Wonder through Sika country

About two weeks ago I travelled back up north to visit family and friends where I wanted to get back into the Kaimanawas for a hunt as I simply miss the sika.

A quick 2.5 hr walk into the Oamaru Hut for a few days as there's plenty of country in there to hunt and some favourite haunts to visit and see what the deer numbers and vegetation is like was decided.

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The weather was hot so it was an early start as I had a long day a head.

It was great bumping into a couple of blue ducks as I never get bored of seeing or hearing them.

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The bush was stunning but I've always loved the beech forests of the Kaimanawas

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The day was hot where I decided I would simply hunt with the camera for the day as I was afraid of meat spoiling before I got out but taking photos of animals can often be harder than shooting them as by the time you have the camera out, turned on, waiting for camera to focus the animal has already bolted which is exactly what happened on a few deer.

But I did get lucky on a few others

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When I came across the 8 point sika I saw he was still in velvet which is a bit odd for this time of year but even though I could have shot him I decided to leave him as in another 2-3 years he should be a better animal and there were plenty of hinds around to take for meat.

I got back to the hut that night well after dark but still had a great day in great country and it felt quite good not to have shot anything apart from having animals on camera.

Day two was off to another good start nice and early covering some favourite country. I didn't bump into as many animals the day before I did line up a yearling hind for meat but pulled the shot which I wasn't happy with. I spent the next hour looking for her to no avail and even went back in the late afternoon for another look but nudda.

Anyway it was a great couple of days in a great spot in the kaimanawas but I would have loved to have had a longer time in there exploring some other haunts.

Simply awesome, great photo's, deer still bright coats :cool:
cheers

Cracker report , some great pictures there

Awesomeness

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Nice. What will the .284 think?
By the way your barrel has a new life... I’ll text you a photo. A mate has a new rifle that he and his girlfriend love.

Shot with a Camera is worth 10 on the hook - in my book !!!
Well done - imagine it was like corn flakes which made your result even more amazing
To get photos like that in "bush" says a lot about your "hunting" abilities !!

Great photo's and a promising young stag, he will be a cracker in a couple of years.

Bloody great photos mate enjoyed them.You must be a fit bugger 2 and a half hours walking thats awsome

Supurb!

You've motivated me to get into that Sika country one day!

Cool pics. Cheers.:cool:

looks like the hut is due for a splash of paint, the deer are looking in good nic. Thanks for the post

Like you I never get sick of that kaimanawa bush. Awesome and some great photos. That stag will be a ripper in another two years

awesome photos....you must be super stealthy to get the drop on that many deer in a day.....

Excellent photo's and a great way to spend a couple of days , it's a neat area alright , must get back there one day.

Great write up mate, really enjoyed that [emoji106]
Cheers for the photos too [emoji3]

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Nice write up & pix. Guess you didn't take the 6x45? @Seventenths

That hut looks familiar,heading into Clements this weekend for a look but not gonna do the hike to the cascade again,those deer look healthy alright,don’t think I could have resisted taking some meat home,great photos too.