I’m just an average hunter. But I’ve learned a few things over the last 50 years of hunting deer. The last three hunts over consecutive weekends have illustrated that I have managed to retain at least a bit information from over the years. So I will share how I planned the hunts and what I did.
The first hunt was Anniversary Saturday. I have learned that after every southerly there is a nice calm eye of good weather in behind it. So I timed the hunt for that. I also know that stags feed up at this time of the year, so I targeted a good feed area next to good cover. I was there at first light, having walked in in the dark. Because I know the area, I hunted according to the wind. Because I’m meticulous about sighting in, practice and ranging, the shot I took at 350 yards was relatively simple. I hade closed the distance on the spiker from 550yd (I had glassed for an hour before I saw him and his mate in the open scrubby feed area…they had been there all the time…patience is a virtue). I found a good rest in the bush over a log, and used my pack on top of it for a molded shooting platform. I would rather take a longer shot with a good rest, than a closer one with a poor rest)
At first, I thought they were a hind and a spiker. So when at my shooting log I could only see a spiker I assumed the hind (who looked a bit edgy) had departed. After the shot, I saw a spiker depart the scene, and thought “bugger, I missed”. But I knew better than to walk away and stick to my assumption, so I took the dog over for a look. Sure enough, she found a dead spiker. So the second one was a spiker, not a hind. Always check out your assumptions.
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I have also done the leg work in sussing out a variety of places to hunt. So I can hunt different places according to the seasons. Where the deer are now, for instance, is seldom where they are during the roar. These are both public and private blocks. I never pay for hunting, and I never give cockies’ gifts. I’m either allowed on the property or not.
Two days later, Brian and I were at a different spot. It was a sou-easter and perfect for where we were going. Deer like to come out of the bush onto the feed areas into breeze (not a strong wind). If the grass is moist, even better. They like dressing on their salad. There was an ever so slight drizzle. Perfect. 9 deer came out, and we shot one.
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Last night, same place. Different spot. I wanted to have a go for a stag. This meant I needed to find a safe area for them and some tucker. So I chose a bush block with patches of grass. Secluded. I moved in quite close, because it was likely a stag would come out later than the meat animals from the last two trips. Right on dark 2 stags walked into a clearing. My ‘scope was on 6 power rather 12, because the lower power gather more light.
One was an 8, and the other a spindly spiker sort of thing. The 8 was nice with potential, so I lined up the spindly one. I aimed in behind the shoulder because its softer there, and I only had the .243. I was laying down with a bipod and pack under the butt. It was easy. The stag ran, like they do with lung shots. He was dead 80 yards away.
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