Thread: New Year Party

Wife is in the UK for a few weeks so I had a free pass. So it was off to the Kawekas chasing Sika for 2 days and 3 nights.

I had a great spell of weather save for a brief evening thunder storm which soon passed, and brought out the deer who seem to like some dressing on their salad.

I saw 9 deer, spooked a couple I didn't see and got whistled at by heaps more. They came within 25 yards of my camp at night whistling away and one night I had one in my torch.

Its been a great feed year so they all looked in pretty good order compared with the the condition they usually look to be in. They are out at some strange times of the day at the moment scoffing the Tute and soft feed.

I shot one at 11am the last day of the year 325 yards down a hell hole of a gully - a fat 2 year hind. I took a pic of its dry udder to send to my sons, because they give me shit if I can't prove the hinds I shoot are dry The 300saum with 150 grn Barnes was a bit over kill so as you can imagine it just poll axed it. The damage from the Barnes wasn't excessive though and I retrieved one of the shoulders. The next morning there was another one grazing within 25 yards of the gut bag, quite unconcerned. It was safe because I didn't intend to do the trip down and back for a second time.

I missed a couple, which without sounding cocky was unusual. One spiker Tilly winded me down to in the scrub and we got to within 30 yards of it. It gave a squeak and dashed across an opening and even as I pulled the trigger I knew I hadn't given it enough lead. Tilly confirmed the miss with disgust.

The other miss was after the thunder storm and my scope was wet and foggy - the 2 cross hair thing. I could just see this 4 pointer's head and neck poking out of the scrub at 280 yards and it was acting like it had seen me. I rushed the attempted neck shot shot instead of cleaning the lens and taking my time. So another miss. Tilly bit my ankle.

New Years Eve Tilly and I sat around the fire singing.

It was a good trip although I found it pretty tough on the old bod. Trying too hard to be young I think. Quite a bit of sleeping going on now I'm home.

Pics:

Here's the gully I had to go to the bottom of to retrieve the deer. Took me an hour to come back up. It would have been over 30 degrees and because it was meant to be a morning hunt and back to the camp by 9am I didn't have any water, Bugger, and silly. The GPS said that it was 1000 feet in elevation from the top to the bottom.

[Pics are mucked up, will post this one later when the site or my computer behaves]

This is Tilly singing away with me on New Years Eve...







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