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Sika, Falcons, F$&kups, and a few Trout
I needed a few kms under the belt to prepare for a wapiti trip and my son was working in forestry in Hawkes Bay with a few contacts. The 284 Tikka was itching for a run.
We met on Friday evening at a forestry gate and drove into the block. Straight away we spotted a couple of falcons calling and circling around each other which was great to see. We also soon stalked into a couple of trophy Billy Goats in a small mob that we left alone (but he nailed them this weekend). The grassy slips left from cyclone Gabriel were one positive from that storm but nothing was spotted in the planned spots, so we went bush hunting down toward a big river with good native guts. I spotted a deer looking shape near a small clearing about 100 m away facing us, and the Binos confined it was a sika hind so my son grabbed the 284 and go a rest and let rip with a good thwack. It wobbled around, and then ran into some pines but a short track found it dead. I tried to show him how to gut a deer but the bullet had demo’ed everything in the chest so it was legs and back steaks in the end. The 162ELDX are a bit hard for smaller Sika. On the drive out in the dark we saw two massive Sika stags but they were safe for now as hunting after dark is not allowed in this area.
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Next day we were up early for a breakfast pie and coffee and away to another block. We spooked a few deer in the morning mist while driving though the block (they don’t stand and look at vehicles so must get hammered), then parked up and went for a stalk to some good clearings. I came around a corner and my son was stopped, and I spotted a Sika stag looking at us. It was about 70yrds away (measured after) and I lay down, wasting some time and just got the crosshairs on it when it bolted and I took a running shot, missing in my rushing state. Pretty annoyed as I should have shot it standing, and the shot also stuffed up the good clearings which had plenty of sign but were empty.
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We pulled out after a bush hunt, and went and checked the scope on my son’s rifle (Tikka 308 16inch) which was spot on 1inch high at 100 so he was happy as he thought it might have been knocked. He does have Optilocks rings which are very reliable, and the Burris Droptime scope is nice and simple. We spotted another two Falcon and then a third came in with a bird in its claws (assume it was mum). I was watching in my Binos as one of the other falcons circled around it like acrobatics and the mum threw the dead bird in the air and the young falcon flipped upside down while flying and caught it mid-air and flew back to a tree to eat it. Mum must be training then. I report all these sightings to Dave Bell at the NZ Falcon website.
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Then we did a big mission down to the river for a fish and managed to catch a few small rainbows. We also spotted a few deer (Reds and Sika) on a neighbouring block that were easily shootable but would mean loss of job and not worth getting in trouble.
That evening we went to a high vantage point to glass and soon spotted a cracking Red stag among a mob of 10 deer about 1km away and hatched a plan which involved a big walk to get around and above them. The stag was the start of our trouble, as we stalked in we saw a few sika deer on some slips but we had the stag fever so left them alone and they climbed up to haunt us later….it was a decent mission and part way up we glimpsed the stag and he was in the same place so the hunt was on. About 100m from the planned ambush place we bumped the Sika from earlier - and one stood side on at about 30 yards. Should I shoot it my son said - nah leave it I whispered, and then it barked loudly and ran off causing chaos. A spiker then popped over above us and same conversation - nah the stag might be there, and it squealed and ran off. F£€k it I said, shoot the next deer we see, and a Sika stag appeared though some trees so my son had a crack standing and I thought it wobbled, but despite popping out to see all the reds had gone, we went back and searched hard and couldn’t find the stag and just ended up with nothing !! Now I know about the saying “a bird in the hand” as when I was his age hunting to get a deer was so hard you just shot anything that stood still…..back home very late with nothing but memories, but still a fun day.
The next day I drove home but stopped at the Mohaka for a good fish and managed to land and release a nice brown and a few smaller rainbows. Definitely feeling fitter and a pretty good weekend in some new country.
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