Thread: Trip Report 2 - Solo Mission

• Got approval from the fam to head out for 3 nights and 3 days solo
• Goals: Explore a new part of a block, shoot a deer with the 223 for the thread :thumbs-up: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....23-deer-64884/
• Got Friday off work
• Finished work, drove to block, walked 18km to camp
• Arrived in dark
• Somehow I reset my new phone (after destroying my last one on the last trip) and because of having no reception, the time got changed to some random time on 1st Jan
• Woke up at some point in the dark, no idea of the time
• Felt good, rested enough, boots on, packed stuff, bashed way up hill
• Foggy, cold, good
• After 50 vertical meters, cooking hot, glasses fogged
• Kept climbing
• Punched through fog
• Moon bright above, fog like ocean waves
• This is living!
• Kept walking, getting light
• Hit 1000m started to hear hind and fawn
• Watch and wait, too cute to shoot
• Kept going, hit 1300m
• Look over ledge, yearling feeding across basin
• Perfect sniper spot, flat bench, stable rest, no wind
• New stow-it jacket for rear-rest
• Range, dial, 73gr ELD-M loaded and ready
• Breathe, squeeze, bang, deer rolling, then lodged in bush
• Made gun safe, packed up stuff
• Traversed, found deer (far easier than that bloody pig from 2 weeks ago!!!) https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....report-112027/
• Made coffee, took photos, enjoyed view and enjoyed the accuracy of that little Elude 223, what a rifle!
• Heard a hind and fawn nearby, went for a look 10m around the bend to see if I could take a photo
• Hear something behind me, turn back, where's the deer, the rifle... my pack?
• Deer came dislodged and bowled my stuff down the hill, dumb mistake, will never put stuff below deer again!
• Neck-shot, took all 4 legs and straps
• Butchery done, new technique, no hair or crap on the meat, niiiice
• Heavy pack! What the hell.
• Stashed pack in shade, went for a walk for an hour, stunning morning
• Descend and spent the day back at camp boning out meat, eating, drinking water, drinking more water, and swimming.
• This is living!
• Headed back to civilisation in the morning before it got too hot
• Long walk, heavy pack
• Back at home with the fam a day early, everyone happy, more veni
• Back at work
• Missing the bush already