Still making mistake's ....
I buggered my knee on my last hunt ( walked into a bog in the dark carrying a fallow buck ) so had to hatch another plan from the usual haunts. Teacher only day so Charlie and i set off on the quad to a likely looking area and set up camp. That evening we were hunting into the wind quietly pushing through scrubby mountain country. Half an hour from camp i poked my head around the next bush and there was a deer feeding 80 yds away. I motioned for charlie and he came closer to look. 1 turned into 3 and i offered him the shot. Because it was a standing only shot quartering downhill with no rest he turned it down.
MISTAKE 1 I left the .223 at home and brought the 708 thinking being in open country we might need a longer shot .
MISTAKE 2 Like a plonker I had no patience and just wanted some meat on the deck and hurried my shot . The sound of a hit came back and charlie said the deer lurched at the shot. Confident of a clean kill we wandered down to find it. After looking and looking where we thought it should have been Charlie lets out a yell. The deer which now turns out to be a hind ( and a very sick looking one ) is departing stage left very quickly leaving a solid trail of intestine's to follow.
MISTAKE 3 Identify our target properly. There were 3 deer and i thought i was lined up on the spiker but clearly not. I don't usually shoot pregnant hind's unless I'm desperate for meat. Following in the general direction id gone another 50 meters when I saw it standing there watching me. Boooom clean missed its head and it was off again. This was turning into a cluster fuck quickly. Gave it 5 minutes then begin tracking again. 20 Minutes later here it is laid down on top of a bank. Booom one through the shoulder. Thinking thank god that's over I approach it only to have it get up and go again !
MISTAKE 4 SEE MISTAKE 2 - PATIENCE Tracking again i finally caught up with her and dispatched it with one behind the ear . 4 shot's later and a shot up hind. Great going . I have not had that happen for a long time. My unprecedented run of one shot kills was well and truly over. My head had come back to earth with a thump.
MISTAKE 5 Just because you are using a bigger calibre don't assume it will kill better. Place your shot's.
Anyway the boy was happy we got a deer and the back straps, Eye fillets and back leg's were fine . At 46 im still learning ....
