Why do so many people love hunting? Is it blood lust? The thrill of the chase? Or, is there something more to it? Hunting Adventures is Greig Caigou's very readable and vicariously enjoyable collection of one man's backcountry adventures in the New Zealand bush and high country. From the age of fifteen, Greig began hunting, following family tradition into a sport, he's continued enjoy for over thirty years. He began writing about it in 1981, contributing to several well-known hunting anthologies.
As well as being a thoroughly good read, his book also seeks to encourage, another generation to challenge themselves against their environment, and enjoy the personal challenges hunting has to offer.
With tips for young hunters and some fascinating thoughts on why we need to have adventures, the book is an unexpected treat. Many recent books in this genre have concentrated on memoirs from an era of 'hard men' and high populations of animals in a wild and emerging industry. Most modern hunters (over 7200 registered in the NZ Deerstalkers Association) don't actually relate to this era and prefer to read about people like themselves, where trophy moments are fewer and more highly valued for their rarity. In addition to these more memorable moments, Greig doesn't hesitate to include the mistakes, the miscalculations and the dumb things that can happen on a trip up country, making this a thoroughly accessible and enjoyable read for any real or would be hunter.
