Thread: Roar hunt

I had my first hunt for this roar with a couple of mates last night and this morning.

I got onto 3 stags this morning that were chasing each other around and roaring a bit. They would answer me, but I couldn’t get them in the ‘scope long enough for a shot. A couple came out onto a clearing for a chase around, but not long enough for a shot. Then one by himself trotted out, roared, and then disappeared again.

I was working my way down to them when one roared another 100 yards around the face, and came out onto a little ridge. I had pre ranged the general area and knew it was about 400 yards, so I quickly sat down with 6.5 resting over a Tawhine bush, lined the 400 yards dot up and let strip. He bolted immediately, and was out of sight in a flash, but I saw him stumble slightly. So I had a fair idea I had got him. I ranged over to where he had been. 429 yards.

He was on the ridge in this pic, just by the Kowhai tree.


It took about an hour to find my way down and across to where he had been. The creek was gorgy with little water falls, which made it difficult to find a way into it. As we crossed the creek Tilly wanted to head down stream, but I pulled her in and told her we had to climb up onto the ridge where I had last seen it. She kept winding back down as I climbed up to the Kowhai tree. There were heavy scuff marks where he had bolted over the side and we soon found blood. Tilly was keen but I kept her in ’til ‘bout half way down to the creek. When I released her there was silence for a minute or so, and then a bark and the rattle of stones in the creek. There were scuff marks all of the way down, and I soon found the stag where it had tipped over a 6 foot bank into the creek. Tilly had been right all along. It was still alive, so I gave it a mercy shot in the neck to finish its misery.

The 140 grn SST had hit it low in the chest and had angled through to the opposite back leg.

Here’s a vid:

Roar Stag - YouTube



I set too to butcher the stag and to get its head off, and then with a heavy load I worked my way back the way I had come. It took a couple hours to get to a place where I could dump my load and wait for my mates to call on the hand held radio to say that they had finished their hunt (they had got a pig), and they were heading around to give me hand. I was a bit buggered, but I had had an amazing time doing what I like best. Incidentally, I have now shot an 11 pointer for each of the last 3 roars. Maybe a 12 is just around the next corner.

Nice stag for the roar, happy hunting

mean! do you eat the stags in the roar? I mean I eat all my deer but iv never got a stag in the roar and an old guy once told me a stag in the roar tastes like shit.

Cheers for the video , nice work for an old fulla

Originally Posted by bully

mean! do you eat the stags in the roar? I mean I eat all my deer but iv never got a stag in the roar and an old guy once told me a stag in the roar tastes like shit.

They get a bit rank later on, but this guy was still fat and not very piss stained so I think he will be fine. His meat looks beautiful.
If they get too stinky they are best mixed with mutton or something and made into small goods. The stags will lose a lot of condition over the next 3 weeks.

Well done Tahr and Tilly, great wee dog you have there thanks for the write up and video. What part of the country were u in , Ureweras ,Ruahines etc?

nice animal I had an 18 pointer walk out in front of me last October only about 15 yards away, unfortunately didn't get a shot

We'll done Tahr. Excellent result. There is still time for a 12 this season so good luck with that.

Cool, big ups for Tilly and a great find.

Good luck with a 12, thats a nice 11 with a good tale to tell and heap of meat for the freezer, bloody good result.

Cheers

Dino

Well done Bruce and Tilly, it is a lovely spot in there, the guy across the road from me has the property that backs onto it.

Good stuff! Tilly knows her stuff.

That's a nice rite up Tahr.bloody dry clearings around at the moment that's for sure.nice heads on both those animals are you going to paint them blue and red and sell them for copious amounts of money on tard me.do you think you will be able to put tilly out of action long enough to get her in pup?

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Buggered if I could find the Kowhai tree , great result

Originally Posted by moonhunt

Buggered if I could find the Kowhai tree , great result

Me either! But nice write Tahr...

Originally Posted by moonhunt

Buggered if I could find the Kowhai tree , great result

Its a bit scraggly. Centre of the short clear spur, very slightly off the top.