Thread: The birthday rifle

My 10 year old was given a Tikka M55 in .243 for his birthday back in June. He lives and breathes deer stalking and has shot 6 to date . Fair play to him he doesn't want to shoot " easy farm deer" . Everything comes from the DOC estate . Due to circumstances he has missed a few trips with me lately and was peaking to get out . I made his last day of school Friday , Picked him up at 3pm and we were off.
He carries his own pack and gear and goes alright. The camps I use are generally a good 4-6 hour walk from the road end and he does it with no complaints . I picked up an easy hind on the way in and Charlie had an opportunity but missed his .

Saturday was spent mooching around butchering deer and drinking Billy tea until the shadows started to lengthen . Not far from camp we spotted our first deer a big bodied stag . We began stalking towards him but he was continually moving away and we lost him. We spotted several other deer feeding at various points of the compass. We hatched a plan and cut up through the bush to a leading ridge which would bring us around behind the deer in the open with the wind in our face. I instructed Charlie to load his rifle and keep it on half bolt and pay attention. Following closely behind just to the left we just crested the ridge when i noticed the stag standing there looking straight at us 10 meters away . Hissing I got his attention and pointed. Like a pro he slowly raised the rifle whilst closing the bolt. Craaack , It dropped like a stone catching a 100gn slug through the base of the neck . Was he stoked. First deer with his own rifle .

I took some photos and removed the mammoth backstraps before carrying on . It was only 7pm and we still had three hours of light. Half an hour on we spied another deer moving through the bush below us about 80m away. It was moving slowly browsing . When a shot presented itself another well placed shot dispatched that .

More backstraps and on our way back to camp. Not to be outdone I shot another an hour before last light not far from camp( that's another story). Having 6 backstraps and the boned out hind I had more than enough to carry home. We were supposed to be away three nights but called it after two. It took me a leg shaking 6 hours out to the car last night. That's the way we hunt . Pack on back . Open fires . No huts . Living the dream .