Thread: First time hunting Sika

Originally Posted by Remington700.270

Hahaaa, that is called boredom and extra camoflage!

And there was me expecting something really deep and profound about being given the flower for luck by someone close to you

Bloody good read thanks Remmy

looks like you had a good trip

Originally Posted by sometimes

looks like you had a good trip

I had a great time thank-you. I guess it is hard hunting compared to private land but that made it more fun.

Great read . I've only shot a few sika but none that looked as skinny as that hind maybe she was sick?

Originally Posted by petree

Great read . I've only shot a few sika but none that looked as skinny as that hind maybe she was sick?

Yeah I have since found out that she was and has been sick for some time. Her membrane's and bones had a grey tinge which is the result of an over active immune system trying unsuccessfully to heal the animal. I threw out all the meat today.

Awesome bit of hunting there. Got me eager for the weekend which is only a very short stint of hunting compared to what you did. Shame about the meat, but at least you didn't eat it and find out the hard way.

Originally Posted by Rusky

Awesome bit of hunting there. Got me eager for the weekend which is only a very short stint of hunting compared to what you did. Shame about the meat, but at least you didn't eat it and find out the hard way.

I hope you get some good weather mate. I already want to get out hunting again

Originally Posted by petree

Great read . I've only shot a few sika but none that looked as skinny as that hind maybe she was sick?

Great write up mate, so thanks for sharing. My first kill was a Sika stag up Tree Trunk Gorge. When butchering him, I thought something must be wrong as he was too skinny and was missing hair in places. An autopsy found a shrivelled liver, so clearly facial eczema was on top of him. I took his jaw and had Alan Jackson age him, at 14years! No wonder he had no antlers... I had figured he was a spiker

I lost a good stag a few years prior off Kaweka Road. After shooting him on dusk and on the run at 30metres with a 180gn .308, I just couldn't believe he didn't flinch and kept running! Next morning my mate and I found a light blood trail and spent three hours working over the area with ever increasing circles trying to find him, to no avail. At the time I decided I must have only scratched him (although I never really accepted that, as I have always been an excellent shot even under pressure) and the wound was superficial. After hearing many stories since about Sika running long distances in spite of highly traumatic wounds to the hilar zone, I'm now convinced we should have kept searching until we did find him, as I'm confident I actually got him. Disappointing to say the least
Getting a Viszla is high on my priority list for this year

Awesome trip and great report. My favourite trips are solo trips.

The Sika stag looked in great condition; the hind was a bit manky.

Go the .270!

Nice trip, thanks for sharing

EPIC! that sounded like a trip worth the effort and planning you went through thanks for sharing

Now that you have completed your trip and had time to reflect, it would be interesting for you to go back through your gear list and all of the suggestions, and hear what was useful, what you would leave behind and what you would take extra next time.

Cheers

Big thumbs up from me Rem, out there and doing it, the only way to really learn is by getting out and taking the good with the bad, well done mate, and a great honest report....cheers

I was really happy with everything I took apart from the tin foil, extra clothes and I would have used a meat safe of my own.