TOMMY MONTAPERTO

I was introduced to the hunting scene well before I could remember being carted around in a baby pack by my dad, as I do with my two boys now. I knew nothing else and couldn’t imagine a life without being able to hunt and gather. Born into a family of Sika hunters, my dad and his two brothers, the Taihapie road would become my second home for the best part of 30 years filling the freezer and developing my passion for these amazing species. My wife and I have now brought a property in the heart of Sika country, where the lads will experience the same adventures. They’ll be raised with the knowledge of how to fend for themselves, live off the land, and look after it so it remains in tacked and available for generations to come.

To be fair, Trophy’s aside, the biggest accomplishment for me and my family is the fact we are able to provide free range ethically sourced meat for the table any day of the week. As well as bring my two boys up with the same mentality as I have been brought up with, to only take what they need. I have only really chased Sika as my passion, these guys are too great for me to be to concerned about pursuing any other species for trophy reasons. Don’t get me wrong I love any hunting expedition regardless of species, but Sika are where my heart is. I have shot a few nice heads ranging between the mid 150’s DS to Mid 170’s DS with my favourite head to date going 173 1/8”. Ninety percent of my hunting is on public land, so securing anything over that 170 mark is always a challenge in itself. A 190”+ model is certainly the ultimate goal, they are out there, so the challenge for me is well and truly alive. Every Sika hunter’s dream is to shoot a wall hanger and some people spend their entire life pursuing that .

I have actually always been a fan of Hunters Element gear, right from the start and always had items of the brand in my kit. My current most used items would be my spur trousers, light enough to wear in the summer and still do the trick in the winter, especially with the core range underneath, plus they dry extremely fast. The Traverse jacket is also an all-time favourite, again it dries fast, it’s quiet in the bush and it keeps you warm, I actually wear this jacket daily as well as hunting . I could go on and on and list a lot of items as I have a passion for the brand HE and really do have one or two of most items, it’s an amazing brand, fantastic people with a vision and ethics similar to mine, I’m stoked to be a part of something special.