Thread: Black Beauty's Triple Strike

There's not much better a feeling than blooding your rifle and smacking over your first Sika hybrid all on your quarter century birthday, but someone somewhere keeps pumping in the endorphins for me! Spring deer (and animals in general) are out in force, slurping up the good tucker and getting ready for the roar, just around the corner.

(read about my birthday deer here: )

http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...-coming-17359/

Since blooding Black Beauty, I've been determined to get my Savage a deer. Preferably a little Sika at pretty close range. I've been here-or-there most days with seeing animals but either out of reach or for not long enough, or slightly covered by bush as those cunning Sika do! All of it has been amazing intel and I learn so much more about deer (and wind) every single outing. But funny story....when I shot my spiker and my bud shot the hind next to him, in all of the excitement and watching of deer wobble to the ground, Brad left his binoculars atop the knob that was our shooting position. This was not discovered until a few days later when I went on my hare shoot and wanted to borrow them.

Anyway a plan was hatched - we shoot up after work, armed with my .223 in my hands and my .260 in Brad's hands. His .270 was off to the gunsmith after I (frustratingly!) discovered that no honey, your drop chart is not progressive as you thought with you slow ammo, those fat heavy bullets give up all will to fly after 300yards and the Sika trotted away with almost a "har-har!" and her tongue sticking out. Anyway. We dragged the block manager along too - he'd not shot his first deer yet.

Our treble party did the loop to my spiker spot the opposite direction as the wind was from the east this time. Near our most productive hunting pozzie, we stopped to pop our heads over the ridge to our left. Shit! Sika hind! 60yards, feeding in a window of manuka. Perfect .223 deer. I pulled myself up onto the bank and noted the swirling wind - I had to be mega quick here.

I was in an awkward shooting position and couldn't f-this up with the small gun so inched forward and slid my pikau under the butt. Bril. Five seconds 'til she's gone. Out of the corner of my eye I discovered that my two yards of greedy shooting position had presented me within full view of six goats who promptly spat at me and took off. Miss Sika took two steps to her left and might as well put an invisibility cloak over her own beautiful orange exterior as she disappeared beneath the native cover. I grinned a massive grin. Shit that was cool. No Savage deer at this pozzie this time. We carried on.

Inching forward to where my Spiker was first seen, the unmistakable shape of a large bodied deer filled our eyes.

Now this next bit is not really my story to tell - it's the block managers - but what roughly happened was that this big fat deer popped his head up - his big, eight point head. The stag trotted right at us and this was to be the manager's first deer. He hummed and hawed about the soft antler but the reality sunk in to him that he had many missed opportunities this year and the large animal trotting right for him could be his first - or the first for my Savage. I kind of hoped he would hurry up because I think that stag was coming to kick my ass!!! Wind still in our faces, I set the man up with Black Beauty and he squeezed off the shot. And within a split second - Black Beauty had shot her second deer.

I'm not sure why but at some point the manager ditched his pack and knife before we got to that stag, so the pic of me and the hybrid is with my Savage which DID NOT SHOOT THIS (unfortunately). Stay tuned for a .223 deer....it'll happen....

Anyway my house is well set up for meat with three freezers and a chiller and hooks aplenty in the shed. It was decided that the manager make as much room in his freezer as possible to keep his velvety in and I would butcher the back legs at my place the next day. The two deer on my birthday provided a great stepping stone - I was done and dusted in a fraction of the time it took me last episode.

I had a big kai that night (Wednesday) and hit the hay hard. Thursday morning I was woken by a text that a friend needed some goats culled immediately and that the property bordered a few others not too far so I decided Black Beauty was a good choice to get some more trigger time and be a bit quieter. My Savage is much louder as it has yet to be supressed.

It was the first time for me to that property and I had a good friend there with me. We hardly made it into the first paddock before a fat nanny was spotted way below in a shady spot. A quick jig around and set up on the downhill slope, then the beautiful CRACK of the .260 had the nanny hit the deck. We lay and watched for a few more minutes and yep, as they always do, another young fat nanny popped out into the window and CRACK she was down too.

On our wander down to grab the back steaks and back legs, we poked our noses around the property and admired the big pines over the back and I mentioned "there's totally deer in there, eh" which was only reciprocated by a smile. Goats butchered, cookies demolished and near two hours of yarning later we decided the flies were annoying us enough and I should really get home soon. We did another wander and snuck up on a rabbit - just eight yards before he ran away - and I thought about the Manuka looking a lot like @Toby 's goat bow hunting grounds. No more goats that we could see, but plenty of poo and prints and....

"Woah wait - that's not a cow, is it girl?" my mate smiled at me again. Cheeky bugger. We noticed some old deer sign in the mud. We carried on slowly but not in real hunt-mode. I stopped to point at a fluffed up Tui bird who we taunted to sing for us but just sat and listened to our stupid whistles and seemed to mock us with his silent head tilts. Ah well, one more loop then we're back at the truck. We padded up the grass bank and I suddenly felt his arm grab my shirt sleeve and pull me to the ground. "shit, there's a deer standing right there. Wanna shoot it?" Grin.

We poked our noses up and again I could only see the deep red coloured curve of a deer's back. I thought it was a chubby hind, sleeping on the edge of the shade. The grass was kind of long and I couldn't see her face. Then up popped the head - the grass was actually quite long and the hind I'd seen was actually a big lanky stag who was standing full height in the feed with his head down, chewing. When he looked up to admire the birds and the bees and the sun on his nose, we could both see the huge twelve point head standing face on to us - wind in our faces.

The grass proved too much of a challenge as the only possible shot would be right through his eye.

We backed off. Hmm. High point to the left, yep, let's do it. We used our cover superbly and undetected, popped out 30 yards above him. He faced us again, nibbling away. I asked "Where do I shoot him when he's face on like that???" No answer. We waited a second or was it three days? He turned and fed left. And I squeezed the trigger.

He wobbled and took three steps to the left. A huge cliff face leading down into a gut was just 40 yards to his front and to our left. "Another!" my mate desperately whispered as I handed him the rifle, still pointed at the stag. He squeezed another shot near matching my exact bullet hole. And the stag lay down.

I rolled onto my back with a huge sigh - how did that just happen???!!! Mental. I looked at my mate, grinning at me.

"Fuck that was an ugly goat."

We laughed and made our way down to him. What an absolute rush.

Hot barrels.

Managers first deer, shot with BB




My two rifles




Me, butchering the managers deer




The goats




Setting up for the magazine photos with my big stag




"Holy crap that was heavy"




And our two trophies together - you can really see the sika in the managers deer when compared to my red who probably has a bit of Wap in him down the line somewhere.




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Hah, awesome stuff Dougie! Congrats!

Nice going Dougie.

Fat fat fat! Yum. Great work Dougie, you're showing all of these screen hunters on the forum up now

bloody hell that's a big bodied stag, you would just about fit inside its chest cavity. Nice fat spring venny that will be so good! very well done

I live in the wrong region...

Now thats cool, well done, they will be fat as!

Shooting

Nice story and pics,well done Dougie.

Mega fat deer, I am learning all about spring these days. Filling up on feed to grow those antlers and get ready for forgetting about eating and concentrating on fighting and rooting. The goats were bloody fat too - full of grass, but fat between their muscles and over their backs.

The sika hybrid had an inch thick of fat layer over his whole bum and back legs. Unbelievable. My stag was super fat around the H bone on the inside which I have chucked in with the bag of small goods scraps. I'm not sure if veni fat is yum? Never seen so much of it in my life to be honest.

Super pumped to get the Savage a deer now. Just goes to show that whenever you're off the couch, you're multiplying your chances of getting a deer tenfold. I had no idea there might be more animals than goats in that block. Still like a stunned mullet today - a grinning stunned mullet!!!!!

Deer are in good nick atm alright. Last 3 I've shot in the last month or 2 have been fat as. Grass everywhere aye

Good work on the deersies, mean heads too! Is that guy gonna get his one hung on the wall? It's pretty awesome

Brilliant Dougie....you go girl....that was well worth the wait eh!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Toby

Good work on the deersies, mean heads too! Is that guy gonna get his one hung on the wall? It's pretty awesome

Don't know about him, I think he wants to dry it but to be honest it will just rot but it's his decision.

I am going to preserve mine and do a full skull Euro mount on a shield. Taking it to the taxidermist in Taupo tomorrow on the way through to another mission

And thanks everyone for the comments - I am so stoked. SO worth the wait. It totally pounced on me, I had no plan of shooting a deer yesterday let alone that mega beast! I was so happy with the procession at my house haha.

We got home and mate and I hung it in the shed, I though Brad was home but it was his mate...then Brad rolled up with another mate...then the block manager rolled up and brought his head over....

Good news travels fast around here Team effort had all the meat in the chiller and freezer in no time. Sunk a few beers and splashed out on fish and chips for dinner. Then I could hardly sleep just from being so happy!!!