Couple of weeks ago our local LandSAR group did marshaling for Race Tekapo, a large trail running race.
My son Ryan helped on the day and we had decided to tack a hunt onto the trip while we were over that way.
After the race tasks were finished for the day we boosted over to a spot I hadn't taken Ryan to yet.
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Got to the carpark around 4.30 and walked in to the area, walking up a track to where I wanted to camp I saw a dark shape ahead. Stopping and staying nice and still we confirmed it was a fallow deer.
I dropped my pack and snuck across to a handy stump. Lining up confirmed a tasty looking spiker was my target, with it feeding towards the edge of the track I placed a shot back behind his close shoulder as he was angling away and slightly uphill from me.
After the shot a few other deer run off through the trees below Ryan and he said there was a couple of bigger deer the in the mob.
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We had done well, only an hour after we had left the carpark we had a deer on the deck. We dragged it up onto the track where butchering would be easier and cleaner. Ryan watched as I showed him how to remove the back legs then while I finished the butchery he ventured further up the track and looked for a campsite for the night.
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As I finished up Ryan returned and said he had found a good spot only a few hundred metres up the track.
Getting to the spot we hung the meat, set up camp and got dinner cooking.
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As bedtime approached the wind strengthened and was howling through the surrounding wilding pines with the odd gust shaking the tent and the patter of light rain pushing over the divide landing on the shell of the mineret.
Waking to steady rain we decided to have a lie in until the clouds broke at about 8am, getting out we boned out the back legs and 1 shoulder, packed up camp and walked down to the hut to make breakfast. Met another hunter at the hut who was drying out all his gear after being saturated on his early morning walk in.
A quick but relaxing walk out, we made our way home after a Jollie great weekend with my boy.
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