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So very close, but still no Cigar.
Having had a couple of cancelations at work which freed a couple of weekdays up I decided a quick couple of days in the bush, and another chase of that ever elusive first deer was in order.
Armed with a comfy new pack, and the lessons learned from the last excursion I set off.
Having leant my bivy to a mate for a hiking trip I needed a hut for shelter and so the easy decision was made and up at sparrows in auckland had me heading down towards Poronui and on to the Oamaru.
About 10 minutes into the stroll a freindly bee keeper by the name of Dennis picked me up and dropped me right down by the river. Quick walk up to the hut, drop some gear and I was off up the Kaipo a bit for an explore/hunt by 10 30.
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Had a crunch around in the bush for a while, not finding much in the way of sign and what I did find was fairly old, so the decision was made to move a bit faster and cover some more ground, no sooner had I started moving faster I was treated to a flash of white and some crashing as I spooked my first of the trip. I spent the rest of the day wandering faces before coming down and sitting on the river until dusk watching a few grassy bit and the opposite face, not much action that avo, but I was probably a bit close to the hut.
Cool camp/biv on the other side of the river:
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Next day had me up well before dawn to check a couple of spots I had spooked deer last time out, The wind wasn't playing the game going from still, to in your face, to up your butt every few minutes or so. The mossy stuff at least made it possible to move around quietly so I continued up coming into a clearing/small valley that looked well used and had plenty of sign around. I decided to take a seat and watch for a bit, so found a good vantage point with the wind in my face (for now) and was rewarded with a grazing/crunching sound coming steadily toward me after only about 2 minutes.
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Sure enough a hind and a yearling (I think) were feeding down the middle of that scrubby valley always obscured in the brush; rifle up but no shot only a patch of hide, a flick of ear or a foot could be seen. I watched from about 30m for roughly 10 minutes, which felt like hours as they slowly worked down the bank towards clear ground, never offering a shot whilst I was busy telling myself to wait for the yearling and not shoot at that un indentified patch of hide.
Waiting till they got out in the open. They were about 2 m from breaking through and the bloody wind died, SHIT! next thing a single puff from behind was all that was needed to send both scuttling at ward speed 7 back up the scrub valley. after a few cursewords(well more than a few) and an attempted stalk after the yearling, I moved on. Found plently of deer that day but the swirling wind and cornflakes meant they always had the jump on me, and I only got treated to barks and crashing bush as they retreated.
I climbed up to the tops to see if the air was more consitent up there but the sign died out and I got bluffed out before spending the rest of the late afternoon navigating off the bloody mountain.
Back to the hut absolutely knakered and a bit frustrated before being up at sparrows the next moring to get back to reality and dream of what almost was.
Couple of what I think of as deery type spots:
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