Thread: Got too be philosophical!

Since moving south, Ive been concentrating on trying to sus out areas within 30 minutes of home that I can head out and go for a short morning or evening hunt on. There are not that many access points, and the conclusion Ive come too, is that these areas are getting a lot of nighttime pressure. Judging from the fact that every time I head there for a morning hunt, there are fresh tire tracks and foot prints, but Ive yet to see a person.

So my hunting focus has changed and Im spending less time on the areas that style of hunting can target, and a lot more time trying to find pockets of good stalking forest amongst the thicker areas away from the direction the traffic is focussed.

It's taken a while But I have started to put a few of those areas together, and working out ways to link them into a decent hunt. The deer are there, Its just they are very concentrated on thick, swampy ass cover and very early and late movers. But Ive spotted deer on two of the last 3 mornings though nothing on the ground, and my hunts are generally only a couple of hours in duration. Typically I spend the best hour and a half hunting these areas, then a similar time exploring and scrub bashing looking for more, before heading home.

So this morning I get too where I park on the roadside to take an old logging track in for about half a k. There has been a 4wd in last night and its still quite dark, so My brain tells me not to chamber a round Until I get better light and or I know the vehicle is gone.

Gun over shoulder, I head on down track to check out the end where any 4wd would be parked..... 200 meters and a wider area lets in extra light onto a patch of grass growing on the track. Around the corner I walk and my brain tells me instantly that there is a massive set of antlers in the middle of the track. I freeze and the stag turns to look at me. Most likely the biggest stag I have sen in the wild on public land in my entire hunting career Is turning away from me at 30 meters.... The gun is moving and the bolt is working, he runs 5 meters and stops then starts again heading for the bank. Bolt is turned home and scope coming to eye and I have 2 massive back legs in front of me in my left eye but scope not on him yet. Scope hits him just as he no longer offers a shot, and I raise my head, hoping I will get an indication of his route and the possibility he will cross a clear area. But no, he's gone.

So philosophical time.... I was being safe, and he probably wasn't quite hard yet...

I used to kick myself if something like that happened to me. But with more experience and maturity came to learn it's just part of the hunting journey. And it becomes a memory to savour among the others. I laugh about it now when it still happens and still try to take in the lesson learnt.
As you know you will score again it won't be that long until you do. Hope you find that big boy again.

A great hunt is not always when you drop something

Yep, it's just how it is. And I know he's about now, so something worth looking for a bit more.

It very much sounds like it is only a matter of time. And a great experience was had in the meantime.

You're right, he wouldn't be hard yet and not shooting him now has given you the opportunity to wait a month and then shoot your trophy of a lifetime.

My guess is that stag is in big trouble. You have his number..it’s only a matter of time now! I know how persistent you are!

Great to hear your coming to grips with the area. It frustrated the hell out of me lol

To be really philosophical.. sometimes areas that get shit tonnes of spotlight and thermal pressure are the opposite to normal and you will get plenty of sporadic animal movement during the day as the smart ones have learnt to hold tight at night

The old Murphy law kicked in on that one, always when you lest expect it it will happen. At least your onto a good one , be nice to catch him with his pants down in a few weeks time. Good Luck.

Daylight this morning saw me on a bit bigger exploratory mission today. I had my pack on and it it an inflatable packraft, paddle, and lifejacket. Fluer trudged along always a bit ahead of me, pretending she knows what I want from her. No stag on the track this morning, and we reached the river in less than an hour. I assembled the boat and paddle and tied everything. This would be the dogs first trip in a one person raft. it could get interesting so I had my "sacrifice rifle" A Howa mini in 6.5 Grendel in case everything went too the bottom.



We got across safely, though these little lite rafts don't go upstream well and want to go downstream fast. You can't see it in pic, but there's a rapid starts just right of Fleur and I had to paddle upstream quite a way before making for the opposite bank in a kind of 3/4 upstream facing sideways paddle. I had the idea that crossing the river might leave some of the punters behind. Turns out no, as luck would have it that just after I entered the bush on the far side, I came across a recent and partially completed hut. Obviously a builder by trade as its framed up professionally and with 150x50 timber. Bugger! My hopes of finding a little private paradise just went whoosh!

Anyway I explored the area and small clearings. Not as much sign as I had expected, but with the obvious last weeks of saws and hammering going on, that might be expected.

The area is ringed by bluffs and I traversed the country looking for a route up, to no avail, before heading upstream too a marked creek. the deer sign improved and though it looked like a shear sided gorge, I poked my way on up. The sign was good and I expected to see at least a dumb hearing on the ample food in the area, but no and gradually the sign changed species. I was a bit confused until Fluer did a strong indication and moved forward. Ahead a goat stood on the stream bank. Id seen no goats or sign on the other side of river, so this was new.



We pushed on up for another hour, looking for a route out of the gorge. I was thinking hard about why the sign had changed and where the hell had the deer gone? Id been going for 4 hours at this point, so turned back and headed down back too the deer sign. Sure enough from a different angle, a likely looking route appeared through the trees. I didn't have time today though and it would still be a 40 meter climb, which Id rather do with company first time, so I kept on back towards the river.

Back at the boat and Fluer decided to play up just after launching. She's never been much of a water dog- won't swim with the others when we walk them, so with trepidation I pushed her in, wondering if it would be a clusterfuck, But better than tipping me out. She swam along behind me for a good 100 meters with no problem and we beached where I wanted to no trouble.

After that it was a haul back up through the bluffs and a new route home looking at some more country, before intersecting the track again. Nearly back at car.

200 meters must have some significance right now, as just that bare distance from journeys end and Fluer suddenly gave a strong indication and a bit of confusion. She hasn't done this much yet, so I wasn't sure what was up, but got ready looking for a deer as she lead the way.Suddenly from under out feet a boar jumped up and dashed off. followed by pig grunts and growls from 3 different spots. A skinny sow stopped about 30 meters from me, and more for Fluer than anything, I lined her up and fired and saw her flop sideways.

We headed over and I gave her some great big pats and good dog praises. The exit would was huge! and then I realised it wasn't the exit, but had to be the entry. WTF? I looked back the way Id come to see the little 120gr projectile had gone straight through a sapling on its way to target.






All up 5 and half hours of solid hunting for the one chance the day offered me.

Blimmin heck, that's a story and a half....and with the potential going forward of a good stag to be had, good luck with that, as you know he's lurking there somewhere!.

Where abouts on the Coast did you say he was?...we're over there often lol. Nah seriously, maybe it was one of those times you wished you had a camera...Murphys law.

Yeah man, I just noticed recently a few newbies having a bit of trouble finding animals, and thought Id post up a few reports at the moment, where its not all easy and not many dead animals to show. Can take quite a bit of effort to sort out new hunting territory and work out how to hunt it.

@whanahuia
What bullet were you shooting ? That sapling looks solid. I'm impressed the bullet got through and hit the sow.

It was either a 120gr Amax- most likely, Or a 120sst.