Thread: Daughters first plus one for me

Well with the school holiday in full swing it was time for a trip to my cousin’s farm in Wairoa, It had been 2 years since visiting and all of us (me and the kids) were pretty excited to get there. At the farm we had the chance to shoot goats and also the odd deer. On the way up I got a text to say my Cuzzy was off to the Dr as he had hurt is back, so all of a sudden I became his go to man with all the lifting stuff and try and take as much off him as possible so that his back could get better before we left and also so he could come for a hunt with us lol. The day we arrived and the next was shearing, with lots of sheep in the shed cos it rained, out as the sun was out and back in as rain again threatened, bull mustering, bull weighing and drenching, burying dead sheep with tractor etc, but most of all I found some time to take my daughter (8) for her first goat. I will let the vid do the talking. This is unedited as it happened, a 125m steep downhill shot. Steph had been doing some practice at the range for this trip and did really well, sorry for the coaching but this is how I have found it best to help coach new hunters for their first animals, just reinforces things picked up at the range. Even though over the last 3 years I have helped 16 new hunters to their first animals through the mentoring I do at school when it is your daughter it is totally different, way more fun

https://youtu.be/PLodVdVrdEA

So day 3 was a sleep in ish, take some kids and get the heifers in, drench, take back, more sheep work then home for lunch, as it was so hot we went in to town to my aunties for a swim, after dinner Alex (my boy), Cuzzy and myself went for a walk, Got to our look out and sat for 20-30 mins waiting for the deer to come out of his bush block to the nice grass, nothing so we decided to jump the fence and head to the top cnr of the bush block that had a nice big grass clearing, on the way we stopped to have a look at a face well below the bush block unseen from first look out, Up with the bino and 1,2,3……..9,10,11 deer spotted out feeding, damn not enough time to put a move on them, as the crow flies they were 1.3km away, and if anyone knows Wairoa hill country they know that’s not easy, so we moved on, another 5 were seen and un hurt in the neighbours. Poor old Alex had hoped to shoot his second deer on this trip.

That night over a shandy or 2 it was decided I would get up earlier than my Cuzzy (4.45am) in the hope of a head start before he started mustering near where the 11 deer were seen, I headed off in their direction as night turned to day, Off the quad and a quick 10 min walk to a lookout point, Quick glass and I pick up 8 deer slowly making their way back to the bush, I am setting up as a hind jumps the fence to know speed is necessary if I want to shoot one of the deer, At 350m being the closest I can get I pick out a smaller animal (not a big hind or fawn) and decide she is the one as she doesn’t appear to have a fawn in toe. I set up waiting for her to move or the other deer behind her to move so that once the Berger is sent from the .284 there is no way other deer can get hurt with flying shrapnel etc. The shot is taken and what happens next is something I haven’t seen and will stay with me for a while. All of a sudden there is a clatter of hooves and the 8 deer I had been looking at morphs into 25+ and due to the supressed shot and not knowing where it is coming from start running towards me, They ran until about 150m and then dive over a bank, and fence and head to the safety of the bush. No battery in camera so couldn’t catch it.

Ok so I go over to retrieve the deer and sort it out. So happy to have the first of 2016 on the deck. Well I look at my watch and it is only 6.30. Off home we go and due to the heat of the day fast approaching set about skinning and boning the deer out and it is all done and dusted including burying the carcass by 10.30.

Any way a couple of pics for you.

Hot


Steph


Me and Steph


On the neighbours (trust me i wanted to shoot it, estimated at 35 inches)


My first for the year



Cheers Hamish