Thread: Third time lucky

I haven't posted on here much lately and I had a good weekend in the hill just passed so I thought I'd do a little write up.

I knocked off early on Friday and headed south for a quick overnighter in the Kaimais. I was trying a new area that had showed some promise, but in 2 hunts I still hadn't manage to pin down a deer, but with hinds back under the bead now fawns are old enough to be weaned, you could say my chances had doubled.

The first afternoon I spent glassing a few slips but with the recent lack of rain any grass on them had turned brown and they didn't seem to hold much hope. 8pm rolled by so I descended into the creek below to make camp before nightfall. Crashing my way through the bush a hind bursts out from in front of me It barked at me for a while and I closed the gap to probably 50m, but it moved off eventually and with the fading light, I found a flat (read bumpy) spot to pitch my tent.

The next morning I was stalking my way along a spur by the time the light was just making its way through the canopy. Sign was sparse on the spur but according to the map there was a nice little gully to drop into afterwards. This gully formed a low point that would make passing between two catchments easy and I was picking there would be a bit of deer traffic through it and if not, then at least it was some good shelter. As I descended into the gully the bush opened out into what made some great stalking. Sure enough, I spotted some movement which on a closer look turned out to be a hind sticking its head out to have a nosy its visitor. Quick up with the rifle and I gave her one. The head was the only thing in view so a little hunter's censorship in this photo:



It felt good to secure my first kill of the year and solidify my suspicions of the potential for the area. The missus bought me a mincer for Christmas so I lugged all the meat out so I really had something to put this machine through its paces. My shoulders are killing me today

So in short, I'm still alive, and while I haven't been too busy on here, I've still been just as busy out there

Good work mate

Nice man! Haven't had a play in the kaimais yet. Full freezer to start the year out proper

Good work phill ,hope that bloody Rushy doesn't use you as bag boy next time you catch up. Edit.. the fancy luggage carrier in the city,I don't know the correct word

Originally Posted by Dundee

Good work phill ,hope that bloody Rushy doesn't use you as bag boy next time you catch up. Edit.. the fancy luggage carrier in the city,I don't know the correct word

Punkawallah......

Brilliant Phil, the hard yards in the 'deerless Kaimais' has paid off, well done bud.....

Well done on the Mrs I mean deer

Got to admire your persistence Philipgr. Was the hind wet??. It is still a little early for the fawns to be weaned depending very much on which month they were born.

They can turn out runty and will carry their fawn spots for many months longer than normal. I have seen them shot by hunters and they looked like scruffy handbags. A couple of hunters claimed they had shot two sika on Black Hill near Ruahine Corner Hut when we were camped there. After a argument with us the animals were both identified as miss mothered red fawns.

This is not me being critical by the way. This is the sort of knowledge you tuck away until you see the animal on the ground and you say I know what has happened here.

Rushy and the crew were telling me that you are developing into a fine hunter and so I hope we share a campfire one day.

Good stuff, not easy country to stalk through.

Originally Posted by stug

Good stuff, not easy country to stalk through.

Yeah looks like he stumbled on a huge clearing in the pic

Originally Posted by Graeme Sturgeon

Got to admire your persistence Philipgr. Was the hind wet??. It is still a little early for the fawns to be weaned depending very much on which month they were born.

They can turn out runty and will carry their fawn spots for many months longer than normal. I have seen them shot by hunters and they looked like scruffy handbags. A couple of hunters claimed they had shot two sika on Black Hill near Ruahine Corner Hut when we were camped there. After a argument with us the animals were both identified as miss mothered red fawns.

This is not me being critical by the way. This is the sort of knowledge you tuck away until you see the animal on the ground and you say I know what has happened here.

Rushy and the crew were telling me that you are developing into a fine hunter and so I hope we share a campfire one day.

Cheers for the input Scribe. The hind was dry which felt good to know once it was on the ground. Rushy had mentioned to me that he used to wean his fawn at 8 weeks on the farm, so if the fawns drop mid to late November, they should be in the clear by now. That being said, you do get late fawns (probably more common in the bush than on the farm?) and it couldn't hurt to give the hinds a few more weeks.

I look forward to that too, mate.

Yip good one Phillip. The deer are certainly out and about at the min. I have had a few eaters recently as well. Good pics.

Nicely done Phillip. You put in the hard yards and we're rewarded. I too will be getting back into the deer soon and am looking forward to it.

Good work bro!

Well done. A mincer is the bee's knees phil, I just got one and made a heap of patties from a young stag I got, Bloody nice.