Roar 2023: Experienced hunter shares injury story

Richard Wells eyeing up the Moeraki River in South Westland.

Richard Wells never thought his annual father-daughter roar hunting trip would be one to change his life. The decades-long hunting tradition for the Wells family provides a good excuse to get out of the office and time to sharpen their hunting skills. Last year’s expedition took the pair into Central Otago’s backcountry, and it was on that trip Wells learned the pain of a simple mistake with severe consequences.

The pair arrived at their hut in their Pisa Range block and were unpacking the ute when they saw a young stag making its way up the gully, the first sign of an epic hunting trip.

The next morning, they were up before sunrise and packed with the anticipation of staying out overnight.

“The idea was that my daughter was going to be shooting and I was the pack horse,” Wells said.

He filled a pack up with two sleeping bags, a fly, one gas cooker and some dehydrated meals.

“It was a full pack, but not heavy.”

At first light, they set off to stalk the stags.

Five hours later, there were only a couple hundred metres between them all, but a change in the wind gave the hunters away and the animals bolted.

After stopping for a cuppa and food to refuel, the pair decided to explore the next ridge before retreating back to the hut.

It was mid-afternoon at this stage and they were starting to feel tired, but knew the hut was only a six-kilometre walk away.

There was no pressure, Wells said.

“We had beautiful weather. It had been a long day, but we were heading home, so we just took our time.”

Wells and his daughter had been on their feet for around 11 hours, which was a long day for them both, as “we aren’t very patient hunters - but we put a lot of patience into that day”.

They were about 200 metres from the hut and Wells’ feet were “getting a bit sore” when disaster struck.

“I was walking on the grass verge. I wasn’t watching where I was walking and all of a sudden, I slipped. It felt like I was on ice - I had a rifle slung on my shoulder, and I fell really heavily on my back,” he said.

“It was an absolutely slapstick Charlie Chaplin fall where dust came up.”

Richard Wells in South Westland on a recent roar hunt.

Both his feet came out from under him, resulting in whiplash from his pack and a grazed right elbow from protecting his rifle.

“At that stage, other than the effect on my dignity and some shock, I felt okay and got up and carried on.”

It wasn’t until two days later, while on a different hunting block in the Blue Mountains near Tapanui, that Richard started to feel the effects of that fall.

That morning, they were walking up a ridge when his neck locked and his mobility dropped.

“I had to say, ‘I’m done here’ - I couldn’t hunt effectively because I couldn’t look uphill. I was struggling to pull myself up, struggling to hold the rifle.”

He spent the night in “agony”.

“My whole neck and arms had shooting pains and muscle spasms. I’ve had broken arms and stuff before, but nothing like this. I couldn’t even lift my elbow above chest-height.”

Despite x-rays, ultrasounds and painkillers, what followed for Wells was a pain-riddled, sleepless six weeks, before he was correctly diagnosed as having a damaged nerve.

“I was hurting like crazy, I never knew you could hurt so much - I couldn’t even pick up a cup of coffee with my left hand.

“Right through May I stayed at home in agony and never slept, and quickly lost 10 kilograms, but mostly I was really fearful that my arm would never work again. The physio even said, ‘This may never come right’.”

Ten months on, he estimates he has lost 30 per cent of capability in his left arm.

“I’ve got back my quality of life back, which is fantastic ... it’s not going to stop me hunting, there’s no doubt about that. But it will mean changes.”

Determined to continue the hunting tradition with his daughter, Wells spent the past year building up his strength to be ready for their next hunting trip in Haast this April.

He admitted his hunting future looked quite different now, and from a safety perspective he was “a bit compromised”.

Wells is a life-long hunter whose experience stems from a rural childhood in the Marlborough Sounds and wallaby hunting in South Canterbury, as well as tahr and deer hunting in the mountains of the South Island.

He said he learned a “big lesson” that day.

“It can happen to anyone - even with beautiful weather, the right gear and walking on a road, not fully laden, literally within a stone’s throw of the hut.”

The injury wasn’t due to a lack of knowledge or experience, or inappropriate gear either, he said.

“It was just that I didn’t maintain the discipline of watching where I was putting my feet - I was already focused on thinking about [getting my] boots off, feet in the creek and [having] a cup of tea - all the good stuff.

“So yeah, a silly accident, severe consequences.”

Wells reckoned a lot of people would be embarrassed to talk about it, but he was happy to speak up.

“If anybody reading this can avoid the pain I went through, that would be a good thing.”

Wells said the experience showed him how an injury could affect those around him, and the importance of looking out for each other and asking for help when you needed it.

Seven roar hunting tips for staying safe

• Research the area and have a back-up plan
• Check the weather and be prepared for it to change
• Pack a rain jacket and shelter just in case
• Tell a mate your plans before you go
• Check in with your mates regularly
• Take a map and keep track of your movements
• Watch your footing and take your time

Find out more tips for staying safe during the roar on the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council’s website.

Find out more about ACC’s ‘Have a Hmmm’ awareness campaign here.