ANZAC weekend fallow

So I decided late last week to head out and look for a deer over the long weekend. There's a block which I've scouted out a couple of times and found some sign although never actually seen deer there. But given that the hills were probably going to be busy elsewhere, I figured it was worth a gamble.

Overestimating the amount of time I needed, I left home at 2am. When I parked up, with -2c reading on the dash, I got moving straight away. It immediately became clear that the big roast dinner I'd had just a few hours earlier was a mistake and was certainly slowing me down. Add in the cold and the wind and I was starting to second guess my choice to come out. I decided to avoid the big climb as I really wasn't sure I'd have the will to drag myself up there, and in stead I headed towards a grassy clearing lower down (and out of the wind!) that I'd wanted to to watch at sunrise one day. This cut my hike short meaning I was far too early, so I stopped before the clearing and laid down against the hillside to catch some extra sleep.

About 40 mins later, numbed through, and with light just starting to appear on the horizon, I was rudely awoken by a wallaby which had practically stumbled into me... and promptly shat itself, diving off down into the bush, making as much noise as it could. My clearing was still 10 mins further on from my impromptu bedding spot - the idea being the swirling wind would hopefully not carry my scent that far - plus the final walk might promote some blood circulation after having powered down in subzero temps with no fart sack.

I made my way to where I could overlook the clearing from 350m. I waited... and waited... and waited... and waited... and got bored... and got cold again... and saw nothing down there. But with enough light to start looking elsewhere, I began scanning the hills off up into the distance and bingo - two fallow at 600m in open tussock. Sadly they were on the wrong side of the block's boundary, but it gave me hope that there might be more further up. This gave me the motivation I needed to get up the hill like I had originally planned, and I began cutting up from my current position. About half way up, and able to see back along the track leading in, I looked down to see two other hunters making their way in which spurred me along.

Finally reached the spot and got the binos out again. It didn't take long to pick up two more fallow, again in open tussock, but unfortunately they were a long way off. 1km line of sight, and about a 3km of utter shit to get around to them. Not only that but a vehicle appeared on the skyline above them shortly after. Too much effort and risk for little chance of reward. Feeling a bit dejected, I decided to focus on the country that was within range and see if anything moved although the wind was picking up massively so getting a good shot was going to be tricky. I watched some wallabies for a while - all in sheltered little nooks enjoying the rising sun - but it was all dense country below me - not the open tussock like the fallow seemed to be favouring further away, so after about 90 minutes of no deer, I decided that the wallabies were probably all that was there and were fair game. Let's bowl some over and pull the pin on this stupidity...

I get set up on some rocks covered in that thick plushy moss and get lined up on the first sunbather at 500m exactly. I took my sweet time to get 100% settled (procrastinating in the hopes of seeing a last minuite deer perhaps??) and waited for the wind to drop before squeezing off Miss. I saw the splash and wind that I couldn't feel out from me in the dead ground had obviously carried my round off. Oh well. 10 minutes later, there was another wallaby. 520m this time. Up another couple fo clicks and repeat - this time holding for wind. A resounding thwock comes back to me and I see the wallaby pinned dead against the hillside. I switch back to the binos for a second look and with the much wider field of view this time, in the edge of the binos, there's a deer! A jet black fallow has stood up barely 25m to the side from the recently deceased. I switch back to the rifle as quick as I can and line up on her. I nearly fired right then but at the last second I noticed a distinct abscence of wind - in the 20 seconds since I last fired, the air seems to have gone calm. Do I repeat the first shot and get caught out, or do I hold for wind like the second and perhaps overdo it? I decide to split the difference. and squeeze off again. I don't see the impact this time but the thwock coming back confirms the bullet connected. I grab the binos to watch the fallow tumble and slide down and out of sight into the void below.

Buzzing, I snap a quick picture on my phone for landmarks before reality sets in. I've got to drop down 250m, rockhop along a stream, then find the deer somewhere up on the other side. Theres a few waterfalls and the sides are steep, so it takes me about an hour to get down and climb around to what feels like the right place. As I'm checking the photo trying to find my bearings, I catch a lovely whiff of deer and what do you know... I'm stood at the top of a line of flattened ferns which I follow down, finding the deer hung up by a leg on a well placed tree about 20m below. I'm forced to rather unceremoniously dislodge her and help her crash down the last 50m to the stream. Once down, I get to have a proper look and the bullet's hit the top of the right shoulder, clipped a vertibra on the way down, taken out the heart, and the lungs, and left a nice exit on the lower left. Happy at a very clean kill at least, I take a moment to appreciate the deer's life and apologise for the manhandling, before getting to work butchering.

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The climb back out and around proves to be hard work. I initially wanted to follow the stream down and out but this quickly becomes too dangerous so I end up clambering back up to where I fired from via a different route. Both hands are needed to grab branches and pull myself up in places - but the rifle barrel is getting snagged on everything - so it's slow going. Eventually I get back up top, pretty well spent at this point, so I make a quick phone call to the Mrs to share the success and catch my breath before heading to the nearest track that will take me back to the car (which is fortunately all downhill from here). Back to civilisation for a KFC and just about made it home before dark!

great stuff...enjoy your venison,you sure as shite earned it.

Great day out and a load of meat for the freezer, well done.

Good job. Sounds well earned.

Cheers. I've certainly had easier deer before!

Great stuff mate - always nice to get onto deer in a new area! Sounds like you earned it too

Open tussock ,roos and fallow make for good hunting.Enjoy yr well earned venison.