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Rare overnighter produces the goods
With the long weekend thought it was time caught up with my good mate and fellow forum member Pengy.
Decided to take the friday off and if he was keen do a overnighter in a well known spot and try get him a deer and just have a couple days chilling.
He was keen, so told him where to go (lol) and he go down earlier and set up camp and i get there mid afternoon as had some things to organise plus had plans
night before so wasnt going to go to early.
Woke to a great day, and was on the road by 1030am and arrived to find the camp getting organised to a stinking hot day.
Too hot to do much so we just chilled until later where i had a plan to hunt the river flats until dark and Pengy would stake out a couple of clearings which had a fair amount
of sign.
So 5pm i was off, first plan was stalk the bush above some flats and head in further up the valley and see what i can see.
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After leaving the camp the bush wasnt very user friendly where i was heading and the wind was all over the place .
Came to a couple of nice river flats with plenty of sign but the wind was all wrong so i changed plans and headed for some more open bush and with the wind in my favour.
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Wasnt much sign in the bush so after a couple of hours its now after 7pm so i head for the tracks that lead near the flats and head away further from camp and see if i get lucky with a deer heading to the grass.
About 745pm thinking i better start heading back i see a brown, tall shape about 150-170m ahead then it starts moving!
Its a deer, and looks to be a stag of sorts so i get a good rest and wait for it to come into view.
Couple of minutes past and no deer comes into view, wheres it gone? Decide to get up for a look and cant see anything , bugger, it must be in the bush edge.
So i hug the bush to my left so im out of view and head closer to get eyes on him again.
Suddenly, about 100m away the big Spiker walks into view from the side and is heading straight for me. Next thing before im ready he stops as hes seen me.
Darn, not ideal, no time for a rest, hes straight on to me so i just have to take a free standing shot with the 308 from close to 100m.
Line him up, feel it be ok and BOOM, off goes a 165gr Fed Fusion.
For a start, he just stands there, i reload thinking ive missed then he circles, looks wobbly, staggers 20m to some bush and drops.
I can see him moving but hes not getting up and then nothing.
i wait a few minutes, then head over. Im around 50m away, quite gloomy where he is and hes back up on his feet but doesnt look healthy.
He staggers deeper in the bush, with light fading soon i wasnt risking looking for him in the dark so as hes broadside i just get the crosshairs on him and fire another shot that drops him.
Wander over and have a nice spiker down.
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Success. First animal down with the 308 since i changed ammo from the hornady 165gr sst to 165gr Fed Fusions. Found the Hornady not good for bush ranges,
it kills but the animals run(going to fast out of the 24inch barrel and they sf)
First shot wasnt quite on the money but the round travelled the length of the spiker and recovered it about to exit the rump where it broke the back leg.
Mushroomed real well and look like it retained most of its weight.
Lucky didnt lost much meat of that one hind quarter as apart from the bone damage didnt do alot of meat damage in that leg which was good.
By now light is running out, and still have 2 river crossings in the dark to contend with so it was a quick boning out effort and off back to camp.
Got back in one piece after 9pm for a well deserved beer.
Pengy didnt have much joy on his long walk to his lookout and didnt see any deer but we have another look there in the morning.
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Next morning Pengy went for a wander around some flats and i headed for quite a mission, walking a fair bit of ground in another spot.
Saw plenty of sign but couldnt locate a deer and got back close to one and again it was getting darn hot.
My mate didnt see anything either so after so lunch we decided we pack up and head for home as mission was a success.
Hes such a good bugger and set the camp up and organised everything it only seemed right that i gave him alll the meat and was a good couple of days with good company
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