Simon Gibson has written such a compelling book on how to hunt wapiti that he could easily have you loading up your pack and heading off into some of our wettest, most remote and challenging hunting terrain in pursuit of this magnificent trophy animal.
Brimming with enthusiasm and Fiordland greenness, the author made his first wapiti trip more than 20 years ago and was treated to a mammoth dose of extreme weather.
However, when other hunting parties were dragging their saturated and bedraggled camps home at the first hint of fine weather, Gibson stuck it out, shot his first trophy, and an obsession was confirmed.
Chapters include fitness (he recommends starting work on this many months before your trip), survival, travel, Fiordland weather and food requirements (lightweight but having enough calories to keep you going).
This book is well-illustrated, as it covers the history of wapiti, the author's pick of top 10 wapiti heads and his photographs from the spectacular wapiti blocks.
The second half of the book is a Lonely Planet-type description of each of the 25 wapiti blocks, which really confirms this book as a ''must read'' if you are considering venturing after these animals.
It's also a great read even if, like myself, you think the weather and country are too extreme to venture into. That is the one reason I have not loaned it to my hunting mate, who may just twist my arm!
