Thread: My roar and more part 2

During the first week of my trip there was no roars heard so even though I had shot a stag I still hadn't achieved my goal of a roaring kaimai stag so after easter it was off to spot no.2
Day 1, left home early and had a nice crusty walk to the hut. This time I had the hound with me so he winded a few animals on the walk in but nothing was seen. Heard a few wapiti bugling on the border farms which was cool and at one point heard a bugle/roar which sounded like a hybrid on the public land side of the fence. Got to the hut and spent the next 3 hours cutting firewood luckily there was a few dropped trees already dry and a fair bit of dry dead fall too. In the arvo my mate crafty arrived to join me. He had told our other mate "since peewoks has already shot a stag he will be my guide and get me onto one" so the pressure was on haha. We set out for a late evening stalk toward a big clearing so he walked out in front and I guided him through some point of interest on the way. Halfway to the clearing we were almost on a smaller swampy clearing and crafty jumped across a stream, i followed and turned around to get my dog moki across quietly. When i turned back crafty had his rifle in his shoulder and looking through the scope. BOOM the 30-06 went off and a second later i see it's intended victim running or its life into the bush, a small stag. Crafty turns around with disbelief on his face and says "I missed!" Bugger. Carried on to the clearing but ha no luck there. At least his guide had given him a crack at a stag so far.
Day 2, up early and we had a long walk to a wallow I had found last year with beautiful open surrounding bush and the perfect ridge to stalk a roaring stag. As we go up the the wallow on top of the ridge we heard our first roar of the year, and it wasn't too far away. A couple of minutes later another roar went off, this time much closer. I told crafty this ones yours so I sat back in cover with moki and let out a roar. There was an instant reply as crafty dissapeared into the Bush in its direction. For the next half and hour or roar I roared back and forth with the stag and he was getting really fired up until it all came down to him getting within 25m of me. I could see the bushes moving where he was just not him. Then just like that it all went quiet. I was thinking fuck he mustve seen me or the dog or winded us. Them boom the 30-06 rang out from 50m away. I moved in and found crafty with a grin on his face and a stag on the ground. After it had shut up he continued stalking to where he had seen it dissapear and got to a point where he saw its ass as it was lying own behind 2 trees. And then he saw its head between the 2 trees staring at him and headshot it.

A small 4 pointer. Crafty butchered it and I went off to hunt the rest of the day, which was uneventful
Back at the hut for tea and a roaring fire crafty said I've found the honey hole for you an its handy to the hut
Day 3, after a late wake up we headed off the craftys honey hole. On the way saw 2 Hinds cross the track in front of us so had a quick stalk but pulled out to carry on climbing up the last ridge crafty said on the other side of this ridge in the valley below Is where I heard 3 stags roaring. At the top of the ridge just before we crested it we bumped a stag and it took off into the bush so I thought might as well have a look for it so started tracking with moki but as soon as I got to where it had been I started hearing that beautiful sound of a stag roaring down the valley, followed by another from a different stag, and another, and another, and another! After a while it became clear there was 4 different stags roaring and someone further down the valley with an electric caller. We dropped down as headed the opposite direction from where the other person/people were and after a while go to a spot I would stalk in on one of the stags 200m ahead of us and crafty would stay where he was and roar. I only made it 50m before I heard crafty. And seconds later a reply came from my left probably only 30m away. The wind was going straight in that direction so I thought bugger I wont even bother I'll just carry on with my plan. A minute later I hear sticks breaking and another roar from the same direction so look over to see a stag charging towards where crafty was and stop. I leaned out past the tree In my way and gave him a 308 in the shoulder for his troubles. To my suprise he dropped on the spot. I walked the 20m over to him and he was still very much alive and kicking so gave him a pill in the neck. Turns out my shoulder shot and gone high and taken out his spine. Moki had been a bit to keen on the thrashing stag and got a hoof to the head for his keenness so was a bit wary when I tried to get a photo



Finally had my goal of a roaring kaimai stag. Only a 5 point scrubber but I was stoked. Quartered it up and we carried it back to the hut for another roaring fire and venny steaks

Day 4, since we both had a lot of meat to carry out and things to do at home we decided to bug out a day early so spent the morning boning our stags out and then slowly walking back to the carpark with a few rests on the way



The more, since that last trip I have only had 1 quick hunt on private land before this weekend so with it free I decided to hit the kaimanawas to see if I could conjour up a sika. Left home at 4, reached a spot I had looked at on the map and set up camp by 11, had some lunch and went for a stalk. It had been raining all day so far but at about 1 it finally stopped as I was hunting my way down a ridge. Got the end of a nice deer trail and heard a noise, looked ahead and identified a deer neck and shoulder in a gap between a tree and some bush. Lifted and loaded the 223 and looked down the scope and it was all a blur. Quickly gave it a rub with my shirt and it was a bit better, crosshairs on neck and bang flop, sika hind on deck at 9 metres

Carried her back up the ridge to camp and skinned and quartered her up. As I was doing this one of her buddies walked into my camp and started squealing its head off. Once I was done I went and got some water and thought fuck if I'm quick I could be back down to the track before dark the walk to my ute and drive home to my comfy bed. So I was quick. Back home just after 10 for a kip. Boned out the legs today and shit she was In good condition over 1cm of fat on her ribcage and heaps on her back legs
Told crafty and his response "tin arse"
Enjoy
Peewoks

Your all good for venison well done.

Well done fantail. Thanks for the write-up and photos.

Good work mate! Nice stalk on that Sika, can't beat getting in close and personal. Congrats on the first roaring stag - it's always quite a buzz getting close when they're roaring!