Happy hunting grounds

Press, 10 December 1983, Page 22

Happy hunting grounds

The Golden Years of Hunting in New Zealand. By Philip Holden. Hodder and Stoughton, 1983. 345 pp. Illustrations. $24.95. (Reviewed by Kevin J. Whitelaw). New hunting books have appeared recently in a rush. “The Golden Years of Hunting in New Zealand” traces our earliest releases of wild game and the beginnings of hunting until about 1930. Absorbing reading, it covers game species from rabbits to moose. It gives details of the original liberations for particular animals, the golden hunting era that grew up, and the devastating effects of uncontrolled animal numbers. Critical readers might find some information relating to the establishment of deer a little dull; it is a subject that has been told many times. But any shortcomings are compensated for by the fascinating tales taken from old hunting publications and reprinted here. Philip Holden has drawn heavily on early records of the Government and acclimatisation societies. He also draws on writings from classic bygone hunters and he has compiled possibly his most engaging book since “Hunter by Profession,” published in 1973. The book is loaded with historical photographs. They come from a variety of cameras and most were published before 1930. Predominantly, they deal with deer, but rabbits, goats, pigs, and game birds also feature. The moose photographs are especially interesting. Early moose hunting is vibrantly

described. The first moose hunting season was 1923 and E. J. Herrick shot the first legally taken moose. Today the labours of Herrick, or Leslie Murrell, in that inhospitable region known as Fiordland, are recognised as triumphant feats for stalkers. Accounts here of legendary sportsmen such as Jim Muir and Harold Hodgkinson must also inspire today’s hunters. Their observations, and those of some of their clients, are at the centre of Holden’s work. There are splendid tributes to true deerstalking on big country. Here, amid the Dingle, Wilkin, Makarora, and Landsborough valleys the early hunters secured some of our finest red stag heads. Trophy-minded hunters will delight in Major R. A. Wilson’s report of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition where the New Zealand Government displayed 60 superior deer heads. It was a collection of red, wapiti, fallow, and sambar antlers which has never been repeated. Major Wilson, himself a notable trophy stalker, was responsible for arranging the heads. Ken Sutherland’s account of wapiti hunts likewise makes exciting reading. Today the lure of this Southland game herd remains, but thanks to bungling bureaucracy the trophies are rare. Regrettably, the writers quoted by Holden have long passed with the “golden years of hunting.” Their recollections are available, thanks to Philip Holden. It might well be past history with old photographs, but those who open this book will not get tired of reading or looking.