2 for 1

I went for an overnighter on Sunday into the Haurangis.

Long story short I saw a few animals, and shot a couple of deer.

I had an early start on the Monday morning and headed up a creek in the dark with my headlamp intent of getting opposite a big grassy slip by sunrise. I made it in plenty of time, but nothing was on it so I crossed the creek and headed up the side of the slip for the top. That took an hour, and once on the top I picked my way along a main ridge glassing when I could, and hunting gully heads when I couldn't.

I had just got around the top of this big gully (pic) when I glassed back and spotted a deer in the direction I had come from.

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The range finder told me it was 246 yards so I glassed it for a while, decided that it was definitely made of yummy meat, and settled in for a shot. I had my 270wsm. At the shot the deer poleaxed, but another one (a hind) appeared looking to be acting pretty strangely by leaping around but thinking nothing of it I fired a quick shot at her too. She disappeared. Maybe got 2 I thought to myself.

Where the first deer was standing when I fired at it(circle).
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So Tilly and I backtracked and cut down the ridge to where they were and soon enough we found the first one. But no 2nd one, so I sent Tilly off and seconds later I heard her scruffing something up. It was a very much alive hind, but with damaged back wheels. So I dispatched her with a neck shot and had a closer look to see what had happened. No bullet hole, but a couple of fragment marks on her hip and spine. It turned out that a couple of petals from the Hammer Hunter projectile had sliced through the yearling and into Mum (they are designed to shed like that).

Here's where the petals hit (arrow on the hind, and the bit of blood by the knife).
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What I thought had happened was confirmed when I skinned back the legs and hip and found the slice marks from the petals. I found a petal too when boning her out. I had obviously missed with my hurried 2nd shot.

Here's the yearling.
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Meat hanging off the bone cooling.
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A pack full of meat ready for the trip back to camp (pic). These packs have nylon frames and can take various sorts of pack bags. I have a small pack on mine so there is room for a good load under the meat sleeve. They are very versatile and the pack bag can come off so I can use the whole frame for meat and then attach the pack bag over that. Or use the pack bag by itself without the frame. Made by Outdoorsman in the States (but quite speedy now)
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That afternoon I headed in a different direction, saw 4 deer but let them be.

Quite an interesting trip. Ive shot 2 pigs before with one shot (it was on purpose) but never 2 deer. Had to wait 71 years to do that.

That last day was quite a big one for an old bugger. My 'phone said I walked 10.9 km, and even today (Wednesday) my body still believes it.

An enjoyable read.

I did a 2-for-1 last time out on the farm. I was despatched by the farmer to go and hunt some fallow for use as sweeteners in some grazing scheme he was cooking up. “Three or four, all does, you know how”, which means all headshot. Mandatory. So I took my laser beam Tikka SuperVarmint which was zero-ed for the 64gr Nosler Bonded Solid Base.

It was a good fun, very challenging as the fallow are as skittish as hell. The last doe I shot was stood in the bottom of a gully looking up towards me, hiding in manuka. It’d just shot two over the other side of the gully and she was wondering what to do next. I had a perfect shot, downhill quite steeply, and cleaned her up. She was the last animal I got to for recovery, and I was amazed to find a fat, brown, dead yearling beside her, shot clean through the top of the head. Simply couldn’t see it due to the gradient and the light, he would have been standing behind his mum. The lads back at the shed didn’t believe me, the only evidence I had was four empty cases in my pocket, for five deer!

I was very glad for the Noslers BSBs in that moment.

Nice work :cool:

Correction (typo): Those packs are quite "spendy" now, not "speedy". I'm never speedy.

[QUOTEnot "speedy". I'm never speedy.[/QUOTE]

There's a story about that way back in the dream time

Good effort BC ,5 of those ks with a heavy pack would be hard on the old body.Enjoy yr veni.

A mate dropped a whitetail but had to finish it off with his knife.

Couldn’t find any bullet hole but on skinning it we found a piece of lead the size of a slug gun pellet had gone downwards between two vertebrae just forward of the shoulder-blades.
On reconstructing his shot it turns out when he fired his 243 the bullet snicked the underneath of a fallen tree that was above and nearer to him (he was looking through a very wet scope on a very wet day) and the bullet disintegrated with a fragment going downwards into the deer.

Tahr you are a bloody inspiration mate.

Always love reading your yarns, shit if I am carrying loads like that about when I am your age I will be one happy fella.

Good on you for the share amount of time you spend out there doing it [emoji106]

As I said you are a bloody inspiration.

Cheers [emoji481]

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Sounds like a tough but rewarding time on the hill. One thing is for sure it keeps you going even if you need a few days to recover. Well Done.

Big day on the hill, that’s for sure. Well done sir & thanks for sharing

Good stuff Tahr. Two for one is definitely a bonus.

plurry Tilly had to do the work AGAIN......geeez you are lucky to have such a faithful hound to look after you bud.
my bro in law got 2 chammy with single round from my .270win using 110grn barnes at about 150yards.
I took brains out of two goats at about 30 yards many years ago leaning on top of dog kennel.....didnt have to carry dog tucker far that day.
you must be really fit being able to carry loads like that....yip inspirational.
that nettle beside yearling looks naaaasty...hope Tilly knows to keep away from it??? human antihistamine tablets will save dog hit with the stuff.

About 25yrs ago up the Macauly river, had an uphill shot at a mob of Tahr crossing the scree 400yds above me, punched clean through the shoulders of the nanny I aimed at, and punched into the chest of the nanny beyond, two dead Tahr within a meter of each other, 300 Weatherby pushing a bc less veritable brick: 165 Sierra Gameking hp.

Good on you. Hope I'm still knocking them over at 71. He'll, I'd be happy with just one.:thumbsup:

Good to see out of your paddock Tahr , looks like a solid effort.