
00:55:00All right, all right.
00:55:03Hen. Hen.
00:55:04Good boy.
00:55:06That would have been so perfect.
00:55:08That would have been perfect.
00:55:14Hen.
00:55:15Good boy, Laz.
00:55:16Good boy.
00:55:17That's two hens in the stretch of, what, 100 meters he's just put up?
00:55:21Yeah, yeah.
00:55:23It's fun though, it gets the heart pumping when you have them holding tight like that.
00:55:27It's a couple of good close encounters.
00:55:32You can see the pheasant have been sitting here.
00:55:33That's their dropping on the grass as they're probably warming up.
00:55:43He's on point.
00:55:48Get it. Get it, Laz. Get it.
00:55:55Get it.
00:55:58At the fifth hen for this stretch.
00:56:01Oh, that was awesome, Laz.
00:56:03And it was just slow and, oh, we just need a rooster.
00:56:14We're just closing in on where the boys heard a rooster crow coming up river and
00:56:20heard three shots, saw a rooster fly at the corner and a couple of dogs running around.
00:56:25So a bit of a bugger, obviously a pretty popular day.
00:56:28Last day of the season in pheasants.
00:56:31Yeah, last chance.
00:56:32But out of nowhere, Emil had picked something up.
00:56:35Oh, right there. Isn't that a fizzing?
00:56:39What was it?
00:56:40A fizzing, right here.
00:56:41Oh God, gotcha.
00:56:42Ground spot.
00:56:43Yeah.
00:57:03Yes.
00:57:04Yeah.
00:57:05Nice.
00:57:05Cock down.
00:57:09Well done.
00:57:12Oh man.
00:57:13Unreal.
00:57:15Good shot too, through all that mess like.
00:57:18Yeah, I could see it sitting there and I thought, well, I've got the GoPro.
00:57:20I snuck up close and it flew, went out of my sight behind the logs and luckily it just came
00:57:25back to
00:57:25the right. Do you kind of have a mark on where you think it might be?
00:57:32Yeah, straight through.
00:57:33Okay.
00:57:33And the Ligaro and the Federal Sixers did the job.
00:57:37Stoked. That's my limit.
00:57:40Oh, pretty bird.
00:57:41That was a team effort.
00:57:45Yeah, everyone played their part in that one.
00:57:47Well done.
00:57:48Look at that.
00:57:48Cheers.
00:57:49Thanks Scotty. That was awesome.
00:57:51Thanks Les.
00:57:51Yeah.
00:57:52Another one of those days where the perseverance paid off again.
00:57:56It was a hard-earned public land rooster.
00:57:58Beautiful bird.
00:58:00Had to go through multiple hens for that one.
00:58:03Yeah, sorry I poached it. I snuck in front of you.
00:58:07Nah, it doesn't matter. Any bird's a good bird.
00:58:11Into the game bag. That's why we're carrying them.
00:58:14What a tale of perseverance.
00:58:16Wow, last couple of hours of the pheasant season.
00:58:19It's your turn now.
00:58:20Yeah, down to the wire.
00:58:22Just how we like it.
00:58:23Yeah, keep trying.
00:58:26Oh, quail.
00:58:27Heaps of quail.
00:58:29They went in behind that white tree there.
00:58:37He's on point.
00:58:39You ready Willy?
00:58:40Yeah.
00:58:41Get it Les, get it.
00:58:50He's on point one.
00:58:54You down.
00:58:56He's on point one.
00:58:56Yes, the two two.
00:59:09A quail.
00:59:11Let's get it.
00:59:12Such good shooting. Fast, really tough, going in all directions. Just instinctively
00:59:18swinging. I hope it goes well and yeah we got two out of that cubby so good work
00:59:24Laz. Still time for that rooster Scotty? Yep.
00:59:32Puff of feathers. It just went down.
00:59:38Good boy Laz, good find. Oh cool. Well done, another quail in the bag.
00:59:47That must be the female, the brown of colour and not as big a waddle.
00:59:51Smaller tuft. Nice conservation prize so far. She's not all over yet.
00:59:55With a few birds in the bag we'd now clocked up well over 20ks of riverbed
00:59:59travel on foot and it almost seemed fitting that our cunning foe, the public
01:00:04land rooster, got the last laugh. Rooster! Almost. How'd I miss that? I put fatigue down to that.
01:00:14I know. Thanks Scotty, awesome day. No bloody good, good way to wrap up the year for North
01:00:21Canterbury pheasants. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Awesome. Laz is a star and yeah pretty
01:00:27much we've been walking from what daylight to dusk. Yeah yeah been a pretty full on
01:00:32day and I'm ready for a rest day tomorrow that's for sure. Now we get to
01:00:37eat a couple. Looking forward to that. Yeah yum yum.
01:00:42Alright good evening. The game we're cooking is one of my favourites. This is
01:00:45some beautiful pheasants here. This is such a treat and I've got a couple of
01:00:49cute little quail crowns as well. I'm going to break down the bird. I'll use the
01:00:54legs to make a stock and then that stock will be the base for our sauce. Remove the
01:00:59wishbone. That's just going to make carving a lot easier. The other thing we
01:01:05want to get organised is we want to have all the ingredients ready to make the
01:01:09sauce. Some of this amazing cured bacon. This is the spicy reaper one so it should
01:01:14have a little bit of character to it. So this time we want to be medium high.
01:01:18Definitely don't want a heavy searing noise. Put them in the oven. It's probably
01:01:23going to be in the realm of three and five minutes. Stage one. Cook down this
01:01:31base. Get all the caramelisation going on. Scrape up all the goodness. Stage two we add
01:01:36our pheasant stock. I want enough liquid that we can poach those quail crowns in
01:01:42there. Add a little bit of mustard and a touch of cream in there. There's no direct
01:01:46contact with the pan so we can put it breast side down. Turned over the breast now.
01:01:51Just about cooked through so I'm going to stop them there. Now let's get some heavy
01:01:56reduction going. I'm going to add a bit of Dijon and then we're going to add a bit
01:02:00more cream. I'm just going to carve the crowns. Very nice cook here. Cool. A little
01:02:07quail. Beautiful. And we're just going to give that a little minute in the oven.
01:02:14That'll be more than enough to warm through the rested meat. First things first, just the
01:02:19faintest blush of pink. That's exactly what we want. Just carve a few little
01:02:23smaller pieces. Mate, that is just perfect.
01:02:30Recapping, this is the mustard cream sauce. It's spiked with Carolina Reaper bacon.
01:02:35Cute bacon. Yeah. So it's definitely going to have a little background warmth to it.
01:02:40So, shall we? Thank you. Beautiful. I'm really digging that quail. Yeah. That's stunning.
01:02:52It's just like chicken, but it actually has flavour, right? Yeah. Yeah, it's funny. I think,
01:02:56well, we know ducks, but even pheasants and quail probably for a lot of people are a bit
01:03:00intimidating to get it right. But that is delicious. I'm going to finish my plate and
01:03:05go back for more. Oh, absolutely. I didn't find any pellets, so,
01:03:09hmmm, but it must be among you two.
01:03:11Hmm.
01:03:14A massive thanks to our major partner, Continuous Group, our retail partner,
01:03:19Hunting and Fishing New Zealand, and the rest of the sponsor family who allow us to produce
01:03:24quality outdoor television.
01:03:26. Not enough wood there for me, boys.
01:03:30Oh, that's deeper than I thought.
01:03:33Do you want to give a bit of an update so far in the morning, guys?
01:03:38No. A bit more smoky.
01:03:44Thanks for watching.
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