Mission 4: Successful Harvest in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region

📅 Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th March

This Mission 86 Deer Culled – 670 kgs of Mince

The team assembled on Friday at 4 PM for a pre-mission briefing and an update on health and safety protocols. With this being our first time on the farm, it was agreed that all tracking would be done via Topo50 to ensure everyone could navigate back safely in the dark.

Tamati and Jonno headed out for a night shoot on Friday, bringing in 17 deer. The success continued on Saturday night with Tamati, James, Jasper, and Fiona harvesting an additional 25, bringing the total from night shooting to nearly half the overall haul. These were all high-yield kills, primarily headshots, ensuring top-quality venison.

Meanwhile, the other teams on the property had a strong showing, bringing in 44 deer across Friday and Saturday. It was also noted that the deer in this area are particularly gun-shy, making night shooting a more effective strategy moving forward.

The processing facilities were excellent, with a well-designed washdown area and a covered processing space. The ability to position the chiller close to the workspace made for a highly efficient workflow. 

Niall and Jasper led the charge in coaching proper field processing techniques, including legging, skinning, and carcass breakdown. The setup proved highly effective: four people skinning, four breaking down, three at the boning tables, and one managing the chiller. This configuration allowed up to eight carcasses on the gantry at any time, keeping the workflow smooth and productive.

The final verdict from the butcher? "Excellent!" Another successful mission in the books, with lessons learned and new strategies for even greater efficiency next time.