Thread: Hi All

Hey team,

Just wanted to do an intro post. Based in Chch. Have recently gotten my FAL after many years spent tramping and climbing in the backcountry. Managed to get out and get my first deer a couple of weeks ago and I'm hanging out to get back out there. Would love to know your thoughts on the best way to get some shooting practice in going forward. I have a very nice father in law who has kindly lent me a 308 which I used on my first hunt but wondering if getting a bolt action 22 and going after some bunnies might be a good way to start? Cheers

Welcome to the forum.
You have got it in one. Get a .22lr. Shoot targets and go hunting bunnies etc. It's cheap and the best practice for big game you can get.

Thanks for the reply. Right that sounds like a plan then. Now to navigate the buying of said rifle...

Welcome! Well done on getting a deer straight away. A bit of a story and some pictures would be great if you want to share the experience. It's fantastic to see how other people's first deer/hunt happened.

Getting a 22 is always a great idea. Shooting bunnies is a great way to spend time and you'll learn plenty, especially if they're a bit wise to being shot at.

Welcome aboard.

Hey thanks guys. Yea I definitely didn't expect to get a deer on the first trip. We went out for an overnight trip to a local spot setting off at about 5am and walked for a couple of hours up the valley. We spotted quite a few hinds once we arrived near the head of the valley but with the sun getting higher they were making their way back into the bush. After setting up camp and relaxing for a bit we started slowly making our way up one of the ridges above us, stopping to glass every so often. We ended up high on the ridge a couple of hours earlier than we probably needed to be there (too excited to hang around in camp - a rookie mistake!). After a rather a bit of snoozing on the side of the ridge for a while we moved closer to a large patch of bush at the head of the valley and spent a good chunk of time glassing but didn't see anything. By this stage the wind was starting to pick up so we traversed thorough the snow over the ridge top and dropped down about 200m below the ridge. We found a good spot to sit in the tussock and started to glass the stream and bush about 200m below us. It was just on 5pm by this stage and we figured we had a good chance of spotting an animal. About ten minutes passed then we spotted a deer walk out of the bush edge. It was about 100m below us and 400m further up the valley feeding at the edge of a small clearing in the tussock in a gully. The old ticker started to race at this point as I think I didn't expect to actually even get a chance to see a deer, let alone have a chance to shoot one. Under the guidance of my cousin we quickly traversed our way around the snow covered tussock to get close enough for me to make a shot. It took about 5 minutes to cover the 300m stretch to the ridge immediately above the gully that the deer was in. By this stage all I needed to do was move out onto the edge of the ridge in order to have a clear shot. As I moved onto the ridge proper I could see the deer below me still feeding. I sat down in the tussock and rested the rifle on my knees (ground was too sloped and uneven to go prone liked I had hoped I would be able to). My heart was absolutely hammering by this stage after the traverse around the hillside and I tried my best to calm down as I looked at the deer through my scope. He was a red spiker and he was facing directly at me. I thought I would have a bit of time to compose myself before he would move but then within about ten seconds of getting my scope onto him he turned broadside. At this stage my cousin whispered that the range was about 105m and that I should shoot when ready. I lined up his shoulder, tried my best to calm down, and squeezed off a shot about 10 seconds later. It was clear that I had hit him as he fell instantly and his legs came up into the air as he began to slide down the gully. My shot instantly spooked a group of Stags that he was a part of and 3 other stags all began to bolt away from the clearing. The other three were obviously a little older (looked like 8-9 pointers) but they quickly stopped just below us on the ridge to see what was going on. We ended up getting quite a bit of video of these 3 stags as they slowly made their way beneath us. After the young stags had moved on we let the dog go and he made a beeline for the spiker in the gully. We slowly mad sour way over to the animal and had a massive round of high fives to celebrate my first deer. We butchered him on the spot and carried out as much meat as we could manage. My pack just about did me in with the weight on the walk out and then I got to experience just how long it takes to butcher meat when you are new to it. I definitely underestimated the amount of work involved in cutting everything up and learnt quite a few lessons the hard way! We didn't end up staying the night as the weather was starting to pack it in. We got back to the car at 10:30pm with tired bodies but a smile from ear to ear. Definitely beginners luck but it absolutely has me hooked and I can't wait for the next trip. Will try and upload a couple of photos if I can figure out how to do that.

Cool story, you may have a future as a magazine writer.

I am new too, got my FAL in 2018, did some hunting in NI, and I like rabbits and small games. the idea of .22, I just share my thought....for me, in SI, since do `t have my private hunting ground, so I will buy a .223, and use FMJ ammo because it `s cheap. If someday you want to explore the DOC small game block near Tekapo, let me know, we can go together. That `s a good deer!