Over the last 11 years I've shot and found 284 deer with a dog helping or a dog with me. For 10 years it was Tilly the wirehair pointer (258). Now it's Bella the Lab. She's 14 months old and we have shot 26 together.
Here she is.
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A couple of evenings ago Bella really was a "Golden" lab... worth her weight in gold.
Ive had a really lean roar. I guess because the first week or so was spent wallaby hunting, and then when I really got into the deer I just couldn't connect with a stag or buck. Inspite of seeing heaps of deer I just couldn't connect with something with a decent head. To change my luck I switched from my usual .223 to the 270wsm for this particular hunt - perhaps that would do the trick.
We (Bella and me) hunted to near dark and hadn't seen a stag (I did shoot a little Fallow spiker at 3.30pm though), so I decided to try one more spot while there was shooting light. It meant I had to sidle a face bellow a bush edge and watch ahead, below and above and remain unseen. I froze when I spotted a hind 200 odd yards ahead and while we were doing the statue thing I heard a roar on the bush edge straight above me. It was 26 April so I hadn't expected any roaring. But there was a stag and obviously a good one pushing a hind ahead of him and intent of investigating the first hind I saw. He was on my side of the bush edge ridge and I dont think had seen me. In the open and about 150 yards away. Steep up hill.
I quickly loaded and fumbled with scope getting it down to 4 power for enough light (4-24 Delta). It was a standing shot and all happened quickly. I never knew if I hit him and he wheeled around and disappeared over the ridge and back into the bush. Silence. Bella was still there standing beside me. Good girl. I wasn't confident.
I left all of my gear except for what I had on my waist (knife, torch, plb and stuff) and trotted up to the ridge. Bella's nose was active but it would have been anyway 'cos 3 deer had just passed through. Bella wasn't over enthused about where I thought the stag might have gone so I followed the ridge until she showed some interest - winding down into the bush and wanting to track. I called her off and walked another 100 yards along the bush edge and she wasn't very interested so I went back to the "hot spot". It dropped away very steeply and I knew that it was a big bushy face with open areas. If hit it could be anywhere. I got my torch out and told Bella it was up to her. I didn't put her tracking lead on because it was back in my pack where I had shot from.
So off we went with the commands "find it Bella" and "steady Bella". The wonderful pup mixed ground and air scenting as she zig zagged her way down the face at a bit of an angle. She stopped every now and again and air scented strongly as if she was getting her bearings, and then moved on steadily. She was insecure enough to be looking over her shoulder at me from time to time and making sure I was in contact with her, which was good. I never saw a spot of blood or a scuff mark. Hmmm...
After what seemed quite a distance (I guess 200 yards) she sped up and disappeared out of sight for about 20 seconds and then came back in sight staring intently down hill. I joined her and there below us was a large stag thrashing out his last breaths. I encouraged her down but she wasn't too keen on getting too close while it was moving. That was a good thing. I stood there with her and once it stopped moving she cautiously approached it.
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I was pretty much overwhelmed by what she had just done. There was no way I would have found this stag by myself. I wasn't even sure I had hit it and in any event thought it had gone in a different direction. I was also certain that if it was hit it wouldn't have gone far and I would have found signs of it stumbling.
I had hit it very low in the shoulder (shooting step up hill). The bullet broke the bottom shoulder joint and I suspect it might have been a heart shot. 117 grn Hammer bullet.
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He was a big beast and it took some effort to get him set up for a pic.
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I took the head off and what meat I could carry back up without my pack. It was quite a bash up but I was a very happy hunter. Not sure what made me the happiest - Bella or getting the stag. Deep down I actually think Bella.
People decry private land hunting as if it's second class to "public land". Well I can say right now that for me it's all about the personal pleasure derived from the hunt, not about the mana possibly earned through the judgement of others. I'm very happy in my own skin in my own hunting environment - a hunting environment that suits my stage of life very well.
I was brought back to earth about Bella with a thump on the way home :) I shot a yearling stag in the torch for the charity at about 100 yards and with great confidence sent Bella off to find it. Up went her nose and off she went...only to run right past it 2 yards away and disappear into the dark. I saw her carry on for about 15 yards and then do a loop. She must of then cut its wind and she came galloping down to me like she had done all of the work. But I was already standing there next to it :)
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