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Good hunt in the Blue Mountains
Hi Guys
Although I have already posted a pic thought I would jot down what happened.
I have only been hunting for the last 8 years and have hunted the Blue Mountains scince I started. I have tried to limit the blocks I hunt as Fallow don't move round too much I reckon if you get to know a few blocks well and work out where the deer are and habits it is transferable to other blocks and even other areas.
Fallow hunting here is HARD. They get a lot of pressure, its technically all bush hunting as that is where the DOC blocks cover, to be fair you see a few deer on the Bush edge, quite a lot of deer get shot on the roads as well. Historically a bit of spotlighting, hence access is a pain with combination locks on the forestry roads, bloody pain lying on the road in half light fucking around with a combination lock you can't see the numbers on.
I do have a chuckle when I see pics fro up North of Fallow grazing on the grass, I think a lot of North Islanders reckon they are an easy hunt…trying to get 1 up on them in the bush is a bit harder..well thats what I tell myself when coming out with a light back pack!
Anyway..here is how it went.
Had the block for three days, wed-fri, solo hunt this time as mates tied up. Blocks only open for a few days so hoping they feeling a little less pressured. Cruise down after work arriving about 7sh at the gate, up the hill and see which way the wind is blowing. I guess like a few areas, the hills move the wind direction and it is not uncommon to walk with the wind steady into the snout and then a puff of Breeze blow up your arse. I used to get a bit annoyed, now just keep on plugging away. there are also quite a few areas of really tight bush, maybe not supplejack at Clements Rd thick, but tight enough that visibility is down to a few meters and noise becomes an issue. Oh yeah, lovely to push through when its wet too!
Wind was light, sunny evening. Not wanting to scent up the bush and with only a couple of hours till dark, I drop from the Skid site down to the bush edge. Passed a gut bag from a yearling, some buggar got lucky picking up a deer about 5 minutes walk from the truck. Dog showed a bit of interest, all good get her keyed in on the target species. She is a buggar for hares and in this country there are a few, after finding the gut bag she was keen for a deer and did not cause me any grief. good start.
We had only stalked about 25 minutes covering 250 meters, lots of ground to look at, no rush. Coming to a gut I gained some height to have a look into it, wind still in my favour so all good. Spotted a hind crossing an old track, somehow she was onto me, stopped and looked straight at me from about 400 meters then slipped into a scrubby face. I sat for a while glassing further afield and picked up a black blob about a km away, yep a deer as it was moving. Hmmmmm, to far to get to before dark, couple of arse guts scrub and windrows of bloody pine, nah! I walked up the ridge I had used to get some height, fully alert for a deer in the gut below me, good country with cover and grass for the wee fellas to munch, no easy one so back to the truck. With half an hour of light I figured I may as well go and check out the wee black blob, couldn't see the deer any more but figured it may not have moved to far, easy enough for a deer to feed into a wee patch of scrub or behind a fold in the ground. 2 minutes in the truck and I was 150 meters above the deer, wind not really in my favour, what the heck, pop over for a look. i left the dog in the truck, took the rifle and a knife and off to have a look, stalked over to where I had seen the deer and picked out the landmarks I had seen from below, slower now, a couple of steps and scan, light failing, prime time. Buggar me a spiker and only 40 meters away, bastard must have been sitting down and hidden by a tussock. Up with the rifle, good sight picture, the red dot settled on the neck, steady, steady….miss. Little buggar was off. I hate when the move just as you pull the trigger. Oh well tomorrow another day.
Back to the Beaumont lodge, all to myself so no one would be complaining about my snoring, whew.
Early start the next morning, fumbling with the lock at daybreak. Up the hill and spotted couple of deer out in the open. Stopped the truck and up with the Binos, 2 hinds fair took off, a last glimpse of a hind on the skyline, great way to start the day. They obviously did not know they were safe, from me at least. Yearling or buck for me this trip.
With the whole day into the bush we go, dog scented straight away so we stalk for 400 meters hoping to catch an easy one. No such luck but a good start for the dog and she settles into her work with just a few corrections. A good start.
Its warm but I have full length trou and long sleeve top, stony creek air mesh stuff. I often wear gloves, all to reduce the glare from bare skin, Im a honky, legs don't get to see much sun, if I was a deer I would run if I seen my legs!
Off down a track to hunt the ridge I have chosen for today, we easily cross the rankle burn,dog was happy for a swim. Me a big drink, as now its getting a lot warmer. I follow a stoat line up the spur to reach the ridge. I last hunted here in November and wee bumped into a couple of deer in the first 500 meters up the hill so I was stalking quietly. We then reached just a shit bit of bush so stop the stalk and cover the ground at a reasonable clip. Still on the alert but no barks or flashes of a deer bounding away.
10am now we reach a good bit, more open so visibility is out to 100 meters in parts. For me the key is to scan as much as possible and move as slow as I can force myself, oh yeah and the dog. I tend to hunt stalk for an hour then park up, give the dog a break and have a smoke. Always have the bang stick at hand as at times when you stop you are in a better position to pick up a deer. After a wee brake we hit another bit of shit, another hundred meters and we are now in one of the best parts of this block, an old clearing now pretty overgrown is on my left, open bush with bits of cover, pepper woods mostly, some good feed in the gully to my right. Wind not perfect, blowing right to left, the odd puff on my neck as well.
11am, for me this has been a great to time to see deer, we really slow down now. a step, stop…left foot forward, stable footing, scan the bush, i quick scan left to right, then search slowly from right to left. Rifle is in state of semi readiness, scope on 2 power, red dot on, I cradle the rifle with my right hand securing the bolt handle, I have a positive half cock, but still a good habit for me. Left hand on the mag plate, ready to bring the rifle to my shoulder instantly. as this is such a great spot I have disengaged the safety so all i need to do is drop the bolt and fire.
We stalk on, covering 100 meters in about 30 minutes, slowly, slowly, then slower.
The dog stops ears forward, I pick up the deer instantly. Well lit by the bright sun i can see the velvet, its a shooter. What seems like about a minute happens in 2 seconds, Rifle up, bolt closed on the way up, having practised dry firing a lot, my eye is on target straight away, it also helps my rifle fits me and my scope is set up with the correct eye relief.I swing left with the deer which is running. Both eyes open and I have no time, a big windfall will obscure the deer in heartbeat, I feel good and fire. Instantly I think I have hit it as I hear the deer crash off.
Dog is nice and tight, a foot from my left knee, eyes only for the deer and where it ran to. Here I cocked up. I release the dog with "find the deer", she bounds off, at this point I think to myself, buggar hope I hit it or the dog may be a while coming back. I walk the 20 meters to where the deer was when i shot, blood, lots of it. Whew. The dog barks, she is only 40 meters away, I call her in and she quickly joins me. We follow the blood trail for 20 meters, then I release her again, straight away she is off into a thick bit of crap. Hmmmm…call her in and follow blood again, send her off again as blood trail stops, she only runs a few meters in front now and sits down beside a deer I can't see from 5 meters away.
So there he is, my first buck, small, fat and tasty…nice one. Quick txt to me mate who bailed to make him jealous and carve him up, I hit him a bit far back, straight through the liver, good haul of meat though, front legs are off, back straps and back legs, all laid out to cool while I have a bite of lunch.
I wish the rest of the day went so well, won't bore you with the walk out, suffice to say that a 3 hour walk became 5, a 2 hour sleep on the way, all due to a crook guts, hard to walk when you spewing!!! Anyway all is well that ends well, and i was pretty happy when I made it back to the truck.
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Cheers
Dino
