Thread: Up Close / How Close

Originally Posted by zimmer

When I checked her over I couldn't find a bullet hole. I had totally missed and the muzzle blast must of stunned her.

I had a similar experience with a fallow in the Blueys. It jumped up right in front of me and I shot at the back of her head with my M1 Carbine at about 2 metres and she went down like a sack of spuds. I transferred my rifle to left hand and pulled out my knife. She jumped up and disappeared into the bush. Not a speck of blood anywhere!

It does make you wonder as I have seen a farmed red deer drop dead from a heart attack because it got a fright from a little kid in the yards, they're not the most stoic creatures so a gunshot up close is probably more than enough to at least stun them for a bit

One of the best stalks I've had resulted in a hind at less than 15 metres, head shot. And on the very same farm, I had sent my mates in various directions so was just wandering along the track away from the hut and spied a hind on the other side of the gully. Laid down, closed the bolt and very carefully shot her with an empty chamber, felt good to know I could but didn't. Then I walked back to the hut, dropped my boots and stalked her with the camera, was able to take a really nice pic at 20 metres and then watch her fawn come out and have a feed from Mum. Another day, on the same block, was blowing a howling NW gale, hot as buggery, and the cicadas were out in force, very very noisy. So decided to go for a stalk through the bush. Was able to stalk within a metre of a sow sleeping, with a couple of piglets sucking' away on Mum. Closed the bolt on my 303, put the barrel about 10cm from her neck and let rip. Well, holy shit, the place erupted, she ran about 5 metres not knowing she was dead and there were bloody piglets going nuts everywhere........good times

thats reminds me...shot a sow (also suckling)at about 10mtrs after a 250mtr stalk in open country...a couple of sheep acting goofey and looking in her direction gave her away...shot the two piglets at point blank range 12mths later.....they came home in swannie pockets and led a merry life for a year.

Hunting the Ahimanawas one roar I was sitting on a game trail in a small gully head. I gave a roar and a few minutes later a sika stag came wandering around the game trail toward me from my left with it's nose to the ground. Being left handed I couldn't turn to shoulder the rifle so I held it in one hand and waited for the stag to walk into the muzzle. Not exactly stalking but the closest encounter I have had.
Another time I was hunting the pylon track on the desert road one evening. As I got closer to a small clearing I could hear an odd noise coming from just behind the broom bush I was creeping up to. Turned out to be a Sika hind chewing on her dinner. She never heard a thing.
I really enjoy the up close stuff but you can't beat spotting an animal from distance and planning a stalk to close the gap to whatever necessary.

The dog and I stalked onto a stag beded down on a spur, the dog locked up and I was looking past the stag I wondering what the dog was locked up on then seen antlers right in front of us only 3m away.
7m on a hind with a bow.

Two instances that I recall where it was close quarters for sure . The first was when I was culling goats up Coromandel, my dog had bailed a goat way down in a dirty gully. I was next to a slip thinking shall I go down or not as the dog would have killed it by the time I got to him. I suddenly noticed movement on a trail that lead past me to the slip. having no rifle as I hunted with a dog and knife a lot in the bush. I got in behind a tree and as the goat walked past I lunged forward and drove the knife to the hilt behind it's shoulder, the goat took off, making it to the slip then sitting down and expiring. Thank Christ otherwise I would have lost me knife.

The other time I was stalking in the Kiamanawas on the Tiki Tiki side of Mt Te Iringa when I spied a small portion of deer behind a large beech tree, I was about 15 m away so began to sneak in and move further around so I could get a better look at it. After what seemed like ages I managed to move around enough without waking the deer. I could then see the vitals and shot the sleeping 8 point Sika stag at about 2-3 meters. The first and only time I have shot a sika stag sleeping.

Had a young sika stag come into a roar a few years ago. Dropped it from 3metres as it walked around a large beech tree towards me. Still remember the ' oh f#(k ' look on his face when he saw me.

As much as I like shooting out long, nothing gets the blood pumping more than an up close and personal encounter. I've shot numerous deer and goats sub 20yds, closest would have been about 10yds. The most recent being 2 weeks ago in the Tararuas, two goats broke cover at about 10yds, the marlin 45-70 sorted them out.

Great read, there have been some close encounters going on out there.

A mate of mine shot a stag in the chest basically touching with muzzle, quite an impressive entry wound...

My closest was a spiker in the Blueys at about 6m, have shot heaps under 20m.

Having a snooze up the Whakatane River.
Nice spot in the sun on a spur.
Bit tired after lilo had failed.
Sort woke with the feeling somethings watching me.
Looked between my feet.
Young hind staring at me.
Had rifle alongside.
Picked it up and shot it from the hip so to speak.
Was pretty close.

I was hunting quietly up a steep slope in the shit in the Puketois and spotted a deer leg in front of me a few yards away. I sneaked forward and grabbed it, and of course couldn't hold it and it made good its escape in one kick. Never saw what it was.
Another time we roared a stag up and it winded us and then lunged past, and my mate slapped it on the arse with his hand

Closest encounter was a non hunting one. Flatting next to Richmond park in London a while back, I used to go running in there quite a bit to keep fit. Heading into winter carried on but geez I would get spooked sometimes. Eerily quiet and only background light to run by along the trails. Sometimes low fog. Lost in thought, then all of a sudden a fox would let rip. For those that haven't heard a fox cry it's like a baby crying full noise, but kind of with a sinister tone. That'd get the heart rate going. Anyway one evening had a hind jump out of a bush and right over the track and just clearing me. Felt the rush of air across my face as she went past. Not too long after they locked up the gates at night for their annual cull of the deer herds in there. Probably a good thing for me.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I was hunting quietly up a steep slope in the shit in the Puketois and spotted a deer leg in front of me a few yards away. I sneaked forward and grabbed it, and of course couldn't hold it and it made good its escape in one kick. Never saw what it was.
Another time we roared a stag up and it winded us and then lunged past, and my mate slapped it on the arse with his hand

That reminded me of a time a while back now when we were going for a hunt early morning(still dark) and we picked up two deer in head lights of the land Rover, the brother in law jumped out and emptied his mag as the deer ran towards the head lights , I thought I best help and grabbed the old 7mm and as one deer ran past the door I spun round and dropped it a the back of the Rover the other one went up a step face and made it's escape into the native. You do get some easy ones, sometimes.

Had a hind bust out and start heading away then turned around and run straight at me then hit the brakes and i shot her less then a metre from the end of my barrel
Got a stag from about 7m after hearing it munching its dinner then seeing antler in the grass
Both up the kaimais
Got 2 goats at 2m after I ambushed them on a track they were using through gorse. The 870 12g did a good job of stopping them on the spot