Thread: Stags and Bucks 2025

Real quick measure on length has him at roughly 26.5”. He’s lacking some overall length and width and really should have been left to try grow another year or two. Two more years he would have been a sika show stag. He had a big body and I guessed him slightly older from distance before the shot so my mistake. Ahwell, he’s dead now - still stoked with him.

Shot this stunning pre-roar stag last Friday. After 17.5km and 1500 vertical meters in the tops the day before, I came back to the hut down in the valley. I woke up early and went for a walk to a clearing on the bush edge when this guy stepped out following a couple of hinds. I was very surprised to see a deer of this quality down there as I'd only seen small deer there for the last year or so.

(by the way I have a question about euro mount sealing products on this thread if anyone has any tips - thanks! https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....7/#post1666109)

After purchasing my first magnum - 300 win mag 18 months ago, agonising over load dev to get an accurate load to meet expectation and a lot of practice at the range at distance, took the rifle up into the kawekas and got my first sika stag at 613 yds - stoked!

Originally Posted by Springy

Shot this stunning pre-roar stag last Friday. After 17.5km and 1500 vertical meters in the tops the day before, I came back to the hut down in the valley. I woke up early and went for a walk to a clearing on the bush edge when this guy stepped out following a couple of hinds. I was very surprised to see a deer of this quality down there as I'd only seen small deer there for the last year or so.

(by the way I have a question about euro mount sealing products on this thread if anyone has any tips - thanks! https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....7/#post1666109)

Attachment 270663

Great stag, congrats