The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Listen: Davey Hughes vs. a grizzly bear

The Country
14 May, 2018 02:45 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Davey Hughes, "The Swazi Man." Photo / Ashleigh Collis

Davey Hughes, "The Swazi Man." Photo / Ashleigh Collis

Hunting and Fishing legend Davey Hughes missed out on opening weekend as he has been too busy "beavering" away with his apparel company Swazi.

Hughes caught up with The Country's Jamie Mackay for a chat about the origins of his iconic clothing company and to tell a of a hair-raising encounter he once had with a grizzly bear.

Swazi came about from Hughes' love of hunting which resulted in him becoming an "expert" on being "wet and cold."

"So I thought, OK, let's set about providing clothing for people that'll keep them warm and dry, and that's really how the whole thing kicked off."

Swazi has branched out into streetwear which Hughes says is produced "mainly for the corporates."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's not just possum trapping and duck hunting, as Hughes tells Mackay of a time he was charged by a grizzly bear and what he learned from the experience.

"There's only two things you need to know about grizzly bears. Number one, they are entirely unpredictable. Number two, they are incredibly fast. They'll run down a racehorse over 100 metres so don't run from a bear - you haven't got a hope in hell."

Also in today's interview: Davey Hughes looks forward to Fieldays and his trip to the Southern Alps to hunt Tahr.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Listen below:

Discover more

Nice weather for ducks, not duck-shooting in Otago

02 May 12:30 AM

Lashing Out: The harsh truth about women's rugby

11 May 03:00 AM

Win a STIHL FarmBoss MS311 chainsaw

18 May 02:00 AM

The Country - Chainsaw edition

14 May 01:24 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'Technology has come so far': Drones could be coming to farms and beaches near you

18 Jun 06:00 PM
The Country

Environment Court approves 115-lot rural subdivision near Kerikeri

18 Jun 05:00 PM
The Country

Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'Technology has come so far': Drones could be coming to farms and beaches near you

'Technology has come so far': Drones could be coming to farms and beaches near you

18 Jun 06:00 PM

Drone Zone displays how technology is revolutionising farming, fishing.

Environment Court approves 115-lot rural subdivision near Kerikeri

Environment Court approves 115-lot rural subdivision near Kerikeri

18 Jun 05:00 PM
Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you

Drones could be coming to farm sheds and beaches near you

Meet the $80,000 record Hereford bull coming to Gisborne

Meet the $80,000 record Hereford bull coming to Gisborne

18 Jun 04:00 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP