Thar Hunt

Greg was recently invited out on a Thar cull for a week with the Department of Conservation and the local Deerstalkers branch. Thar are Himalayan mountain goats, about twice the size and height of New Zealand goats, and they act more like deer - i.e. they run when you try to sneak up on them.
The bull Thar (i.e. adult males) are a sought after trophy and overseas hunters (and many New Zealand hunters) pay thousands to be flown in to shoot them. Nannies aren't such a trophy, even though the meat is good on the younger ones, and the population is getting out of control and damaging the native alpine plant life. Thar live above 1600m so are above the winter snow line.

The timing wasn't fantastic, as the hunt was right at the same time as we got possession of our new home, but it's the sort of opportunity you just don't turn down!

The helicopter the guys flew in on (and the valley they flew up behind it):

The terrain was quite steep...

With lots of glaciers, which made it very cold at night. The lowest temperature recorded during the week was -14°C, which was a bad frost, even by our standards, especially when you're in a tent on the side of a mountain.

A young bull Thar (Greg's first). Standing, it came up to Greg's shoulder. They grow a lot bigger than this - slightly smaller than the average NZ cow in height.

One of the other members of the hunting party "glassing" (looking through binoculars) for Thar. Most of the Thar shot were 200+ metres away.

And lastly, not a bad view to wake up to out the front door of your tent... even if it was as cold as a Mother-in-law's kiss.