At 17 a mate took me out on a goat shoot, after the 308 knocked me round and bruised my eyebrow, I very quickly came around to the idea of hunting and never looked back. During that time the venison prices were really high and there weren't a lot of deer around, when we did get one though the beer money was worth it.
While studying in Dunedin my hunting took a back seat due to time and money constraints, however I always managed a trip to Southland every roar, where I learnt a huge amount about the habits and quirks of red deer. In my final year in Dunedin I was lucky enough to be taken out pig hunting nearly every weekend by a mate of my Uncles. Chris taught me heaps about pig hunting, and it's something I don't get to do often enough now.
After moving to Wellington I realised how sweet I had it down south, access and hunting styles are quite different up here. Luckily I've adapted enough to knock over the odd deer, duck, and pheasant which keeps the freezer topped up. Rob gave me a sweet job designing the gear for Evolve, so I try to get out as often as possible. Testing the gear is key, finding what we all like and dislike helps to design and build a better piece of kit. Besides hunting I enjoy fly fishing, photography and design.
Andrew Sturt
Andrew was raised with a fly rod in one hand and a .22 rifle in the other. His dad taught him how to hunt and fish from a very young age and the lifestyle became an addiction. Every Sunday evening from the age of 5 he was out chasing rabbits and possums and twice a year he would head down South for a week’s fishing and hunting in the high country.
Today Andrew focuses most of his attention on Big Game Hunting and has had plenty of great experiences shooting Red, Sika and Fallow Deer as well as Tahr. He is also a very keen waterfowl hunter with a big enthusiasm for upland game.
Every spare moment of Andrew’s free time is spent in the hills or on the river and he considers himself very lucky to have been born in the right country to fuel his appetite for the outdoors.
Rob offered Andrew a job in early 2012 and he is loving the work. He will be a regular face around the web site and is looking forward to helping get the best gear and best information to you guys, the best hunters.
James Morris
James Morris has been hunting since he was knee high to a grasshopper.
He utilised his spare time chasing Deer, Chamois and Tahr around the south island of New Zealand. I now focus my hunting more for trophies whether that be horns, antlers or photographs.
Michael a keen outdoors man started hunting under the guidance of his grandfather at the age of 11 which fired a life life long passion for hunting and the outdoors. Hunting takes the majority of his time but he also manages to represent Australian at softball where he has been a member for the past 15 years with multiple world championship wins.
After years of hunting smaller game his passion turned towards deer where he now commits a majority of his attention. Michael better known as Gibbo has been lucky enough to have taken all Australian deer species minus hog deer. Michael has focused his attention in the past years on red deer with countless hours of hunting, filming and setting game cameras in aid of learning them intimately. Michael has also been lucky enough to have hunted almost all that Australia has to offer in the way of game species and has taken quality big game such as buffalo and scrub bull.
Michael seeks enjoyment from challenging hunts with his photography and videos playing a major part in every one of his hunts. Recently Michael hunted Tahr and has felt a very strong addiction forming for the NZ mountains and the game within them.
Willis Macbeth
My name is Willis, I'm based in Greymouth and spend a lot of my spare time hunting Red Deer, Chamois and Tahr mainly in the majestic mountains of the West Coast of the South Island. I was brought up in Karamea but have done most of my hunting since I've been in Greymouth. Hunting didn't come easy for me with the old man being keen on the outdoors but not really knowing much about hunting. I had a few keen mates but it took a few years to start to understand the mystical creatures that roamed the hills, and start to become successful.
These days I mainly trophy hunt, with the exception of when the freezer is getting a bit low. I also have an old bow which I take out once in a while to really challenge myself. I have now shot a whitetail deer and 13" bull Tahr with it, and hope to add to that over the next year or so. I also enjoy photography, which I get a lot of satisfaction out of.
BJ Holdsworth
It was my Father that got me interested in Hunting, although not shooting a deer until I was in my 20’s the passion of Hunting totally consumed me and has now spanned almost two decades. More recently I have been into bowhunting, to date I have seven trophy Species with the bow including Buffalo from Australia and several Red Stags which have been huge highlights in a busy hunting life.
I am very fortunate to be managing our family property in New Zealand's East Coast region enabling me to hunt on a weekly basis which is a real privilege. The past ten years we have been running a hunting business that specialises in Red Stags. We have guided hunters from all over the world, met a lot of great people and had some incredible hunts.
The past 20 years has enabled me to test and try all of the major hunting apparel available here in New Zealand, Hunters Element has measured up extremely well to the point where I am wearing “The Gear” on a daily basis both at work and at play. Being given the opportunity to test in the field what is great gear is an honour and something I look forward to. My hobbies include Fly fishing our local rivers and videography/photography.
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