Thread: Stags shot 2017

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

Well got up at sparrows fart this morning plan was to look for the big boy wind was not ideal so initially hatched an in-between plan I started getting into the zone of where he hangs out & started glassing I spotted a couple of hinds then I saw a stag appear (outside of what I figered was his ground & around 1 k away) I could see his antlers but it was hard to tell what it was like being only semi light & dark fern behind him I expected it wouldn't be him but needed to check so off I went , sure enough he a was a young 10 not good enough to disturb the area so I back tracked leaving then to it & revaluated the wind which had picked up quite a bit , I decided to head way south & swing around to approach as best I could but it would take me a good couple of k,s to get there & some new country to explore inbetween , well I couldn't believe my luck not long after I parked the bike up & headed into the scrub I heard a stag roar & not far away we exchanged roars for 15 minuets I was trying to coax him onto a small tussock clearing but by this stage he was backing off pretty quickly so I figered he was a young stag or he had hinds so I put the pace on to catch him up not long after I saw movement , was this the roaring stag
Attachment 66430

Supected not as lots of sign around so carried on for another 100 meters pushing through the scrub I came to a more open gully immediately I spotted 3 hinds & below them was a big dark stag I quickly looked at him through the bino,s nice long timber even had the through backs 12pt minimum 200 meters away I quickly looked for a rest so grabbing a handful of Manuka I bent it over & put the gun on top the wind was gusty & blowing the manuka I was resting on I waited & waited I believe the stag may have been looking at the spiker I had spooked earlier as he kept looking over his shoulder & after the last episode of me watching a good stag walk off I wasn't going to let that happen again wind dropped a little , boom ...poleaxed he basically lurched forward & fell into the scrub I quickly moved forward 20 meters & stripped a small manuka to get a better rest & watch for 5 minutes incase he got up by this stage there was hinds bounding all over the show but aside from the odd bit of movement from the stag ( could only see scrub moving) which I took for death throws I couldn't believe my luck so I quickly took note of a couple of bushes to give some bearing of where he fell & headed over I always get on the higher side rather than the lower when approaching animals & quietly started scanning down below ...nothing I looked for 15 minutes wondering if I was in the rite spot going high & low then I heard some crashing I chased that for 20 meters saw nothing but figured it must have been a fawn that I had seen earlyer so went back searched for 15 I could not find 1 single drop of blood but bugger me when I got to the end of the search zone more crashing from ruffly the same place this time I chased it up following the noise till it stopped which was a more open gut I couldn't see any movement at all. the scrub/flax/gorse in places be 1.5m high its pretty thick what was it I don't no , I left with no stag im totally stumped maybe iv simply walked past him , maybe the crashing was him.all I no is boom flop no stag il be back up there tomorrow with more eyes & a couple of dogs...sad story I no but it happens figered id post it

Don't give up the search brother. It's happened to me before too, with a Sika. Blood trail just stopped...no stag ANYWHERE. Still convinced he was dead and close, but we never found him.


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