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Trip to the top of Thompsons
Having driven past to go hunting elsewhere countless times, last Friday evening my jock mate (and fellow forum member) AndrewH and I headed down to Thompsons track for the very first time. I had read in another thread earlier in the year that Spook lived at the end of Thompsons Road so I contacted him prior to going down to get the good oil on where to park my car and where to poke my nose when I got to the top.
As it turned out, Spook's generosity knows no limitations and he allowed me to park the car behind a locked gate on his property and then transported Andrew and I at least three quarters of the way to the top (probably further if the truth was known) in and on his ute. On the way up we solved the problems of the world as only two old fellah's that have just met can and then he gave me the heads up on where to go and what to look out for. Thanks for that Spook.
Once dropped off where Thompsons track connects to the North South track, the two of us said our goodbyes to Spook and boosted it to the top (well as much as an overweight old fart like me and a jock without a kilt can boost) getting to a likely looking camp spot just on dark.
With headlamps glowing we pitched camp and after a quick bladder empty, hit the hay.
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I need to fess up to the old soldiers on here that I was so keen to get in the fart sack that when I woke in the morning I realised that I had pitched my hootchie upside down. Yeh I know that will cost me a few beers. Any we were up early for breakfast and headed out for a hunt aiming to get to a basin / clearing that Spook had told me of before dawn.
As dawn broke, we found ourselves in low cloud cover (excellent I though to myself as the deer will feel safe and hang around a bit) but the pisser was that the wind was blowing like forty bastards and swirling as well.
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As night became day and for some time after there were no deer seen and certainly no shots fired and it became obvious that the top was very dry and at least where we were there had not been any recent deer activity so the decision was made to slip off the side into the bush in a couple of different places for a stalk.
For you fellah's that have never been up there let me say "fuck it is thick in there" (with shit loads of supplejack)! Let me also say that at this time of year in the middle of drought like conditions "fuck it is noisy in there".
At one point toward the middle of Saturday, hunting became less of a priority than finding a source of water (without having to hoof it too far off the side) Found a trickle (and that is all I ever really need to find)
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Cutting to the chase, we staked out the basin / clearing again on dusk but again nothing showed so no deer even seen for the weekend up there but we did get to see some amazing views all the way over Tauranga and Mount Maunganui and across the Waikato and Hauraki plains.
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Self portrait of the Rushy on the way down
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And the jock with out a kilt
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Being quick to learn, Rushy will be back up there when the spring flush happens later this year.
