Thread: Winter Window

I always watch the weather during the winter and try to hit the highs and avoid the lows for hunting. Even more so now that I'm of an age where I feel the cold more than I used to.

On Sunday I saw that Monday in the Wairarapa was looking good, so I got some work out of the way Monday morning and hit the road. 2.5 hours drive and I was in the North Wairarapa without hardly a cloud in the sky and only a light wind. Amazing. Going through Masterton the temperature had been 19 degrees.

On this particular place I have the luxury of having a quade to use - I had spent several years walking the 2 hours out the back, and getting a quade 18 months ago was a revelation, even if there is still plenty of walking to do once I get to the bush. Now at least the extra 2 hour grind of carrying a deer back to the truck has gone.

It was 4pm when I got out to the bush and left the Quade behind and started hoofing it. I know the area well and stalked the best feed areas without seeing anything. Then I moved on to the less preferred areas and almost immediately spotted a youngish deer on a clearing 350 yards away. I crossed a gully and closed the distance to 200 yards, but alas the deer was gone. Bugger. Tilly kept winding though, so it likely hadn't gone far.

I could see quite a big area from where I was so I set myself up to glass until dark, which came soon enough.

As it became too dark to shoot I had one last sweep with the binos and there on the sky line were 2 deer, both hinds. To get a bit closer and into some better light where I wasn't in the shadow of a hill I ran (tottered) a couple of hundred yards and searched with the binos. I could see one of them steeply up hill 230 yards away, but very indistinct. I marked in my mind where the deer was and switched to my rifle, winding the power on the Night-force SHV from 10 down to 5. As I looked through the 'scope I was surprised by how much light there was and how clear the MOA reticle was. Big ups for Night-force.

The hind was positioned so that I could see its head and neck ok but its chest was more in the dark, so I centred the scope on the bottom of its neck and let rip. The deer disappeared.

Minutes later and I wouldn't have got a shot at all.

I sorted my gear and got my torch out and then we (Tilly and me) picked our way up the hill to where I last saw the deer. As we drew near Tilly's nose went up so I became confident that it had been a hit. And sure enough there lay a vergy large red hind. Pity really - I would have preferred something younger and not in fawn, but it was what it was. You don't always get to pick and choose.



The 150 grn Barnes from the 300saum had hit the deer behind the shoulder, so it must have been more quartered towards me than I had thought. Later when I took one of the hind legs off the in tact bullet fell out from under the off side rump muscle.

I like to get myself organised before I butcher a deer so I took some pics and organised my pack for my binos, coat and and what not and then set about butchering. I boned out both hq's and backsteaks, and left the bone in the shoulders and then loaded my pack. I put my camera and some surplus gear into a dry bag and clipped it to the outside of my pack, and I was ready to go.

I could hardly lift my pack off the ground, but I've been there plenty off times before so new that once it was up and on my shoulders I would be good to go. It took a supreme heave to get it on, but once the straps were adjusted and the hip belt tightened it was comfortable enough. So off I staggered.



The route back involved 2 steep climbs and about an hour of up and down but I was back at the quade soon enough without needing to stop for a breather. I was pleased enough with my fitness.



Another 40 minutes on the quad and I was back at my truck. Covered in mud and blood, tired and very happy. Every time I go hunting I feel blessed - blessed to still have my health and blessed to be still hunting. Long may it last!

ps. I will be damned if I know why those pics are skew-wiff

Out there doing it. I hope to be still doing that at your age. Your an inspiration.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I always watch the weather during the winter and try to hit the highs and avoid the lows for hunting. Even more so now that I'm of an age where I feel the cold more than I used to.

On Sunday I saw that Monday in the Wairarapa was looking good, so I got some work out of the way Monday morning and hit the road. 2.5 hours drive and I was in the North Wairarapa without hardly a cloud in the sky and only a light wind. Amazing. Going through Masterton the temperature had been 19 degrees.

On this particular place I have the luxury of having a quade to use - I had spent several years walking the 2 hours out the back, and getting a quade 18 months ago was a revelation, even if there is still plenty of walking to do once I get to the bush. Now at least the extra 2 hour grind of carrying a deer back to the truck has gone.

It was 4pm when I got out to the bush and left the Quade behind and started hoofing it. I know the area well and stalked the best feed areas without seeing anything. Then I moved on to the less preferred areas and almost immediately spotted a youngish deer on a clearing 350 yards away. I crossed a gully and closed the distance to 200 yards, but alas the deer was gone. Bugger. Tilly kept winding though, so it likely hadn't gone far.

I could see quite a big area from where I was so I set myself up to glass until dark, which came soon enough.

As it became too dark to shoot I had one last sweep with the binos and there on the sky line were 2 deer, both hinds. To get a bit closer and into some better light where I wasn't in the shadow of a hill I ran (tottered) a couple of hundred yards and searched with the binos. I could see one of them steeply up hill 230 yards away, but very indistinct. I marked in my mind where the deer was and switched to my rifle, winding the power on the Night-force SHV from 10 down to 5. As I looked through the 'scope I was surprised by how much light there was and how clear the MOA reticle was. Big ups for Night-force.

The hind was positioned so that I could see its head and neck ok but its chest was more in the dark, so I centred the scope on the bottom of its neck and let rip. The deer disappeared.

Minutes later and I wouldn't have got a shot at all.

I sorted my gear and got my torch out and then we (Tilly and me) picked our way up the hill to where I last saw the deer. As we drew near Tilly's nose went up so I became confident that it had been a hit. And sure enough there lay a vergy large red hind. Pity really - I would have preferred something younger and not in fawn, but it was what it was. You don't always get to pick and choose.

Attachment 73536

The 150 grn Barnes from the 300saum had hit the deer behind the shoulder, so it must have been more quartered towards me than I had thought. Later when I took one of the hind legs off the in tact bullet fell out from under the off side rump muscle.

I like to get myself organised before I butcher a deer so I took some pics and organised my pack for my binos, coat and and what not and then set about butchering. I boned out both hq's and backsteaks, and left the bone in the shoulders and then loaded my pack. I put my camera and some surplus gear into a dry bag and clipped it to the outside of my pack, and I was ready to go.

I could hardly lift my pack off the ground, but I've been there plenty off times before so new that once it was up and on my shoulders I would be good to go. It took a supreme heave to get it on, but once the straps were adjusted and the hip belt tightened it was comfortable enough. So off I staggered.

Attachment 73535

The route back involved 2 steep climbs and about an hour of up and down but I was back at the quade soon enough without needing to stop for a breather. I was pleased enough with my fitness.

Attachment 73537

Another 40 minutes on the quad and I was back at my truck. Covered in mud and blood, tired and very happy. Every time I go hunting I feel blessed - blessed to still have my health and blessed to be still hunting. Long may it last!

ps. I will be damned if I know why those pics are skew-wiff

Awesome . Inspiring .

Good on ya @Tahr

And yes you are an inspiration for us all.

I hope to be back into it again in spring.

Cheers
Pete

Good stuff, a good write up as always.
4 wheels beats 2 hrs walking

Nice one, Out there doing it.

@Tahr you need to get a dog back pack

Dog Backpacks - Real Dog Company

I carry it in my day pack when hunting as its noisy and a bit awkward to have it on the dog all the time.
Once I shoot something it gets loaded up during the breaking down.
Josie usually gets all the fillet because its a nice easy way to get the weights even side to side.
She can carry about 10kg with reasonable ease and I have pushed it up to 15 kg at times, but she struggles with that.
This allows me to get the max amount of venison out in one huge trip back to the truck.

Sorry no images of her with the pack on but guarantee it works very well and she is slowed down only a little.
Shes still way faster than me with my 40kg plus load.

way to go Thar, doing what ever it takes to get out there

@ akaroa1 thanks for that. I've tossed up about a pack for her over the years and can certainly see the merit. Now she is 8 I'm trying to preserve her so I probably won't now. Maybe I'm a softy, or mad, but I have always felt that it should be me carrying the load.

Josie looks nice - tell me something about her & where did you get her from?

I also like the texture on those spikes.

Here's the projectile and the transport.

Originally Posted by Tahr

@ akaroa1 thanks for that. I've tossed up about a pack for her over the years and can certainly see the merit. Now she is 8 I'm trying to preserve her so I probably won't now. Maybe I'm a softy, or mad, but I have always felt that it should be me carrying the load.

Josie looks nice - tell me something about her & where did you get her from?

I also like the texture on those spikes.

Josie is from a breeder in Ohoka Canterbury.
I didn't start using the pack on her until she was 6 years old and I wouldn't worry about the effect on the dog.
She copes very well and its only used for the carry out usually and she has to walk at my speed anyway.
And shes a very lean GWP.

We hunt a lot so she has had a lot of practice and has found a lot of animals for me.
She has absolute blind faith in me and thinks that every time I fire a shot that there is a dead deer out there to be found.
Because she is my constant companion we can both tell when the other is on to an animal.
Even despite hunting alone mainly she can tell when I have seen something despite not talking to anyone !!! I don't know what it is !
I can tell from her body language if shes on to a hare or a deer and she only points when she can actually see the deer.
She sits when she can see a hare .... a great side effect from being under total control and sitting before I would shoot hares when I was training her.

The spiker was a wap cross from 2 years ago and was one of the few kill images where she was sitting still.
One antler had a little snag like a guard tine.
Usually she is very busy once we find the animal but by the time its broken down like this one was, she is waiting for her share to carry out internally.

Here is another wap cross spiker.
This one was absolutely massive for his age and the only deer I have ever seen with such muscle definition like a body builder.
Three massive loads of venison on my own to get it all out to the truck

Great work Tahr! I love the story, it was well written

Good stuff there mate good ol barnes got to love em keep it up

Thanks people.
That was the 85th deer Tilly and I have shot together.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Thanks people.
That was the 85th deer Tilly and I have shot together.

Thats a lot of her dog food you have carried out over the years.
But dogs are great at getting you out there doing it !!