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Waiting..... An Indicating Dog on Point tale
Please only proceed if you have an interest in indicating dogs, as I promise much related nerdery in this tale.
I’d been on a bit of a flat run to be honest on the hunting front over the last few months. Kai had been brilliant as usual, but I just wasn’t up to par. Late last year I spun out and flipped my beloved Hilux on the Napier-Taupo. I walked out, along with 4 teenage boys and the dog, alive. But White Rhino (the colour and pedigree of the Hilux) - she’d sacrificed every single panel in saving our lives, after the back left tyre had spun out after rain at 100km on a downhill bend. All I can say is invest in great tyres and go a steel cab if you are getting one. A suspected cracked c1 turned out to be nothing after sitting very still in a neck brace for two weeks. But, suffice to say, the next two hunts, my hunt fitness and to be honest, my mind weren't if you can excuse the pun “on point”.
With the roar just over a month away the training and painful diet work commenced early January. The real trick to building hunting fitness I have found, is to go hunting. So off Kai and I set, to our local for an overnighter. The heat was just draining, and I found my mind drifting off to spearfishing for the piggies of the sea - Giant Boarfish. But that’s for next week. My mind wandering, Kai drew me back to the present, as he indicated off piste, at the top of a ridge. The combination of cicadas in full chorus and the gentle wind provided some sense of cover, as I pulled in behind Kai and indicated forward. We were on.
We gingerly weaved through the thick for probably 20 metres down the side of the ridge, my full backpack catching on supplejack. Kai locked up and gave me “the look” which screamed “there’s one here Dad”. It took me a good couple of minutes to navigate the supplejack to pull in directly behind in three steps in front. He was anchored solidly beside a large tree, and stared straight ahead, anxiously peering back at me. I guess we all face those moments, we just stare into the jungle mass, and see absolutely nothing. But, one thing I have learned in the last year is sit tight, sit dead still, even take a seat on the ground so you can do this, and wait, and wait, and wait some more. Then wait some more. You get the picture. For 10 minutes we waited. I would catch myself scratching my nose or moving my limbs in totally unnecessary ways. Dumb dumb dumb. Be still. Stop fidgeting. For an active hunter who loves to move, this is the hardest part. “Go slow to go fast” they say apparently. Sit tight.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I resisted the increasing urge to step in front of him and take to battle. I just couldn’t make out the deer. Kai resisted my gesture to move forward, he was solidly anchored. Good. That’s okay. I know we are on. We both stared straight ahead. Just when my mind started to drift, a movement 90 degrees to our right. A yearling moving directly towards us at 6 paces. I raised the red dot, leveling on its chest and pressed the trigger on the Browning lever action. A solid hit. Off it ran to the right, and concentrating, I heard it move back to the left. Maybe there are a couple? I quickly chambered another round. And sat down. And waited. Then waited. Then waited some more. Ten minutes in fact. I timed it. Painful. Seems to be the only way to stop the urge to go and get the deer, and possibly put it up.
Well, as it turned out, it wasn’t exactly the stag of the year. I’d guesstimate it was the size of a young sika hind. It will make beautiful eating. I normally bone out deer, but carried the back legs bone in (dog tucker), and only processed one front shoulder and the back straps. The tiny 223 Sako 55g had entered through the chest - and blew out both lungs. The heart was intact (so came home with us), so the bullet must have travelled higher in the chest and into the gut. It made about 10 metres before piling up. So it's always worth giving it a little time just in case. Note to self.
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I love these moments
The major highlight of the trip for mine was a 30 minute version of the above sequence on golden hour. Kai was trembling and double/triple checking his foot placement. Ahead lay a patch of grass - a mini clearing to the right and the usual tight tangle of supplejack and kie kie to the left. Just watching him was inspiring. His paws shook in mid air as he held them and then double and triple checked his paw placement. All in slow motion. Like a tiger might. I was behind him, on my knees weaving myself through the thick. It was so exciting. Those moments where we know, they are right there. And perhaps they know too? Or do they? I never saw that deer. But man, that was the most exciting hunt sequence. Waiting….
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Yeah, this is kinda embarassing. It almost could be mistaken for a pricket.
