Thread: BBB & Meat Stacking

BBB = Brian's Big Bugger

Brian and I had an over nighter on the Wairarapa coast last week. We hadn't been there for a year although we had talked about it a lot but just hadn't got around to it and were preferring to wait until the antiers were hard. It also turned out to be my dog Tilly's last hunt, but more on that later.

There is a nice old rustic hut out the back which is seldom used and that we can get a quad to, so loaded up with gear and a dog each we headed out from the road end at about 12.30pm. It was very hot but being young and keen by 2pm we were unpacked and heading out for our first hunt (40 mins ride on the quads from the hut). By 3pm we were seeing deer, but as is common with the block we were seeing hinds and fawns which were off our agenda.

At about 4pm Brian saw a stag trot across a clearing and disappear and then 15 minutes later I spotted him again moving around in the bush and feeding. About 300 yards away. He looked like an 8 but it was hard to tell. I took some pics and then Brian set up for a shot.



This is where our boyish enthusiasm kicked in and our experience went out the window. While Brian was setting up for the shot with his 300 mag it laid down and was partly obscured by what I though was light brush but was actually a tree top. Anyway, badly encouraged by me, Brian took the shot with the inevitable result.

Here's the awful saga. I fess up, I should have shut the F up. But in my defence Brian's hearing aids were playing up so we were having two different conversations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZRnKXMeN9k

Still, Brian needed to go and have a look for a hit so off he trudged and I stayed back to direct on the radio. Its tricky country. Brian couldn't find the tiny spot the deer was on and after a lot of stuffing around I spotted him way up the wrong creek. It turned out that 2 creeks joined into the main one at the same spot so the mistake was understandable. With a bit of a re-direction he was at the spot 30 mins later, but no cigar.

So we buggered off for the rest of the evening on our own. We both saw a few but all hinds and their children. I had left Tilly at the hut because she was looking a bit wobbly in the hq, a problem she has had for a while that has been getting worse.

We were up at 5am the next morning and went our seperate ways. I took Tilly. As soon as I started hunting I could tell that she wasn't right and that I shouldn't have brought her, inspite of a dose of anti inflammatory meds. Anyway she tottered along in the dark with me and as it got light I saw another hind and fawn, and then another 3 that winded us - bolting across a face but I couldn't make out the sex of. By now Tilly was very wobbly (we had walked a few KM) and she wasn't good. Collapsing in the hq and unable to walk. So I had to pick her up and put over my shoulders and carry her. At one stage while having a break I spotted a hind and fawn tat I got a pick of.



So on I went, carrying Tilly. It took and hour to get back to the quad at about 9am. She was by now completely immobile, but calm and didn't seem to be in pain. About half way back to the hut while I was opening a gate I glanced down the hill and there was a young 2 yr hind standing in the scrub staring up at me. About 140 yards. So she copped a 124 gr Hammer from the PRC. I clipped Tilly to the fence and went down on the quad to get the deer - a real easy one.

I got the quad right to it and while I was getting ready to deal to it thre was beautiful Tilly coming down the track. She had slipped her collar and she was dragging her paralysed legs behind her using her front legs. God it was sad. I cried. Im crying now.

Here's the deer with Tilly sitting in a wet patch in the back ground. She couldn't get any further. It was very likely Tilly's last deer with me. #252



I got back to the hut at 1pm, and by 2.30pm I was getting a bit worried that Brian hadn't turned up - but at 3pm I heard his quad coming. It came into view with a good head tied on the front.

Brian recounted the story to me that he had spotted it at 410 yards and couldn't get closer (its a bugger of a place for that). He didn't really take a great amount of notice of the head - it was a stag and it was going down He hit it fair in the shoulder and after a trot it fell over and looked dead. But as he set off to get it it jumped up and just stood there, so it copped another one at 200 yards that fixed it for good. It was an awful carry for Brian but he lugged out the head and most of the meat. Its wasn't until I got the tape out and measured it at 38" long that he realised he had shot a real good 12.

Brian's pic.




thing.

At 5pm after a nanna nap we were off again (leaving Tilly, who wasn't happy about it, but still paralysed in the hq). In seperate directions. Brian saw a couple but didn't shoot anything.

At about 6pm I spotted a 9 point stag but it was coming in and out of view in the scrub at 280 yards. I set my rifle up and kept glassing and suddenly I could see its shoulder and neck clearly, so I jumped in behind the gun and carefully sent one. "Whop" meant a good hit, and I could see its arse laying in the scrub. Cool.

As I said, this is steep country so it took me about an our to get around the basin and down the ridge to where it was. Imagine my surprise wan I eased in to look at my "trophy" to see this





It seems that my stag had a mate with him, which I had shot. Oh well, it wasn't all bad because this is the ridge I had to carry it. Pic taken from when I got to the top. I shot the deer down at the bottom of the ridge.



Those 124 grn Hammers' make a good exit hole.


I had kept in touch with Brian and seeming I was back at my quad at 7.45pm he packed it in and came and met me and we rode back to the hut together.

We packed up in the dark with Brian well loaded up because I needed room on my bike to hold onto the immobile Tilly.



An hour later, and after a slow and careful ride for me with Tilly, we were loaded and ready to head for home.



I was home at about 12.30am and had to carry Tilly up the 45 steps and got her settled into her bean bag. She seemed happy enough but immobile.

First thing the next day (yesterday) I got her to the vet, and not good news. She has a couple of collapsed disks and pressure on the spine, plus other age related skeletal things like arthritis. She is in a sling and the vets are trying to get her mobile, her bladder working, and moving. The prognosis is not good. The best outcome is that she will get mobile and pain free and spend her last days in the back yard being loved until it recurs. She will never go hunting again. The worst prognosis is that this is the end of the line for my 13 year old faithful friend. We will know tomorrow.

So a bitter sweet trip. I was wrapped for Brian getting the head. And devastated that my beautiful Tilly's fine hunting life has come to an end.

Sorry Tahr, can’t like that
Big heart on the dog of yours
All the best.

Sorry to hear about your dog Tahr. On the bright side from reading your stories it sounds like she has had a life a lot of dogs can only dream about.

Ive got my fingers crossed for both Tilly and you Tahr.

All the best

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So sorry to hear tahr never good when our best buds get like this been through it not long ago with my main heading dog

Very sad to hear about Tilly but you have had some wonderful adventures together. 252 deer together is a great innings.
Congrats to Brian too. Very nice head.

Originally Posted by Shearer

Very sad to hear about Tilly but you have had some wonderful adventures together. 252 deer together is a great innings.
Congrats to Brian too. Very nice head.

Thanks.
Yes, the Tilly problem shouldn't detract from Brian's trophy - and what Brian can achieve when he gets me out of his hair. It was a great 2 days really.

That's the worst news you could have, a faithful friend she has always been. I to have fingers crossed for you and Tilly hoping at least she can still move around pain free in her retirement.
Well done to Brian that is a very nice stag. Hope all goes well.

What a story @Tahr bloody heartbreaking about Tilly but as others have said she has lived a dream life for a hunting dog and it speaks volumes of her love for you and hunting that she slipped her collar and dragged her paralyzed h.q to have 1 more deer with you
I know you've likely got some rough days ahead but thank you for sharing Tilly's last hunt with us.

Hoping for the absolute best.

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What a dog though. Great innings. Hope she pulls through

Sad news, I’m sorry indeed.

Special memories are all we end up with and it’s meaningful having made them with special friends, like Tilly girl.
Arohamai e te ehoa.

Keep us updated on Tilly's progress, I hope it works out for the best for her. The bit about her slipping her collar nearly got me going too, but that's why dogs are our best friends, loyal to a fault. All the best for her.

Well done getting yr 12 Brian,a few heavy trips up the hill,good effort.Sorry to hear about Tilly Bruce,She s been a good hunting buddy for years with you.Time for her to have a rest,a buggard back is not good.Oh is that Brians flat deck towing the trailor?,nice.

Originally Posted by Trout

Well done getting yr 12 Brian,a few heavy trips up the hill,good effort.Sorry to hear about Tilly Bruce,She s been a good hunting buddy for years with you.Time for her to have a rest,a buggard back is not good.Oh is that Brians flat deck towing the trailor?,nice.

Cheers. A flat deck 2 wheel drive Rodeo. Hasn't missed a beat for a few 100 thou km.