Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Create Account now to join.
  • Login:

Welcome to the NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.

Delta ZeroPak


User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 12 of 12
Like Tree28Likes
  • 25 Post By shift14
  • 3 Post By shift14

Thread: 3 night fly-in Kawekas

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Papakura
    Posts
    1,989

    3 night fly-in Kawekas

    This trip just about didn't happen, and only did due to a forum "kahuna" helping me out finding a hunting companion.
    My usual partner was a very late scratching, and I was stressed out, thinking I'd have to cancel and loose the booking, 2-8 th May, which can catch the second Sika cycle.

    Anyway, intro's were made prior to weighing in, and we discovered we'd both escaped Tokoroa in one piece.

    So two of the towns finest graduates unpacked at the hut after the quick trip in the 500.

    Bang on 1230, a stag let rip two ridges from the hut. I had his scrapes and rubs marked on the GPS from my March trip, so that was our afternoon hunt sorted. It came to nothing, he shut up shop, it was like cornflakes underfoot, and he didn't respond to my amorous hind mews.

    Day two dawned bright and clear, we headed up a ridge and down into creek behind the hut. We glassed clay pans about 6-700 yards distant, to look for early morning movement. Had we seen anything we'd have headed towards those pans.

    We dropped into a creek and split up to glass from different vantage spots, and met again at 1000. After water top ups we headed over into another watershed for a glassing session. We hit a nice tongue of tussock and made good time cutting over the ridge, and saw plenty of sign, which was absent in March.

    We started glassing, a hind was calling directly across from us, 540 yds away. It wasn't us she was calling about, bang on the GPS Fish and Hunt morning bite time, a mature 6 pt stag appeared, with really nice width and tops.
    I pissed about watching him, Rob reckoned I should set up for the shot. Conditions were perfect, but I wasted time watching him, and then the hind appeared. Things went quiet as soon as bite time finished.

    We rested our eyes....

    Rob picked up a scrubby 6 on a clay pan 200yds left of the others we'd seen. He dissapeared from view eventually, we rested our eyes some more....

    Coming up to afternoon bite time he reappeared at lot closer. I had set up previously and ranged him at 450 yds. Rob wasn't on him when I fired, though even with his earplugs in he heard the solid hit.

    The 162 A-Max destroyed his heart, but passed through, hardly leaving any blood on the parched, dusty clay pans. Rob found the first couple of spots, I found him 10 yds from them, crumpled under the Manuka.



    We set off back to the hut with a spring in our step...... that soon dissapeared. These tired old legs were sure glad to be home just on dark. With the meat in the safe and us dried off it was soup and Vogels toast for dinner, washed down with a couple of Dilmahs.

    Next morning was beautiful, with a bit of fog in the gulleys and creeks....



    We circled around to get the wind right, then climbed a ridge and traversed across a face into a prime glassing possie....



    Bugger me...5 minutes before afternnoon GPS bite time I spotted a scrubby 6 300 yds below us. I told Rob to set up and got him onto the animal. The stag was stooging around, and then stopped, winding with his nose in the air. Just as Rob shot him, I saw the hinds ears 15 yds from him. He fell over on the spot, with an awesome shot to the high shoulder with the 7mmSaum.....high 5's and thank Christ, it was downhill home, apart from the steep little bitch of a climb back up the hut track.

    More soup, Vogels and Dilmahs. Two years ago, I'd had dinner under the hut verandah in gloves,beanie, and down jacket.
    That night it was 15 deg C at 7 pm !!, so it was Tee shirt time.....

    With an afternoon pickup at 2 pm booked, we shot out at sparrows fart on the last morning for a glassing session.

    A glorious morning, it was 22 deg at 1000, but no deers, so it was back up the track to pack and clean up.

    It was one of my best trips ever, with an awesome new mate.

    Can't wait for the next one, thanks for your help @7mmsaum

    B
    Wildman, P38, Tahr and 22 others like this.

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Home - mainland nz, actual - Auckland
    Posts
    5,387
    Neat write up! And content.
    Please excuse spelling, as finger speed is sometimes behind brain spped........ Or maybe the other wayy.....

  3. #3
    Member sometimes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    BOP
    Posts
    495
    awesome

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Christchurch
    Posts
    426
    Fair itching to get up there and have a crack at those sika....

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Papakura
    Posts
    1,989
    Quote Originally Posted by matagouri View Post
    Fair itching to get up there and have a crack at those sika....
    They'll be there, watching you looking for them....

    B
    7mmsaum, GWH and Hunt4life like this.

  6. #6
    Member sako75's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Supercity
    Posts
    4,945
    Some crazy temperatures this time of the year

  7. #7
    OPCz Rushy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Nor West of Auckland on the true right of the Kaipara River
    Posts
    33,558
    Is Rob anyone I would know B?
    It takes 43 muscle's to frown and 17 to smile, but only 3 for proper trigger pull.
    What more do we need? If we are above ground and breathing the rest is up to us!
    Rule 1: Treat every firearm as loaded
    Rule 2: Always point firearms in a safe direction
    Rule 3: Load a firearm only when ready to fire
    Rule 4: Identify your target beyond all doubt
    Rule 5: Check your firing zone
    Rule 6: Store firearms and ammunition safely
    Rule 7: Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms

  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Papakura
    Posts
    1,989
    Quote Originally Posted by Rushy View Post
    Is Rob anyone I would know B?
    No mate, he arrived with his mum and dad after we'd left. He's 44.

    B

  9. #9
    OPCz Rushy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Nor West of Auckland on the true right of the Kaipara River
    Posts
    33,558
    Quote Originally Posted by shift14 View Post
    No mate, he arrived with his mum and dad after we'd left. He's 44.

    B
    Thanks B. I had been gone for a year before he was born.
    It takes 43 muscle's to frown and 17 to smile, but only 3 for proper trigger pull.
    What more do we need? If we are above ground and breathing the rest is up to us!
    Rule 1: Treat every firearm as loaded
    Rule 2: Always point firearms in a safe direction
    Rule 3: Load a firearm only when ready to fire
    Rule 4: Identify your target beyond all doubt
    Rule 5: Check your firing zone
    Rule 6: Store firearms and ammunition safely
    Rule 7: Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Auckland but from the Mainland
    Posts
    3,545
    Well done, sounds better than 4 weeks ago and the hand brake stayed home

  11. #11
    Gone But Not Forgotten
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Taupo
    Posts
    1,887
    Excellent write-up Bevan and good shooting too.

  12. #12
    Member 7mmsf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Taupo
    Posts
    87
    Thanks for sharing cool write up

 

 

Similar Threads

  1. Kawekas / Ruahines
    By llewelyn in forum Hunting
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 23-02-2016, 05:57 PM
  2. Noisy Sika in the Kawekas
    By 7mmsaum in forum Hunting
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 14-04-2015, 10:09 PM
  3. A week in the SE Kawekas
    By shift14 in forum The Magazine
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 15-03-2015, 08:44 AM
  4. Kawekas
    By BrentG in forum Hunting
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 04-07-2014, 09:49 PM
  5. Kawekas today...
    By Tahr in forum Hunting Dogs
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 21-01-2014, 06:18 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Welcome to NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums! We see you're new here, or arn't logged in. Create an account, and Login for full access including our FREE BUY and SELL section Register NOW!!