Recently my nephew and I headed south for a hunt with me old mate Top of the South (Rod) chasing Wallabies , Deer and a Tahr or two.
After a long trip we headed for our hunting area the next day. A quick stop at Geraldine to say hi to Micky Duck and have a cuppa, great to catch up with you Milky now I know who I am talking to on the forum.
Another mandatory stop at Fairlie for one of their famous pies ... pretty good too.
Early afternoon we had camp set up and went out for a quick look to get the lay of the land so to speak. Neil and Rod decided to head further down the ridge and I was going to go back up one of the gullies for some Wallaby control. When the boys were about 300 yards away I noticed a mob of Fallow about 2km away so managed to flag them down and they decided to have a closer look.
My afternoon was interesting shooting wallabies and the odd rabbit. I was using my 22 250 with 55 gr BT's and this worked a treat. My first Bennet Wallaby was shot at a mere 10 yards. But by the afternoon end I had scored one at 383 yards ( non dial up scope on my 250) so was pleased with that shot.
9 Wallabies and 6 rabbits for the afternoon.
The boys arrived back at camp just after dark shortly after me having had a successful hunt with Neil shooting his best to date Fallow buck at 475 yards with his 7 mm Rem Mag.
In the morning they went of to collect the buck while i did another hunt up behind camp and netted another 6 wallabies and some more rabbits. It was great fun shooting the 250 at a bit of range on the rabbits , several parted company to several body parts when hit.
The boys seen several more bucks on their travels but these were left in peace.
In the afternoon we drove to another spot and split forces and gave the wallabies and rabbits a bit of a hurry up, By evening we had a total of just over 60 wallabies and about 15 rabbits. The rabbits were causing serious damage to the hillsides with some areas bare dirt.
We decided that the next day was going to be looking for a tahr. In the morning we broke camp then headed into Tekapo for a few supplies then on up to the McCauley. for a hunt.
Walking in at lunchtime under a cloudless sky was pretty darn hot but we got there, some a bit quicker than others, thanks Rod.
We set up our tents then went for a wee walk to glass some bluffs and valleys. It wasn't long before we started seeing Tahr, I stayed a little lower down and glassed and Rod and Neil carried on up a short way more. Shortly after I seen Neil getting set up for a shot and then the 7mm Mag boomed and the boys disappeared into a tussocky gully.
I kept glassing and ended with a count of 25 animals. The boys arrived back down at my spot not long before dark and showed me pictures of the bull Neil had shot , a very nice 12 incher which was chasing a nanny about when he got it . It was in the most accessible spot we could have hoped for.
The bull was left there gutted for me to go back up and headskin for Neil the next morning. We still had a little light left so we glassed a bit and Neil picked up a group which we got within 475 yards of so Rod and I took a shot and both connected but both the animals slid into a shingle gutter on a bluff and were not able to be retrieved.
The following morning we headed up to the bull where I started head skinning while Rod and Neil clambered up to the top of the bluffs and into a nice valley only to have a helicopter cruise in at the most inappropriate time.
I finished the caping and headed down to camp and finished doing the head, finishing as the boys arrived back. We decided to head out as we couldn't leave the head skin without salt in the hot conditions so we packed up and about 2 hours later were back at Rods truck.
We had to stop at the Pie shop in Farlie again and then we dropped in to see Micky Duck but he wasn't about so he missed out on a leg of venison.
Once back at Rod's we rebooked on an earlier sailing and got back home a day earlier than planned. Was a great trip and sure will try and get back one soon.
I tried to post pictures a while back and it wouldn't and it's the same now , sorry will try again later.
