Thread: Culling, really.

When lambing is over and some grass is growing 2 things happen - I'm allowed back into my farm spots and the cockies start complaining about the number of deer they are seeing.
So last Thursday I went up to where my hut is for an evening hunt and to give the floor a second coat of polyurethane.

The scrub block I went out to is quite hard and the deer don't seem to appear until November, but by 7pm I had seen a couple of velvet Red but they were not what I really wanted to shoot. So I quickly shifted to another area that looked down onto a scrub edge where the cocky was complaining about deer numbers.
As dark came in a hind and yearling materialised out of the scrub. Just what I wanted. They were about 600 yards away.

So I quickly closed the gap to 250 yards and quietly edged into sight of them. They were settled and the hind was broadside so I carefully lined the hind up for a lung shot and let rip with the 6.5x55. She was visibly hit but had enough in her tank to run into the scrub 30 yards away, and then came tumbling down into the creek. The yearling saw what had happened to Mum and ran up the creek towards where they had come out, and in so doing had to run around under were I was. She stopped to look back at 140 yards and got hit in the high shoulder for her trouble.

Two hinds down - the cocky would be pleased.



I have a good charitable outlet for venison so having 2 deer was no problem. It was going to be a reasonable carry in the dark, and 2 trips to boot so I decided to deal with them there and hang them up, and then bring the quad back in the morning and get as close as I could to limit the carry.



The next morning I painted the floor and got the quad and headed back to the deer. I got within about 30-40 mins from them so in 3 loads (the yearling was a big lump and a bitch to carry) I had them at the bike.

Tilly topped off the load and off we went



I had just got back to the woolshed and my phone rang. The cockie: "have you retrieved the deer yet - if you have and seeming you are here I might as well get a mob in and we can dock for the rest of the day". Bugger. So I spent the rest of the day docking until 5pm and then went for another hunt. I saw quite a few but 2 were quite enough so I just watched and enjoyed. I was pretty buggered the next day - age catching up. And the next day I was another year older.

Excellent effort! As a 6.5x55 user (I have several old ones plus a Tikka) I’m interested in the deer running before tumbling down. I’ve read where 6.5 pills can pencil through, so use 143 eldx. Last stag I shot dropped on the spot with one to the neck. Last goat I whack lost all soft tissue between front and rear legs after a behind-the shoulder hit. I’m also keen to try some 160 gr Hdy round nose pills and would probably go for the ‘destroy the nerve bundle’ shoulder shot if possibly.

What pill did you send please?

Nice one

Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

Excellent effort! As a 6.5x55 user (I have several old ones plus a Tikka) I’m interested in the deer running before tumbling down. I’ve read where 6.5 pills can pencil through, so use 143 eldx. Last stag I shot dropped on the spot with one to the neck. Last goat I whack lost all soft tissue between front and rear legs after a behind-the shoulder hit. I’m also keen to try some 160 gr Hdy round nose pills and would probably go for the ‘destroy the nerve bundle’ shoulder shot if possibly.

What pill did you send please?

@Ingrid 51 I use 140 Amax. Still have about 100. Send them at 2830 fps out of a Schultz & Larsen. You are correct about penetration because 6.5 have a very high SD. Good old cup and core/soft projectiles work best for me in the 6.5. Other bullets Ive used have been the 140 Sierra game king. No need for bonded bullets with the 6.5.

Have a look here too - I posted about the 6.5. https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....ormance-76973/

Of course I could be wrong. Just going by my experience.

Thanks @Tahr. My mind settled. I’m using 2209 powder, eldx with coal of 3.1” and 2770 FPS. Works for me.

Excellant stuff Tahr.
That hut of yours be 5star soon

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by kukuwai

Excellant stuff Tahr.
That hut of yours be 5star soon

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

@kukuwai I will take some pics next time Im out there.

Originally Posted by Tahr

@kukuwai I will take some pics next time Im out there.

Cool, keen to see some new pictures

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I trust you didn't have to pick up (-:

Nice work Bruce, good to see you and Tilly still at it, It must have been a tough day docking after carting the deer out but it all helps keep you fit.

Happy birthday

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

I trust you didn't have to pick up (-:

Yes I bloody did - the whole lot! And drenched the ewes. The cockie was doing tails. wife tagging and rings and a village bloke scratching for scabby mouth.
Ive got another 3 or so days in a week but I will be being firm about not picking up too much (there will be a young fit bloke helping).

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Happy birthday

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Dusty Fog

top effort,i was down your way last nite but the wind flogged me this morning,got a pig tho
so let me see if my rithmetic works out,your birthday was on sunday?

Yes. Sunday.

Bloody legend