Venery is one of my passions. This is one of my all-time favourite photos. This was Eddie Herrick circa 1934 in his eponymous creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound, Fiordland NZ with his bull moose. In a moose hunting career in Fiordland which involved Eddie hunting there for nearly three months a year for thirty years (that’s ten years) of his life, Eddie bagged three of these beasties out of less than ten shot altogether by anyone. Such is dedication. It also goes to show how hard bagging a moose in Fiordland is.
In around 1931 he shot a very old three legged cow moose in the Hilda Burn (where I have also seen a (cow) moose and heard another (bull) calling). This old girl was pregnant and was probably the same one which broke its leg as it was tipped overboard during the original release in 1910! They are tough critters which have endured there to this day – though I know there are many doubters.
For twenty-five years I have been traveling back to this area myself for stays of about a week-ten days just to totally ignore the astonishing scenery and wondrous sense of remoteness, the wilderness challenges etc in the hope that I might catch another glimpse of a Fiordland moose, maybe even capture a photograph of one. You can read about my own Fiordland moose hunting adventures here: The Lure of the Moose.
The greatest (live) moose hunter is Ken Tustin who has searched endlessly for them since approx 1970! You can see a preview of his most recent documentary here: https://vimeo.com/55687840 or https://afntv.com.au/vimeo-video-categories/stealth-films/ or you can download it all (for a mere $10) here: http://www.stealthfilms.co.nz/dvds/dvd005-bundle.html
The last moose shot or photographed were in the early 1950s though cast antlers ans skeletons have been found since. Hair from live moose were found (DNA tested and proved) in 2001 and 2002. There have been three very reliable sightings this decade. Whenever I visit there I never fail to find old (and often also fresh) moose browse, tracks or droppings. I had a very close encounter with a bull moose in 2017 in the Hauroko Burn. I still hope for at least one more trip (next year at 77?)- and who knows, maybe even a magical photo of one.
First Published Feb 17, 2015
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lure-of-the-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lure-of-the-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
