Thread: MEB's 2012 Red Roar - Part 1

5/4/2012
A good feed of porridge and I head off up the opposite face. I find some old deer beds and have a good sneak about but the wind changes direction every ten minutes. I decide to simply gain height and see what happens from there. By about midday I'd reached the ridgetop and had a sit down for lunch. To discover I'd left my water at camp. Arse.

However a North Island Robin joined me




There is a creek head not too far so I decide to head in that direction. I come across a lovely open gut. Wind in my face I give a roar. No reply so I inch around the open gut. Wind changes and sweeps my scent down the gut to a pair of hinds and a fawn who clutter off out of sight. I decide to cover the ground quick and climb the small ridge opposite to see If they have stopped the other side. A few minutes later I peer over the ridge to find the creek head but no deer. I sneak down and find fresh prints heading away. Im pretty thirsty by now so follow the swampy head down to the creek which starts as a waterfall I can't get to safely. I sidle round and find a little bit of fresh sign - probably the two hinds I spooked. The creek now has 10m sheer rock sides so I decide to sneak back towards camp. The wind blowing in every direction still. I arrive back at camp to find Malc already there and Blair and Phil return shortly after me cursing the swirling winds. Gave heaps of roars all day and got one solo reply. Feed of sausage egg and beans, a few yarns and bed.

6/4/2012
I decide to head upstream a fair way and check out a headwater of 3 creeks that flow into the main stream. This will be my last full days hunting of my first fly in roar trip. Im amped up and full of energy and anticipation. Hopefully the stags will roar today. I head upstream following the creek and roaring all the way. I have the left side of the creek and everyone else is downstream or on the right hand side. I get about 1km from camp and hear a reply to one of my roars. It's from the right hand side so I gain some height and give hime a few roars. He replies and gets quite worked up. I gain some more height and give him a few roars. He replies and over him comes another stags roar from about 200m to his left on the same face - the one I can't hunt. Im pumped by this roaring - I've never had a stag roar back at me. I decide to get a bit higher than them and just roar. Im here and it's going off so I might as well enjoy it all and hopefully one of the Lads will get on to one of the roaring Stags. I check my GPS and not far above me is a nob at 1725ft. Which would be the highest I've been all week so off I go. Giving the odd roar and getting replies all the time. I make good passage untill I reach an area of jungle - supplejack central. My instep crampons help but tripping up here on this slope wouldn't be good so out with the GPS and map says less gradient 50m or so to my right where the ridgeline is - I've been too busy roaring and enjoying myself. So I sidle round the face to the ridge and find a game trail. Up I go and 15 mins later I come across a beautiful area.



An old rutting pad, beds and a treee that has been slashed and abused by antlers. The pad and beds appear not recently used but the tree has fresh marks. I decide to let a few roars go and have some lunch. For once the wind is in my favour with a light breeze coming up the face. I give a roar and straight away get replies from3 stags. The original, the contender and one away to my left. Sounds like he's round the crner from the others but can hear my roar. I take a pic or two and have a bite to eat contemplating what to do. Neither original or contender are Blair. Contender covered about 100m in seconds to give his first big challenge and then went back to his creek head. Original appears to be holding a small plateau and doesn't want to move just gets real shitty when challenged. The third is too far away to consider. I think about charging down the hill and giving Original what for to see If he'll come down to me. I've just finished my sarnie when I hear a faint roar from behind. So I let out a big roar and get my 3 replies followed by a reply down and to my left. I unwrap a snack bar and have a munch. A few seconds later a roar comes up the side of my face to my left. Blimey! I leave it a few seconds and reply with a roar. I get a reply that is much closer now. That is no human - it's covered too much hill too quickly. Although it sounds worse than my rubbish roar. I now briefly panic and the hairs on my arms semi stand up. My rifle is two good paces away, my gear is scattered around. I quickly get my wits about me and gather my gear. I back up on my arse to some cover and feed a round up the pipe. I give a roar and straight away get a reply from just out of vision. My heart is in my mouth and I can hear my heart thumping away. I see three ponga's sway and hear movement in the bush. Then a low moan - almost a growl and then silence. I'm electrified. My hairs are standing on end. A few seconds later I notice the wind on my ears. I remain silent for a few more moments and then original stag lets out a roar, follwed by contender. I let out a low moan. No reply from my aggresor. He's gone. Such a nice little bit of bush. I mark it on my GPS.




I stay put for a while, have a drink, give a few roars and reflect on the experience. I then decide Im going to shoot down the hill and rark original up as the day is now passing. So I scoot down the hill for a few hundered feet and then get a roar from my left again. So I reply. Quickly I get a reply but it's familiar. I stay put for a few minutes and give a couple of roars to get the same reply. I decide to move down the slope more to put myself in a more favourable position for both being discovered as a person and also to give me a better arena for a shot If a deer rather than a human appeared. I hear a crack and some noise and decide it's human. Shortly after some blaze shows and I whistle. A whistle back and It's Phil. We have a brief chat and he had heard contender and went for a nose but he shut up.He couldn't hear original and reckoned the 'one round the corner' was well up in a headwater. He hadn't heard my feisty bugger. We head off both towards camp. I hoped to see one more deer or get one more attempt but it wasn't to be. I make camp with a little light left but again the swirling winds ruined the day. Malc was at camp cursing the wind and reported a shot being heard early in the morning. I hadn't heard one and as I'd seen Phil and he didn't mention it it was Blair with either a miss or an animal. It was an animal, another hind on the last day. Meaning some venison for all. The poor bugger was exhausted getting back with the hind quarters and backsteaks.