Growing up in heartland South Otago meant Sam was introduced to small game hunting at an early age. A move to Dunedin in his early teenage years, saw him chasing goats and the odd deer on mates farms.
However, it wasn’t until a move to Wanaka to pursue a building apprenticeship that the desire to hunt was really let out of the cage. Sam quickly developed a craving for the big country and spent most weekends with pack on back and rifle in hand.
Whilst he enjoys the companionship of hunting with a mate, he equally relishes in the challenges and solitude which come from solo missions. Hunting for Sam is more about getting out on the hill and out of cellphone coverage than it is about securing an animal.
Sam prides himself on having high standards when it comes to trophies and often reaches for the camera rather than the rifle, however when the freezer needs filling he’s more than obliging. A recent move back to Dunedin sees Sam hitting the handy mountains at Beaumont regularly.
It was here that he found great enjoyment in bush stalking and quickly adapted to the different hunting style and was rewarded with success often. Sam, now a proud father, finds that hunting trips need to be a lot less spontaneous than in previous years.
However, with an extremely understanding better half, he still finds ample time to pursue his passion and considers himself very fortunate to call the South Island home