Thread: Back in the hills after a couple of months off

Haven't been in the hills for a couple of months due to ute being written off, offshore work, ducks and poor weather. The forecast was looking good for a few days, so loaded a "lightweght winter pack" with enough gear for a couple of nights and set off on Saturday morning. Last thing the wife said was "no more venison, the freezer is full. But we can always make room for bacon". Anyway, off I went.

Hard frost on the hill and some patchy snow in the shady bits. Climbed to the bush line to find plenty of pig rooting, but all a few days old. Stalked around the bush edge for a while following some fresh deer print in the snow and dirt. Eventually continued to climb to the ridge I was to glass from. Saw the first few Tahr about 1.5km away and watched them climbing over the outcrops. Then a couple of hinds and a spiker on a clearing in the next valley over, within shooting range, but the comments from the wife were still in my head at that stage. A couple more Tahr spotted, nothing to write home about. Climbed a bit higher and around a peak to get a little viewing area.

Cup of tea on my homemade redbull can cooker at 1500m(attitude testing). This cooker weighs about 8g and it all fits in my stainless steel cup, including the windshield.

It was getting on in the afternoon and thought I should start to find a place to bed down for the night near the bush line. So slowly made my way down off the ridge, while stopping to glass the bush edge on the way. Filled the water bottle from a small stream and continued down. The day was starting to cool off at this point

As I approached the bush, I spotted the back of an animal walk behind a tree. Through my glove off the trigger hand. Waited until I saw it again between the next lot of trees, sure enough, a nice spiker trotting along(I my have spooked him a little). I worked the action of the 270WSM and took a knee, as he come in the next big gap in the trees, I touched off the off into his chest. It looked and sounds great.

Picked up my glove and made my way down to him. Sure enough, double lung with the 150gr berger from somewhere between 80-100 meters. Pretty clean exist, as expected at that range with a bullet doing "fast enough"!

Time to make a decision, gut him and hang him, to pick up later the following day. Or, bone him out and head pack home. All the while trying to think of a story for the wife about how a deer jumped in front of the pig I was trying to shoot????

Anyway, boned out shoulders, neck meat and back steaks filled the rest of my pack and tied the hind legs to the outside. It was will and truly dark by this point, started the down hill walk to the ute. About 2.5-3 hours later, I got back to the road end. A quick cook up of some food and drove home.

A few photos:



The new cooker - the only cooker I took on the trip


3 Deer on the clearing blow




Getting cold on the way down