Suddenly everyone wants to be a culler but who will make the cut?
Suddenly everyone wants to be a culler but who will make the cut? Books about culling start to attract all sorts of men to the job. But while some are experienced shooters, others are bank clerks or shop managers with no experience in the bush.
Applicants from all over New Zealand try out for a rigorous and no nonsense six week course in Marlborough run by the NZ Forest Service . The primary training camp, called Dip Flat, covers key bush skills but also puts them through their paces.
They tackle river crossings, firearms safety, camp cooking and a ruthless assessment of their physical fitness for the job. Then there's the infamous "gut buster " - a gruelling 1500 metre climb up to the snowline which weeds out the unfit pretty quickly.
Around the same time, the overseas venison market is booming and private hunters can now make good money shooting. Previously treated as a pest, deer become very valuable and hunters take to the hills in their droves to retrieve deer anyway they can.
Soon, very basic airstrips are being hacked out with pick and shovel in the mountains and alongside (or in) river beds. Small planes like Austens and Piper Cubs can land and take off without crashing and deer are stockpiled and flown out six or eight at a time.
This is the first venison gold rush and serious money can be made and lost.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!