Thread: Iron Horse

Took the kids away hunting two weeks ago where we took the iron horse which has just been acquired not that we're afraid of walking but it certainly makes life easier and time better spent hunting than walking.

We went into a valley we've never been into before so we got there rather late as I prefer to get into spots in the light especially if its the first time in there.

I was surprised at how much country we covered in such a short time on the quad.

The next day we were up riding again as we headed up valley stopping and glassing as we went with nothing seen so we stopped some where for lunch and a bit of a lunchtime siesta.





For the afternoon we picked a likely looking valley and as we made our way up to the valley entrance above us was a chamois that ran out of some scrub.

After looking at it I figured it was a buck as it was all by himself, he was solid and looked plum fat, his horns went well past his ears.

He would stop and look back and then trot off a few steps which at this point I'd already got set up with the rifle resting on the day bag.

I wasn't sure of the distance as I didn't have time to get the range finder out so I dialed up 300 mtrs on the scope, settled in on him and once he turned broadside as he was facing away from us I let rip with the .284 which polaxed him on the spot.

The kids were ecstatic and so was I as it was our first Chamois together.





Chamois have a special meaning for us as I saw my first ever Chamois when I was living in Austria with my soon to be wife and both of our kids were born in Austria so seeing as Chamois were gifted to NZ by the then Emperor Franz Josef of Austria they hold a special meaning for us.

This is our second trip chasing them together where we came across some young Chamois at the time but nothing worth shooting so we were stoked to have finally shot something worth taking.

As a matter of curiosity I then got the range finder out which read 233 metres and on closer inspection of the shot, it had gone slightly high in the shoulder but it was an instant kill at that.

After a few photos we grabbed the back legs, back straps and yes he certainly was in great condition especially with the good layer of fat on him!

The only thing I forgot to take was a tape measure with me so we were guessing how big the horns were... I estimated around the 9 inch mark give or take a little and sure enough when I got home it was 9 inch on the dot.

We stayed another night in the hut before travelling out the next morning and heading home where I've cleaned up the head and the meat is at the butcher getting made into salamis so we'll see how that tastes as I've never had chamois salami.

The head will eventually go on the wall sitting next to my 10 inch chamois buck.