Thread: Hunting trip - 1st Feb

Saturday 1 of Feb, planned to take a walk in the Rimutakas with a friend who was keen. Was not a usual trip which I

normally have as we left home at around 8.30am. Offcourse not a good timing as far as I have learnt about hunting

goats. I knew by the time we would actually reach the hunting location, sun would be quite up and all the animals

would be high up the step slopes.

Once at the hunting location, sure as said I spotted a mob of 10 billies on a very step terrain. Didnt take the shot

offcourse as even if luck would get the bullet through, no way would we be able to retrieve it. Just kept watching how

they grazed and moved about. I noticed that the mob had a leader who keeps watch and the group follows it around. We

spent an hour atleast watching before moving on to do some bush bashing on the lower slopes when it was quite hot

and the mob we were watching had taken cover.

We just hiked the tracks and looked at possible gullies with signs to no avail. The signs were fresh and I knew it was

the track they must have taken early in the morning. We had lunch break and had a good rest. We were waiting for the

late afternoon so that it would get bit cooler and possibly the animals would start coming back down.

It was around 5.30pm now and I was almost certain that it was indeed a bad day. That all because I was lazy to rise early

in the morning. We were just about to start our way back when a very close call got me on my toes and built excitement

out of the already tiring day we had.

One call and than all silent as before. I let out a imitating call and waited, gave another low call and waited again. I just

wanted it to call once so that I could actually figure out its direction. The first call it made was a surprise and I couldnt

make out where it came from.

tick tock tick tock and there it was. A loud close call. I figured it must be atleast in the range of 50 - 70m. I started up

a small track in the direction that the call had come from leting out slow calls myself just to get it in sight. Just as I

passed a patch of bush, i spotted it standing on a clear spot right on the top of the slop i was under. It had also spotted

me so I stood where I was and raised my rifle. Without wasting much of time to let it get away, with a bang rang the

6.55x55. I had dropped the burger with a free hand shot.

Down the slope it came rolling. The funny thing was my mate was faster in getting to me from where I took the shot

than billy that was sliding down the slope. This is coz this was my mates first hunting trip and he was much more

interested in getting some fresh meat to impress the missus for permission to come on the next trip.. LOL