JE Wilds gets flown into a valley he has never hunted before, pitches a camp on his own, and sets himself one goal for the trip: a big old bull tahr. It's five days solo in high country, and he films every bit of it himself.
Alone in a New Valley
His pilot, Scott, dropped him off by helicopter at high elevation, and JE says it's one of the nicest camp spots he's had in a while. He put up a three person MSR Hubba Hubba HD, rolled out the same sleep setup he always runs, and started glassing from camp. A big front pushed through around midnight and tore the place up, so he didn't get much sleep. By morning the weather had cleared, and he headed down a ridge toward a valley with what looked like good feed.
The early glassing was a little frustrating. He counted four hinds across the valley and picked out a red stag a long way up the head of it, but the wind was wrapping around and he couldn't hold his spotter still enough to size him up. That evening he found a chamois buck about 690 yards away and thought about moving on it if it came closer. It never did. A helicopter came through at first light and JE reckons it pushed the buck somewhere he couldn't find, so that one got away. He kept telling himself something might still show up, and he spent a lot of time looking for the big bull he'd come for.
Finally Finding the Bull
Eventually he climbed into a high alpine basin. There was plenty of tahr country up there, with feed and benches everywhere, but only young bulls. He headed for a saddle, used a small gully to hide his approach, crept up and looked over. There he was: a big bull about 475 yards away, with a bunch of nannies around him.
JE had just walked up a mountain and was puffing, so he took his time. He made sure the rifle was level, calmed himself down and waited for the bull to turn broadside. A young bull came out to the left and the big one finally offered the shot. The bull went down, then started rolling. He tumbled all the way down the bluffs and stopped about 275 yards from where JE was sitting. He had been bracing for a serious recovery up a chute with crampons, so he was as relieved as he was excited.
His rifle for the trip was a Weatherby Backcountry Guide Titanium in 7 PRC with a Leupold VX-6 Gen 2 on top, and he calls it the most accurate rifle he has ever owned. He carried the Javelin Pro Hunt Tac Bipod on it too. At 7.6oz with spring assisted legs and MagnaSwitch™ attachment, it doesn't add much weight to a rifle you're carrying up a mountain, and 15° of cant helps keep things level on the slopes you tend to end up on.
The Hard Part Was Getting Down
Getting to the bull turned out to be the tricky bit. The slope down toward the river was icy and steep, and JE had lost one of his crampons somewhere along the way. He still had his trekking poles, but instead of cutting straight down he went high and then down, and picked his way across on a single crampon, checking every step. He says it would have been simple with two and even easier with an ice axe.
When he got there, the bull was worth it. He counted seven rings on the horns and found a mature, dominant animal that had been holding a lot of nannies. A couple of young bulls had already moved in on his group and stood watching from the top. JE stopped to take it all in, and says he hopes the film inspires people to get out and enjoy what New Zealand has to offer.
