Thread: First ever deer hunt....

Go easy on me guys, this was my first ever un-guided hunt.......solo, so 'the boss' didnt want me to 'go bush' alone......STILL CANT UPLOAD PICS...GRRRRRRR

As I went to a ‘deer farm’ for my first ‘kill’, I don’t really consider that as a ‘hunt’….i mean, lets get real, they were fenced in FFS!!!!!

So I decided to go on my first ‘real’ hunt at the weekend, as im a complete novice, I thought I would go for open tussock and not ‘bush’ for safety reasons!!!
Being on my own, i still took my PLB and usual safety stuff, bright ‘blaze orange’ hat and vest…..

Left after work Friday night for the 4 hour drive down to Tongariro park, got there and climbed into my ‘scratcher’ bag in the back of my X-trail…..
FFS, half an hour later a DOC officer is banging on my window with a torch saying I’m not allowed to ‘car camp’….

Moved to the hotel (Skotel) car park further down the road, im in a deep sleep, same thing happens again! 1-30 in the fukn morning, different guy!!!!!
So I now have to drive to ‘National park’ village, found a quiet, dark backstreet and finally got my head down…..

Alarm went off at 5-30, just wanted to stay in my bag, it was fukn freezing!!!!!...got up, made a cuppa, had some grub and im finally off….

Got to trail head, head torch on, pack on, checked I had my bolt & ammo in my back pack and im away, about an hour in and I find a big ‘slip’ on my left
Just where I need to go, (I had prepped my hunting location beforehand) this would be ideal……felt good, wind was on my nose, perfect, got no further than
20-30 meters, when I saw my first hoof print (there were to be many!) looked ‘fresh as’ to me (?) edges nice & sharp, mud inside darker colour that the ground
Around it, head torch off, as quite as I could be, bolt in, put 3 rnds in the mag box (takes 4) and closed the bolt on an empty chamber for safety reasons……

Stalked up the slip like a fukn deranged ninja, trying not to laugh at myself…….got to near the top of the slip, dropped my backpack and crept to the top so I
would not silhouette myself, chambered a round and……….fuk all!!!!!! Gave out a ‘roar’ with my ‘roaring horn’ (top off a traffic cone?) no response…..
Carried on to the next ridge (there were to be many!) same result, and the next & so on……

finally came to this high volcanic lava flow ridge overlooking a small forest with a steam along it, great ‘kill zone’ thought I (WTF am I on about?) set up my bang stick
and sat it out, ‘glassed’ the fringe of the bush line with my bino’s, after dropping down about 10 metres so I could not be seen on the ridgeline….

so to cap it all off I had a big long walk through fantastic scenery, didn’t
see one deer the whole day, they were probably all around me laughing!!!!!.....but we all have to start somewhere, must have fell over about 6-7 times, its incredible
where a rifle bolt handle can lodge itself!!!!!! Will just keep going till I finally get one….after all, its called ‘deer hunting’ NOT ‘deer shooting’……

will be back in soon, with a mate, so we will hit the 'bush' this time!!!!!!!

Enjoyed that read Scouser,better luck next time

Good on you for being in amongst it Scouser. Too bad about the disturbed sleep.

Well done mate,keep trying if there is prints there must be deer.

Good luck on your next hunt. So you can't sleep in your car in the doc car park but can park your car there and sleep out in the doc block?

As regards the DOC officer, there was just no reasoning with him, i was the only one there, i explained what my plan was, that i would be away at 'sparrows fart' but
he was adamant, same with the fella at the hotel car park.....i was trying to sleep, not having a 'party' or anything, both places off the road in a quiet dark corner....

oh well, i know for next time, bring curtains....LOL

Toby, yes is the answer.....

Originally Posted by Toby

So you can't sleep in your car in the doc car park but can park your car there and sleep out in the doc block?

Yep the logic (if there is any) is perverse at best Toby.

Cheers for sharing Scouser!

I remember my first hunt...
Got to the track and my map was outdated, they'd changed the name of the track I wanted to walk and there was another track that wasn't even marked! (LINZ, you should feel ashamed). Crawled through supplejack, fell over, got lost, got wet, fell over again (and again), wished id not gone alone, still lost, pulled the plug and headed north for the track, got home, had a beer in the shower to clean the greenery out of my ears.

Turns out the clearing I was headed for wasn't where I thought it was...

Haha lots of great memories!

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk 2

Good on ya Scouser - sounds like my early efforts

"And needs must that the true path is narrow and hard, for if it was broad and smooth every motherfucker and their mate would be on it"

Keep at it

Originally Posted by Rushy

Good on you for being in amongst it Scouser. Too bad about the disturbed sleep.

Yeah Rushy, i was running on empty after 10 hours out on the hill, slept like a log after that!!!!!!

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Well done mate,keep trying if there is prints there must be deer.

True VC, either that or the devil has taken up 'line dancing'........

Originally Posted by 308

Good on ya Scouser - sounds like my early efforts

"And needs must that the true path is narrow and hard, for if it was broad and smooth every motherfucker and their mate would be on it"

Keep at it

Cheers 308, im in for the long haul, its not some 'bucket list' thing!!!!!!

Good effort mate, keep going like that and your first wild deer won't be too far away!

Scouser, I have been meaning to ask how you found the time to get out as I thought you were full on tied up for 12 weeks.

Originally Posted by Rushy

Scouser, I have been meaning to ask how you found the time to get out as I thought you were full on tied up for 12 weeks.

I am Rushy, trying to balance my 'home life' with hunting, boozing, tramping....Duck season starts next month, trying to keep 'the boss' happy as!