Thread: The final hunt - solo night mission 5 deer down

With just three days left before the private block gets sold, I had been requested by the current landowner to bomb them up, and so out I went on a solo night mission armed with my 7mm rem mag, night vision clip on with IR torch and thermal handheld.

Starting to walk across the farm a couple hours after dark I quickly got to my glassing spot, and it wasn't long before I spotted something coming out of the public forest, it promptly sat down in the middle of the paddock chewing cud. Eyes on and it's a spiker at 360m, with it looking pretty relaxed I thought I'd leave it for a bit and see what else comes out. That was until I hear the distant sound of a quad on the neighbours and I know there's only one place they're going at that time of the night - on the paddocks right next to me. So before he spooks, I quickly dial up, get the IR torch on him and let it rip. Picking up the thermal I see him tumbling down the hill, success.

With the neighbours now spotlighting next door and letting two shots off I walked to another section of the farm to see what I could find. Coming over a ridge slowly I see a deer in plain view at 450m, but it was skylined. By the time I climbed up a hill to get a better angle and a bit closer it had moved into a little gut at the back, from experience I know waiting here yields little results so I ditched the pack and stalked in. Coming up over the ridge with thermal in hand, I see the familiar bright shape of a deer. At about 60m I quietly sat down and rested the bipod on my knees, it's a hind. I line up with her neck and she drops. Walked another few metres and I see another deer standing below her, unsure what to do. It's a spiker, and down it goes with the neck shot. Another deer, this time a yearling, runs up inbetween the two on the ground, in less of a steady position I went for the chest and it promptly tumbled down the hill.

With all the rush over I got to gutting and then walked back up to my original glassing spot where I shot the first spiker. Lo and behold I spot a deer on the next ridge over, ranged at 490m. With recently having practiced at long range I figured now was as good as time as any, so I dialed up again and got into a nice steady position and let the 162gr ELD-X fly, I heard the familiar and reassuring 'thump' but looking through the thermal I see the deer running up the hill with a smaller deer below, they stop at the bush edge and then jump, no signs of any struggle. I pack up and make my way over to the first spiker, gut it and then start heading back to the car. On the way I stopped where I estimated the deer at 490m to be standing, and there was a nice speck of blood. Following the trail up to the fence there was a big splatter of blood on the ground, a good sign surely. The blood trail continued through the bush with big patches of blood getting closer and closer together until about 50m from the bush edge I found him, a nice even 8 pointer taken out with a lung shot.

After gutting him and dragging him through the bush to the farm edge I finally headed home for a quick nap before heading back in the morning to go collect them with the farmer and throw them into their chiller. We've had a few successful missions over the years collecting 3 twice and 4 once, but getting 5 solo was a pretty good send off for this awesome property I've had the privilege of hunting over the past few years.

awesome you have meat for freezer..suckymoto youve lost access...

Good effort. Gutting to lose the access.

Hope the new owner not a hunter,you may be needed again.