6 Attachment(s)
Tikka 284, Jollie Thar, Cold Hut, Dragonfly, Trout and Pain
The Tikka 284 was calling again for a walk. It needed a feed so I loaded up some 162s for Thar and another 20 140 Ballistic tips for Wallaby and Fallow deer. My son wanted to go skiing so we headed down to Tekapo and I planned a walk up the Jollie for a quick overnighter while he went off with a friend. It had snowed heavily and was -6 overnight in Tekapo so was looking a cold trip. I had recently got a Macpac Dragonfly 400 sleeping bag off trade me to replace my 25 year old half bag from Kathmandu, and I was nervous this could be a bit hard a test for a lightweight bag. I had always wanted to get up to Green Point hut for a look so once he left for Roundhill in the morning, I grabbed some food from the Tekapo supermarket and drove to the Jollie carpark to be greeted by 4 other trucks. I busted up to Jollie Hut and dropped in to see 3 sleeping bags so filled in the hut book and headed up valley following fresh footsteps.
Attachment 256433
I met a couple of nice guys at First Creek and continued up the flats to the first bluffs past second creek where another two hunters were descending down the snowy face. I waited for a yarn and they had missed a few Thar with possible rifle issues. I kept walking upriver and spotted a few thar low on the cold side but they disappeared into scrub by the time I closed the gap. There was sign galore in the snowy riverbed so I took off my scope cover in case some action came quick. The Tikka knew something was up, and while looking high into the bluffs with the Binos where I had spotted a young bull I caught movement to my right. Unbelievably a mob of about 15 Thar climbed out of the river bed in front of me and filed along toward the base of the hill. I crept about 100m down to a bank in the river and put down my daypack and chambered a round. No bulls, so I lined up on a bigger Nanny and boom - thump it dropped. I dropped another and they climbed so I got a quick range and dropped another then the 3 shot mag was empty. I chambered a few more while they climbed and when ready again they were 280 yards so I clicked up the old VX3 and had an awkward shot that thumped but I couldn’t see the Thar drop. I only had 10 rounds so decided to stop shooting and climbed up for a look. I found a couple but decided to check out the last one which left a blood trail but it leapt up and ran when I saw it, so shot 5 sorted it out. It had been hit too far back the first time and to be honest the 162 ELDx seem a bit hard for smaller animals.
Attachment 256434
Attachment 256435
Shooting position and couple of Nanny’s
A quick can of Creamed Rice had my energy back and I thought I’ll grab some meat on the way back down valley as they were not going to get too warm. Back on track I headed up river again and saw the odd Thar on the way and spotted the last 2 just before arriving at Green Point Hut. The hut was very clean and tidy - a few dead mice in the traps which I cleared and reset and best of all an old sleeping bag left behind which meant I wasn’t going to freeze.
Attachment 256437
Greenpoint Hut
Dropping some gear in the hut, it was getting late and temp dropping so I rugged up and went further upstream and crossed over to the first decent creek on the true right. As I climbed up I spotted the first proper Bull at 350 yards away and it climbed up some bluffs with his nanny’s to look down on me. He wasn’t fully mature so I left him alone.
Attachment 256439
Bull on ridge if zoom in
I was knackered from walking in snow so headed back to the hut on dark, filled up some water and cooked a freeze dry. Not much to do in the dark so I took off my boots and got some dry socks on and jumped in the new sleeping bag with long John’s and thermal top. I was actually amazed I had a reasonable sleep in such a light bag and didn’t need to use the spare one at all. By 10pm I had to get up for a comfort stop and the water bottle was frozen solid so It was well under zero degrees.
In the morning everything including my boots and Gaitors were frozen solid. I put them on and sacrificed my dry socks but was planning to just walk out. I had gloves, jacket and balaclava to start but warmed up after waking a bit. I was hopeing to catch a red deer out on the flats but no luck and made good progress to a spring creek I knew held trout. It was much smaller than last time I’d been, but had some cracker fish ready for summer.
Attachment 256440
I kept waking to the old 4WD track where things went backward. I tried to jump a deep creek which I could have just waded and bump, I dislocated my left knee. I thought it might be EPIRB time, but in significant pain I managed to get it partially back into joint so that I could hobble. After 200m of walking I stopped and pulled it harder and it clicked in further but still not 100%. I have no ACL in this knee and it’s happened before but never this bad. I walked out past Jollie hut, spoke to a keen young fella who had been up above first creek and was walking out soon, so felt better help was available and made it to the road end seeing plenty of wild Fallow Deer (but on Mt Cook Station side so off limits) on the way. Hopefully the knee is better in a few days as I have some easier Fallow and Wallaby hunting lined up…..
The Jollie is a nice easy valley to access if you’re willing to walk. It clearly gets some pressure, but the animals are there. Just take some warm clothes and look after your knees…..
