We started at Pleasant Flat waiting for the chopper with piles of gear spread across the gravel. We were ready for some tahr hunting New Zealand is famous for. A few minutes later we were at 1500 metres on the solution range looking down into the Landsborough River valley. It is easily my favorite valley in the country.
After two trips with the helicopter we had camp sorted and headed out for an evening glass. Within the first couple of hours we spotted five tahr and a few deer feeding across the faces. Nothing worth chasing yet, but enough to know there were animals around.
The plan for the trip was simple. We were looking for mature bulls and wanted something over the 13-inch mark. We weren’t interested in shooting the first bull we saw. There are plenty of younger bulls in that country. Finding older animals means covering ground and spending time behind the binoculars.
The next few days were full days. Up early, glassing until dark, then back to camp to eat and dry gear before doing it all again. The country in the Solution Range is steep and rough. Every basin looks close until you start climbing into it.
The weather stayed mint which helped. Cold mornings, clear days, and enough wind to keep things comfortable while climbing. The SKRE layers earned their keep during the trip. We were constantly moving between cold shaded faces and hot climbs in the sun. Not having to constantly stop and change gear made life easier. Most of the time the gear just stayed on. It handled whatever the day threw at it.
After several days of hunting, we still hadn’t found the right bull. We shifted camp twice trying to get into fresh country. We eventually decided to drop into McCullaugh Creek which we nick named Tahrmageddon . It held good numbers.
That turned into one of the harder parts of the trip.
The monkey scrub in there was brutal. Every step felt like work. Packs snagging branches, crawling through tight sections, climbing over all sorts of crap, then doing it all again for hours. It’s the sort of country that looks manageable from a distance but drains you once you’re in it.
It ended up being worth it.
Partway through glassing the creek faces we spotted a mature bull feeding below us at around 300 yards. Even from a distance you could tell he had age. Heavy bases, solid cape, and good length. After a closer look we figured he was right around the 13-inch mark and likely an 8-year-old bull. Exactly the sort of animal we had come in for.
We set up the 28 Nosler and got Aaron in behind the beasty 7mm. He managed a clean shot hanging off the side of a bluff. The shot was on a downward angle of 42 degrees. That's tahr hunting!
While moving back to camp for that evening another one of the boys connected on a solid 12.5-inch bull. That made the trip even better.
What came next was probably the hardest part of the whole hunt.
The walk back to the pickup zone turned into a ten-hour monkey scrub bash. We carried horn, capes, and gear through some of the thickest country I’ve dealt with. By the end everyone was scratched up, exhausted, and pretty over the scrub.
That’s where good gear matters most. Packs rubbing all day, wet vegetation, constant climbing and crawling — it’s hard on equipment. The Remlite gear handled the abuse without issues, which is all you really want in that sort of country.
Eventually we broke out onto open ground and made it back to the pickup point. Not long later the chopper was lifting us back toward Pleasant Flat. There were bulls in the back and tired legs all around.
From there it was straight to the Makarora Country Cafe for one of their hard to beat sausage rolls.
Hard to think of a better way to finish a trip.