RANDOM HOUSE TEACHERS’ RESOURCE KIT
The Beginner’s Guide
to Hunting and Fishing
in New Zealand
Paul Adamson
How do you stalk a trout? How do you skin a
rabbit? How does a bullet work?
Instructional, highly illustrated and with an
emphasis on safety throughout, this is a
beginner’s book of hunting and fishing for
all ages. It features the where, when, what
to look for, and how of New Zealand’s most
popular hunting and fishing pursuits. With an
accessible text, diagrams, fun facts and a
glossary of hunting terms, it’s all you need to
get out and start learning to hunt and fish.
From rabbit hunting to duck shooting,
possuming to large game hunting, eeling to
whitebaiting, The Beginner’s Guide to Hunting
and Fishing in New Zealand will give any
budding hunter the basic skills and knowledge
for a lifetime of adventure.
Paul Adamson has worked as
an educator, a principal and
a counsellor, and currently
leads an alternative education
school in the Wairarapa. He is
an expert on boys’ education.
SPECIFICATIONS
Imprint: Random House NZ
Classification: NZ Children’s
Publication: September 2013
ISBN: 9781775535126
RRP: $34.99
Format: Paperback
Extent: 160pp
Readership: 8+
RESOURCE KIT CONTAINS
• Before Reading
• Close Reading
• Language & Style
• Activities & Creative Responses
Price (GST inclusive) and author details
are correct at the time of writing but are
subject to change without notice. Visit
www.randomhouse.co.nz for up-to-date
information.
Published by Random House New Zealand Ltd • Private Bag 102950, North Shore, Auckland
Tel: 09 444 7197 • randomhouse.co.nz • facebook.com/randomhousenewzealand • twitter.com/rhnz
Before Reading
1. What do the cover pictures indicate
about the book’s content?
5. What do you know about hunting and
fishing? Discuss as a class.
2. When and where might the book be set?
6.
3. What does the title suggest to you?
Read the author’s dedication (p. 5). If you
wrote a book, to whom would you
dedicate it and what would the
dedication say?
4. Who do you think the readership of this
book is?
Close Reading
1. Which country has one of the highest
number of hunters in the world per capita
(p. 9)? What does this mean?
2. What does the author want for the reader
of this book (p. 9)?
11.What time of the year can ducks be legally
hunted (p. 32)?
12.Why must you wear camouflage when duck
hunting and what is recommended (p. 34)?
3. What makes a responsible and ethical
hunter (p. 10)?
13.What is the ‘single best accessory to your
hunting’ and in what ways can it be used
and/or helpful (p. 37)?
4. What are the seven ‘golden rules’ of
firearm safety (pp. 13-15)?
14.What happens with magpies in
spring (p. 41)?
5. Which types of guns are recommended
for rabbit and hare hunting (pp. 17–18)?
15.When and why were mustelids introduced
into New Zealand (p. 45)?
6. What are some of the differences
between hares and rabbits (p. 19)?
16.What is ‘by far the best method of reducing
mustelid numbers’ (p. 46)?
7. Which are the best times of day to hunt
for rabbits and hares (p. 20)?
17.What disease do possums carry (p. 49)?
8. Why do you have to be careful when
using scopes (p. 23)?
18.Why does it pay to keep a small canister of
dishwashing powder in your pack (p. 51)?
9. Why can rabbits so easily die of
fright (p. 26)?
19.What can do even more damage to
birdlife in forests than possums, ferrets or
stoats (p. 53)?
10.What does the law state about shooting
over a waterway and why is this (p. 30)?
20.How much warmer is possum fur
compared to merino wool (p. 56)?
21.What is a contour line and what does it
indicate about the land (p. 60)?
36.What can a landing net easily be made
out of (p. 109)?
22.Why could a spare beanie be so
important (p. 61)?
37.Where are the best places to fish for trout
and perch, and why (p. 114)?
23.Who should set the tramping pace and
why is this (p. 66)?
38.Why should you wet your hands before
touching the fish (p. 118)?
24.When and why do the majority of
incidents of hypothermia occur (p. 71)?
39.What are the two eel species in New
Zealand and how long can they
live (p. 123)?
25.Which factors should be considered
when deciding the bullet calibre in large
animal hunting (pp. 74–75)?
26.When is an excellent time to deer hunt
and why is this (p. 80)?
40.What is the advantage or ‘beauty’ of the
hand-net method for catching eels (p. 125)?
41.What were early Maori eel traps called
and what material were they made out
of (p. 127)?
27.Where do pigs frequent and when (p. 83)?
28.When should you place meat in plastic
bags and why is this (p. 85)?
29.What are the three main types of target
shooting (pp. 91–92)?
42.What part of the eel is toxic to
humans (p. 129)?
43.What are the five species of whitebait
(pp. 131–132)?
44.What is a ‘spring tide’ (pp. 132–133)?
30.What should a range fee cover (p. 92)?
31.What are the two types of bow used for
target shooting (p. 95)?
32.What is the main quarry of bow fishing
and why (p. 96)?
33.Which are some of the important knots
that you should learn before going out
fishing (p. 100)?
34.What could you use a burley sack for and
what is it made of (p. 105)?
35.When fishing for saltwater fish, when is
the best time (p. 106)?
45.What are the four stages of the lifecycle of
whitebait (p. 137)?
46.What is the name of the sludge that
attaches to rocks in New Zealand
rivers (p. 138)?
47.After a close reading of the book, choose
your favourite section to write ten
comprehension questions about. In pairs,
ask and answer the questions you have
written.
Language and Style
1. What do you think the genre of this book
is? List the aspects that are indicative of
this genre.
2.
DOC (p. 23) and LSAR (p. 71) are examples
of what figure of speech? Think of ten
more examples of this figure of speech,
three of which should relate to hunting,
fishing or safety.
3.
Figurative language is used to convey
ideas that might otherwise be difficult to
express. A simile is an example of
figurative language. Examples of this are
‘boss everyone around like a schoolyard
bully’ (p. 115) and ‘so does the excitement
of the season draw whitebaiters, like a
gold rush, to the coast’ (p. 133). Think of
more examples.
4.
What figure of speech are ‘silvery slithers’
(p. 131) and ‘famous five’ (p. 132) examples
of? Think of this figure of speech for ten
other letters of the alphabet.
5.
Each section of the book contains a
glossary. Choose two words from each
section that you would add to that
section’s glossary. Include definitions.
6. Do you like the design and layout of the
book? Why or why not? Choose one page
to redesign.
Activities and Creative Responses
1.
Choose your favourite section of the book
and summarise the information from it in
poster, powerpoint or pamphlet format.
Present it to your class.
7.
Choose one of the photographs from the
book as inspiration for a poem. If the
photograph is a scene from nature,
consider using a Haiku form.
2.
Locate either the animals or the DOC and
conservation areas mentioned in the book
on a map of New Zealand. Then also mark
the contour lines of your local area (p. 60).
8.
Choose one of the ‘Did You Know?’ facts
as inspiration to write, illustrate and bind a
story as a children’s picture book. Read your
book to a younger year level in your school.
3.
As a class, discuss the importance of gun
safety and mountain safety. Are there any
campaigns currently running to bring
your attention to these causes? Do you
think they are successful? Why or why
not? In groups, using information from
the book, create your own marketing
campaign for one of these causes. The
campaign could include elements such as
pamphlets, scripts for school talks, radio
jingles, posters, slogans, etc.
9.
Imagine you are a journalist. Find out if
there is a famous and/or interesting
hunter, conservationist, DOC worker,
fisherman, etc, in your family or local area.
Research and interview them, then write
an article. Present it in a newspaper
format, including photographs.
4.
Choose information from the book — for
example, making a hand line for fishing
(p. 99); releasing fish back into the stream
(p. 118); or smoking an eel (p. 128) — and
present it in a user-friendly, step-by-step
cartoon or story board format.
5.
Design an illustrated recipe book including
two recipes from the book as well as
recipes for two other animals found in
New Zealand (i.e. huhu grubs, green lip
mussels, mutton birds).
6.
Write a short story from the point of view
of one of the animals in the book, for
example an eel that has been caught and
released thanks to the Quota Management
System (p. 123). Imagine how it feels; its
environs; and its behaviour.
10.The author of the book writes about
when a perfect day out hunting or fishing
contains ‘moments [that] are pure gold’
(p. 10). Use this quote from the book as a
springboard for your own creative
response. Your response can take the
form of a short story, poem, dramatic
monologue or description. Or use
another medium, such as drawing,
painting, sculpture or photography to
create your own artistic interpretation of
the quote.
11.The author writes about the ‘moni ika/
whitebait tax’ of the 1850s (p. 132).
Investigate and research an interesting
historical fact relating to your local natural
environs. Write a short, informative essay
based on your discoveries.
12.Choose some of the tools used in hunting
and fishing, for example the different lures
used in trout and perch fishing (p. 119).
Make a poster showing these. Write the
advantages of using them under each of
the pictures.
13.In groups, imagine you are a television
production company attempting to gain
financial backing to create a new fishing
and hunting show for television. Write up
your proposal. Include information such
as your choice of title music and credits,
presenter, show name and content,
preferred channel and time slot, location,
etc. Study any hunting and fishing shows
that are currently on television as
references.
14.Shotgun target shooting (p. 39), recurve
archery (p. 95) and target shooting (p. 97)
are all Olympic sports. Research these
sports and find out ten interesting facts
about each, such as which countries
participate, who the most recent gold
medalist is, etc. Present your findings to
your class.
15.The author mentions that the character
Katniss in the movie The Hunger Games
uses a traditional recurve bow (p. 95).
Either watch this movie or read the book
it is based on, and list any safety, hunting
and fishing techniques the characters
use that are also mentioned in The
Beginner’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing in
New Zealand.
16.The sport of orienteering is mentioned in
the book (p. 60). In groups of four, make
up an orienteering team and imagine
you are going into the bush for a day.
Choose a team name, list what you
would take with you and discuss and
defend your choices within your team.
Compare your choices with those found
in the book (pp. 59–71). If you are able
to go on the trip, maintain a diary,
including a timeline of your trip and any
useful safety tips or procedures from the
book that you followed.
17.Divide into teams and debate the pros
and cons of either one of the topics
below, or any other you have taken from
the book:
• The importance in remembering
future generations when out hunting
and fishing (p. 10).
• The use of 1080 in pest control (p. 51).
18.The book states that the introduced pests
of magpies (p. 41), rats (p. 44), mustelids
(p. 45), possums (p. 49), and koi carp
(p. 96) have wiped out many New
Zealand birds, and due to the conservation
effort to safeguard more native birds,
‘these critters are well and truly fair game!’
(p. 44). Design a ‘Wanted’ poster for one of
the deadly pests mentioned above.
Include a picture of the animal; what it
kills; where it is found; and how to control it.
19.The book includes an illustrated diagram
of the life cycle of whitebait (p. 137).
Choose another animal mentioned in the
book and draw their lifecycle.
20.Choose one animal from the book to create
a diorama of it and its natural habitat.
21.Make up your own strange endemic New
Zealand animal, such as a magpie with
antlers or a half-possum–half-eel. Give it a
name and create for it an illustrated entry
for a junior level encyclopaedia. Include
facts about its physical appearance;
natural habitat; food; calls; enemies;
special talents; how to hunt it; etc, as well
as a story, myth or legend about it.
22.Choose your favourite photo from the
book and find the source of it from the
image credits section on p.141. Use an
internet search engine, such as Google, to
find out any possible information about
the photographer. Then write a short
biography on the photographer and their
work.
23.Design a board game about hunting and
fishing. Write interesting hunting and
fishing facts question cards and/or
directions on the board spaces to help
the game progress; for example: ‘You
catch a record sized kahawai. Move
forward three spaces’ or, ‘You catch a
domestic farmer’s cat in your leg trap. Go
back five spaces’. Make playing pieces in
the shape of some of the animals found
in the book. Create a pamphlet explaining
the rules and how to play the game.
24.List what you consider to be the ten most
interesting facts from the book.
25.Review the book for your favourite
magazine or website. What do you like
about the book? Why? What do you
dislike about the book? Why? Consider
the design, photographs, information,
writing style and quality of print
production. Also include your personal
opinion of the book and the age group
you think it is suitable for. Give it a rating,
such as stars or a number out of ten.