North Canterbury day hunt.

My wife and I decided it was time for a couple of days exploring and hunting so set off south for the Hurunui district. Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball and we only managed one day out hunting, but it turned out to be an interesting one. 14 deer seen and a scrubby 6 point donkey shot for salamis.
Big ears where he fell.
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Less than a minute after I shot him, and before we got to where he lay, we noticed some antlers coming over the spur we were approaching. A spiker and nice young 11 pointer made their way into the gully. We quickly took cover and spent the next 45 minutes watching them and taking photos.
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It was especially interesting to see their reaction when they came across their recently deceased mate. Eventually I stood up (in full view at about 60m) and they decided the next valley was a better place to be.
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Bush Pig goes for a walk in the big country.
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And a couple of photos of some of the other deer we saw.
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Great stuff [emoji106] Looks like better weather than we have had up here lately mate [emoji41]

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great effort...good to hear your good lady gets out there with you.

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Originally Posted by kukuwai

Great stuff [emoji106] Looks like better weather than we have had up here lately mate [emoji41]

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It was only for the one day (Saturday) and that was a -4 degree frost. The rest of the trip was pretty wet.

At least unlike me you saw some. Its raining up there tonight

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

At least unlike me you saw some. Its raining up there tonight

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Right place, right time yesterday. Raining at home now too.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

At least unlike me you saw some. Its raining up there tonight

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Right place, right time yesterday. Raining at home now too.

Cracker day out alright, nice to be able to select what you want.

It’s always a joy to watch deer undisturbed in their natural habitat. Looks like a great day on the hill

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

It’s always a joy to watch deer undisturbed in their natural habitat. Looks like a great day on the hill

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For sure. Watching those stags come and check out the body of their dead mate was especially interesting as they didn't seem as concerned about it as I would have expected. More curious. At one stage, when the 11 pointer was about 10m from the carcass the dead dear rolled a couple of meters down the hill and gave it a hell of a fright as at that stage I don't think it could see what it was. Eventually it walked up to within a meter or so and then just hung around.
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Nice one @Shearer, that spiker in photo #2 looks in good nic and almost looks bigger than the stag

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Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

Nice one @Shearer, that spiker in photo #2 looks in good nic and almost looks bigger than the stag

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Yeah. You are right. He was a big boy and the most nervous of the three. Hopefully he will live to grow some big antlers.

Well done, that 11 looks pretty young too.

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Originally Posted by outdoorlad

Well done, that 11 looks pretty young too.

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Yeah. I think the 6 I shot was older.

Nice photos,i could watch deer all day in the wild.

That 11 will be a real beauty if he's left alone for a couple years

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Originally Posted by Shearer

For sure. Watching those stags come and check out the body of their dead mate was especially interesting as they didn't seem as concerned about it as I would have expected. More curious. At one stage, when the 11 pointer was about 10m from the carcass the dead dear rolled a couple of meters down the hill and gave it a hell of a fright as at that stage I don't think it could see what it was. Eventually it walked up to within a meter or so and then just hung around.
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Great work and loved the photos.

I recall a similar experience with deer taking the loss of a mate in their stride .. which really suprised me.
Laying in ambush at last light I saw three fallow bucks emerge from the bush to graze a clearing.
I shot one and his two mates, off course, took off. I undertook some of the butchery, but it being dark (and a cool evening) I decided to leave the rest for the morning.

I went back just after sun up to finish the job and found his two mates had returned and were grazing within 30 of his dismembered body.
I would of thought that witnessing their mate get shot and finding him hacked to pieces would have been enough to scare them off for days if not weeks.
They can't be as prone to PTSD as us humans ...but they would benefit from a bit more anxiety or caution in my opinion.

Really neat photos, I enjoy watching deer as well!