Flash light shooting
Flash light shooting is a favorite sport in the bush. No precise location of what is reported here is given. The hunters names cannot be disclosed either. Land owners are not necessarily informed of the hunt, nor are the gendarmes.
A vehicle is required. It should be a pickup, 4x4 if possible. Three people usually operate. The driver and, in the body, one flash light holder and one shooter next to him. Sometimes several shooters can be in the body, but this does necessarily makes hunting easier. The light, hand held, is generally a powerful car light fed by a car battery placed also in the body.
Method description
It is very dark. The pickup is driven slowly across the bush, the light is searching
in front and on both sides. A road is not far away. Car lights
appear on it. Immediately all pickup lights are switched off. You never know, it could be the gendarme's car. Regulations don't seem to comprehend
the bush people needs. The car is passing without noticing the pickup in the darkeness. Lights are switched on back. The pickup now enters a meadow were the bush was slashed. Small "niaouli" trees are growing back already. Behind them the hand held light discovers shining eyes everywhere. A deer flock is browsing. One deer makes a dash but the flash
light is quickly swung in front of the animal which stops
not knowing what is in the dark behind. A whispered conversation
begins between N the driver and F the shooter. F : is-it a very small one you want? N : Yes this is only for this week-end, we've got two mates coming, but this one is too small!". The light searches again among the shining eyes behind the small trees. 
A fairly big male deer is spotted. New talk, the deer is spared. It is not big enough, a very large one is required to feed the local soccer team next Sunday. Another one is examined. It is the right size for F family which is bigger than N's. Caught by the light it does not move for a while. A gentle
knock on the body signals the driver to halt. The shooter aims at the deer
quickly. One shot is enough. The car moves again, the driver places the body at the dead animal's level. They all hop from the car. The shooter press the deer's belly with his foot to empty the bladder. Next blood is drained. Then the three men load the dead deer in the body. The hunting resumes according to the food
requirements. Fifteen minutes later three deers of the required various sizes are laying down in the pickup body. Our men are driving back to the station where, within one hour, the deers will be skinned and gutted while dogs are fighting to eat the guts.
Deer killed in such way has always a tender meat because the animal has not run.
A hunter tale
Most of the times one sees only the bright eyes of the deer in the light, among the bush. A good hunter shoots the deer in between the eyes.
One of these sharpshooters told us that one night he shot, as usual, a deer in between the eyes. To his amazement, since he never miss, no deer collapses but two deers dash away. "They were side by side" he explains. "The bullet passed in between their heads. Each deer was closing one eye", and more precisely "the one of the left was closing its right eye, the one on the right did the reverse, they tricked me!". Hunting stories are often astonishing so we did not try to check whether this one was quite true.
Warning : Any newcomer in New Caledonia is strongly advised not to practice this type of hunting without local experts assistance. It is important to know well the hunting places and the gendarmes habits. It is also advisable to avoid unpleasant talks with an irate land owner.