A Bit of Luck - 325DS Public Land Red Stag - Tahr, Chamois & Red Deer Roar Hunting New Zealand.

Highlight of my hunting missions from December 2023 to April 2024.

[@marcusbraun5976]

Inspirational fella... you are on point with regards to putting yourself into uncomfortable situations and working through them... keep up the awesome mahi

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Cheers bro! 100% aye gotta do the mahi to get the treats!

[@peterbragg]

Your video are brilliant, the way you capture the moments, animals, bird life and the mixture of scenery is awesome, and so impressed with your outlook on life, great advice.

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks for the feedback Peter! I put a lot of thought into the structure of each film and stoked you enjoyed the film. Hard to beat time in the Southern Alps! All the best mate!

[@TheBighorn1]

Another great video. Really enjoy the way you capture the raw country we hunt in. That place doesn't care if you live or die. I'm coming to end of my hunting life so really treasure every last minute I can get.

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

100% its such a humbling place, to which, I wish more people got to experience the life or death nature of being in the mountains. During a couple of those storms I knew with out a shelter its all over. I always laugh when I get back from a tough mission and read or watch people complaining about insignificant 1st world problems. That's a great attitude to have mate, hope the mountains give you plenty more soul enriching experiences and memories.

[@mikewalker5482]

Good on you man legend. You lift a lot of people with your videos

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate appreciate the feedback! Sometimes I don't know where the motivation comes from to make these films as its a lot of time and effort. Being a pretty disciplined person helps but also I want to give back to society in someway, that for me means doing things that don't come with any monetary gains. Hope life and the hills are treating you well mate!

[@exNZFS]

Hey mate thanks for a great video you show excellent camera skills great animals in magnificent country Your life advice is spot on It’s adversity and hardship which shape you into a person of substance and make those hard won trophies so meaningful in our superficial throwaway world 😮

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks for the feedback mate, we are so lucky in NZ to such amazing backcountry and game animals only a stones throw from home. Yeah agree, the journey is far more important than the destination. Just yesterday I shot a ripper 38" long, heavy timber, old, super even 12 pointer public land stag. Funny how life goes as hunter. From massive miles and consecutive storms to a 2 day trip that produces a ripper stag, gotta love life in the hills! Hope the hills are treating you well mate!

[@exNZFS]

@@bendb_wildaboutnz yep the hills always treat me well ..at age 62 I’m not as fit as I used to be but can still get anywhere I want to go . We really are lucky Well done with the stag mate - that’s the great thing about hunting is that you never know it certainly resonates with me sometimes you put massive effort in for little reward Then along comes a “ too easy one “ - you earn them all in the end hot barrels mate!

[@grahamclark5766]

Great video, lots of country and animals in magnificent surroundings, and great advice about life for a young man

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate! We are pretty lucky to have the country we do in New Zealand, so many awe-inspiring landscapes! Hopefully a couple young fellas take that advice on board. I really feel for them in this digital world full of so much noise! All the best mate!

[@sandcontour]

You’re so right about the outdoors preparing for adversity in life. Old Mother Nature, you can’t control it however you can minimise its impact on you, just like life!

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

100% mate, no better place to help you deal with the complexities and difficulties of life than the mountains. haha yeah there's definitely things you can do to make hard times in the mountains more enjoyable. Big one for me is synthetic down products, would rather be wet and warm than wet and cold. Keep charging mate!

[@TheWeekendMish]

Epic missions - so sick !!!

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Cheers fellas, awesome to see you young fellas truly getting after life and punching out some solid mission. Good to know there are some solid next generation adventure hunters out there! keep charging fellas!

[@OHINERATA]

Bloody awesome mate. Legend 👍

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Cheers mate, glad you enjoy it! Hope the roar treated you well!

[@philipevans4219]

cool video. great to look over places ive visited cheers

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate, gotta love New Zealand's backcountry! Hope the hills are treating you well!

[@MountainMan_NZ]

Love the voluntary adversity! Great advice 👍

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Cheers bro, I have no doubt you've used the same skills gained from the mountains to help solve urban jungle problems. Hope all is well bro!

[@Sako75.7mm08]

That was a EPIC watch, cheers for the effort you put into that and condolences on losing your dad, great advice and animal footage scenery birds and goodluck with upcoming adventures, keep the electrolytes up and one step at a time gets it done, good to watch without music also, gives a more realistic relaxing vibe when outdoors, roar trip next week, you must of been gutted to find 21 gut bags, south westland is a jewel of a place, spent many a night in there thru s@#t weather, great finish with the kea 🏕

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate, appreciate the feedback! Life's never easy but the mountains is great place for recharging all the batteries and gaining clarity/perspective. I really enjoyed not using background music as it had its technical challenges due to the fact I run a super low budget production. The beauty and chance to bag a stag of a lifetime is what draws me to South Westland. The pre 1960's stags are still there but usually get shot by the choppers. This trip had 5 continuous days of storms with some being as intense as you could get! Keep living Southern Alps dream mate!

[@Sako75.7mm08]

@@bendb_wildaboutnz nice one yes so true mate, the right song can compliment the footage, i got out of the bush with a red stag that afternoon you dropped this latest production, ive been on a low sugar diet and was sweating profusely thru some absolute windfall vines rubbish, really sapped my energy, and while drinking water and sugar free V not a good choice without the electrolytes i was in the hurt locker zone, multiple muscle leg cramps all of it, anyway was allgood, got eldest sons 5th birthday on saturday then im off on my roar trip monday-sunday, excited is a under statement, havent had a overnight hunt since last roar for 3 nights so im chomping to get after it, running the farm and building a house for us in spare time im pumped for a reset recharge in the alps, getting gear checked prepped, rains set in on the west coast here which is good clears for 4 days and then is looking not ideal for 10 days, hoping it improves over weekend so i can stick with plan A for south westland, like you said thou after the storm bares fruits, shot my biggest bull tahr, buck chamio, red stag down south westland, it will always give you a animal encounter, and with the calibre of your latest red stag that would smooth over any less than ideal adventures, what a impressive specimen, unfortunatly there has been a lot of waro up and down and side to side of the alps, such a waste of a resource, keep up the charge and look forward to whats around that next corner🏕

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

@@Sako75.7mm08 Yeah mate getting that nutrition right is super important, dehydration is far more crippling than low energy/low food. Muscles rely heavily on electrolytes to contract and release, certainly worth keeping on top off. A good tip is if you start cramping up stop for 30-60 while drinking and and eating because your body struggles to process and replenish energy/fluid stores when on the move. Good luck on the coast that's by far the hardest place to get a mature stag due to the constant waro pressure. Weathers not looking great next week!! Have a great time mate, I'm sure you'll create some awesome memories!! Keep charging!

[@Sako75.7mm08]

@@bendb_wildaboutnz cheers mate il let you know how i get on 🏕

[@TheBighorn1]

Thanks for another great video.Nice stag and chamois. Makes my day when I see you release a new vid. I'm 62 this year and still try to do the hard yards.just come home from a big trip into the Lewis pass area. Knee pain and cramp are my big problems. Will try your tips in a few weeks when I walk in for the sika roar. What doesn't kill you definitely makes you stronger.

[@velvetsmashnz]

Beauty!

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate! Hope the hills are treating you well!

[@MichaelClaytonNZ]

Epic video and trip Ben. Did you get any snaps of the stag after you shot him? Or are you saving them for another magazine article? Also how long and how many points was the casty? Great talk on the mental side of things. I think a lot of people would benefit from big solo missions where they can’t rely on a friend to talk to or get comfort from. Being solo in the mountains will do wonderful things for the mind body and soul!

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Hey mate! I shot him right on last light and took a couple of rubbish photos. There will be another photo of the head in the next rod and rifle edition. I didn't take that many photos due to exhaustion and I also didn't want to give the spot away in the slightest with everything so competitive these days. When you read the article you'll see why this mission was a battle. The cast antler had 7 points and about 38-39" long. I actually filmed a clip with it but I didn't do it correctly as it showed exactly where I was. Been meaning to go back and get it but haven't had the time/motivation to get it. The spot blew up on social media only a couple day's after I shot him!! Then it was cleaned out! 100% mate, solo hunting would help everyone in some way or at the very least learn something valuable about yourself. Good to see you enjoying some quality time in the hills!!

[@harrymax8072]

Only 5 mins in, great videography man lots of nice still shots - you had the tripod out a ton? “That’s what mountain hunting is, a lot of problem solving - with optimism 😅”

[@bendb_wildaboutnz]

Thanks mate, I reckon still shots are easier to digest than motion shots. So I make the effort to set the tripod up as often as possible. haha yeah mate, especially when your cold, wet and got a big day ahead of you! Hope the hills are treating you well!