Hey all,
Just thought I'd share my awesome evening on the forum. My son and I have been working on the bow hunting for about a year now but it's just been limited to small game. My boy takes himself out into the neighbours paddocks and has claimed about 4 bunnies in total which I've done up in the pot. He's full of buck fever though and has been on my case about taking him out for the grand deer hunt (sigh).
Turns out a family member was having problems on his small private block so I went up and had a look and saw this youngish fella in the gully. More correctly, my son saw it first (so it was "his deer" ):
It was one of those moments where you realise "taking the rifle for a walk" is a legitimate activity. So we watched him bound off and went back that evening, but no show.
Took him up again tonight while the sun was still hanging and again the cheeky bugger spotted old matey in the distance before the old man... He had seen us too but a good breeze was blowing in our favour. Then we saw the hind with the stag. Losing light quickly, I told Taylor to sit tight on the hill and I would call him forward. I closed the gap to 60m but couldn't see them. The wind was blustering around me now and I thought they'd be well on to me but I was hopeful and swung around the left and up a small gully to where they would have been. There he was, shoulders out the front of a bush, head dipping low to see me. I almost took the shot but double checked the target. It was a private block but you never know if others are having a sniff. There he was again, chest in the open, eyes, nose, BANG! took him in the base of the neck just clear of the shoulder, with the left shoulder catching the exiting 7.62x39.
Then his mate popped her head out for a look before bolting. Quick chase saw her disappear over the top of the hill.
Went back and got Taylor from a couple hundy metres back and brought him forward and had him locate the deer. He was just over the moon (so was I!) so I took him through gutting it and got him to give me a hand to do it where it lay. Decent beast and was about at my carry limits. Got it down to the access track and then went to get the Toymota to save another half k carry. I must have pissed someone off today cos the clouds opened up and I got to the carcass. It was a clay track. I was f*cked. So called the wife and, bless her she loves her venison so came picked me up. The young fella did his best and carried the ruger and his bow while I muttoned it out with my first fallow.
We're in the dog box a bit cos he hadn't done his homework before I took him out and now the wife's car stinks of feral, haha. Small price to pay for the first deer with my boy. Of course, he had a bit of a pose with the rifle before we got to work...
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