Hunting and being hunted

An indescribable experience, herding goats and racing across the countryside with the quad and dogs.

Together with Nick and the four dogs, I went to another farmer on the other side of the “Weiroa River.” It's Nick's only real job for which he gets paid, 3-4 times a month. Once we arrived, we hopped on the quad and headed into the farmer's land with the goal of herding 10 goats, as they would be picked up in the afternoon. So off we went, with Nick driving and me sitting on the back, while Lime and the other dogs raced alongside. Over sticks and stones, along field paths and hills, through mud and deep meadows. In search of the goats. The dogs would then drive them from one place to another using signals from Nick. However, this was only moderately effective, as the goats are very quick and skilled at avoiding us and would jump through fences. It was really hard to get all the goats to one place. I also got to try my luck and chased after the goats through the woods. I did my job quite well, but never believe you can be faster than a goat, not in the woods among trees and hills. After about 2 hours, we called it a day and headed back to the farm. There we had lunch and a cup of tea.

Now it got serious because time was running out, so it was on to the task. The plan was now to shoot the goats. Thank goodness it was just the farmer and not me, but my job along with Nick was to pick up the dead goat carcasses and transport them back with the quad and trailer.

At 3:00 PM, there was then the handover to some really strange guys that you really wouldn’t want to meet. It wasn’t all that legal on that day. With two red trucks pulled up, 5 sturdy serious men got out. They then skinned the animals on-site, which were hanging from trees. After that, it was back for me and Nick to his farm. Wet, covered in mud, and with blood smeared on our hands.

An unforgettable experience, which feels somewhat scary and wrong alongside all the cool experiences.

Still, it was an amazing experience, and that's just how it goes; I’m grateful to have been able to experience this!