The Grandboy

School holidays, so I took the Grandboy out for am overnight camp over.

We set our camp up at about 4pm and then headed off for hunt.

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It wasn't too long and Grandad spotted a young Fallow peeping at us down in the scrub which he popped off with his shiny new Tikka .223. He was wanting to try out the 77grain Sierra TMK load - which fattened it with a high shoulder shot at 180 yards.

GD gutted it and carried it up into the clear.

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So while GD retrieved and gutted the Fallow he sent GBoy off to a spot he had shown him earlier with the instructions "I will be there soon. Watch the saddle and if a deer comes into it, shoot it". He had my 7-08 shooting 120 grn Nosler.

When I got up to GB just on dark I could see he was animated and he soon told me that as soon as he got there 2 hinds came into view (we are shooting hinds at the moment to keep the numbers down and to avoid killing good velveties - yes, its private land - and we know that we are privileged with the relationship we have with the farmer). GB didn't have a range finder but was smart enough to know it was a good distance and should aim high on the shoulder. He said that at the shot the deer "dithered" and then disappeared in the direction it had come.

There was no blood and we did a grid search in the dark and Tilly (dog) only seemed to find hot trails from alive and well animals. It was thick scrub and bush. I had almost resigned to it being a miss but decided to to drop down around the face and then do a track around under where it had been when he shot at it, hoping to cross a scent trail. Surprisingly I crossed its scent trail and Tilly put her nose down immediately and tracked it down hill. I saw the odd scuff marks in the dirt so I was confident we were onto it, and sure enough after another 100 yards Tilly stopped staring over a little drop off and shooting glances at me. "I've found it" her expression was saying.

So I plodged back up to where GB had last seen it and where I had told GB to stay. He was on his bloody cell phone texting his mates about what we were doing - so GD gave him a bit of a serve :) - grumpy old bastard.

Tilly led us back down to GB's deer - a heart shot - bloody marvellous for a young chap at 274 yards (I had ranged it when I met him). She was a very big hind.

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GB watched and took pics as I gutted it (and texted his mates) and to his credit he carried the back steaks and a HQ and I carried a HQ back up to the saddle. The shoulders were absolutely rooted by the 120 Nosler so Tilly got some scarps and the rest was left (I have pics).

We got back to camp at 10am and I rustled up a meal while Tilly winded deer.

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GS slept in the next morning and GD quietly slipped off for a hunt at .6.30am. Saw 7 Reds but left them. The larder was full.

GB time is bloody marvellous!!

Great hunt, something I miss with my GBy's living in Canada. Good to see the young fella is keen, the life style is far better than being stuck in town all the time.

Tilly does not look impressed in that middle photo....great story and great effort...Grumpy old farts are good value. dont you go changing Mate.

Really enjoyed that write up. Good to see him carrying a hind quarter too 😅

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Originally Posted by Pop Shot

Really enjoyed that write up. Good to see him carrying a hind quarter too 

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Hah. I knew your story, and he was aware of the shit he copped. He actually volunteered to carry the majority. So its good to see that he actually "gets it" after he has received some stick.

Nice one :)
Good to see Tilly still on her game

Good to hear the young fella can learn and adapt. there's always hope when that's the case :)

I don't think the old girl is too keen to share the limelight when her deer she found :D

Great to see. :)

My two Chch grandsons (2.5 and 4 yrs) just starting to get into outdoors - driving on grandad's lap in the truck up Canterbury rivers etc. Wee bloke found a heap of red 12g shells from the last bunny hunt and says 'road cones grandad, safety cones!' So now every time he pulls out his wee fire engines and police cars there are a heap of shotgun shells round the lounge...
In a year or three we'll have another conversation about those safety cones....... :cool:

Well done. Sounds like the training of this pup is coming along nicely:thumbsup:
I hope GB didn't have to share the same tent as a grumpy old fart snoring and farting all night:D

Creating memories that will last well beyond your time Tahr. Your grandson will recount the rark up fondly when he does the same to his.

Greetings All,
Every Grandboy and Grandgirl should be lucky enough to share time with their Grandparents in the outdoors. In spite of appearances, like non stop texting, they are changed by the experience both in a good way and permanently. Well done Tahr. Hopefully my teenage grandchildren will be over for a visit from Oz once the Covid ho hah has subsided a bit.
Regards Grandpamac.

Great yarn. GD is a real GC

Nice work, training them early is the key

Awesome! At least with the cell phone he was hopefully skiting to his mates about the cool stuff he was doing haha

Good work GD. Next time get GB to gut and get his hands all bloody, then he won't be on his phone ;)

What a team. Well done Tilly, another great find. Good to see a teenager in the outdoors instead of blobbing on tech devices like my boys do too often.

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Originally Posted by Mathias

Good work GD. Next time get GB to gut and get his hands all bloody, then he won't be on his phone ;)

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Good luck getting time on a knife with GD any where near!

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Originally Posted by craigc

Good luck getting time on a knife with GD any where near!

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RUMPY and I nearly came to blows one day..pushing each other OUT OF WAY so we could do knife work....funny as heck both wanting to do it....we "shared " the duty as gentlemen should.....

Glad to see the grandson enjoying the outdoors.That new 223 is looking dangerous for those wallabys tahr

The young fulla looks old enough to get on the knife and do some carrying, who better to teach him than you:cool:

Another good yarn BC. Happy to see Tilly on the mend a bit and out there doing it. Plus the GB looks pretty stoked with himself

Excellent work all round
The very best education a boy can have is how to hunt, camp, and kill shit safely and ethically from an experienced and wise old grandad. Particularly in those formative years when theres so much influence from peers and social media

primo!

GB is very lucky to have a mentor like you. He will always remember your trips years and years from now.

Very very cool