Thread: Not Snee Road

On Friday afternoon I hauled myself into the Ruahines for the night. The 3.5 hrs was a bit of a haul with a pack on, but I had at least kept the weight down to 11kg all loaded, complete with water. A far cry from the huge loads I've hauled into there in the past - this light modern gear is great. It was windy but fine and the forecast looked ok for Saturday. I set up camp out of the wind and wandered off for a hunt, but all I saw was a velvet stag right on dark.

I was up at 5am the next morning and was hunting by 5.45am. Tilly and I soon spotted a couple of deer, a hind and yearling but they were way down in a steep gully that I didn't fancy climbing down into and back up out of so early in the day, so we carried on.

So I headed for a favourite spot called 'fruit cake gully", and Tilly soon winded a hind which I took some pics of. Skirting back from the hind, she winded into a patch of leatherwood, and then froze up. I couldn't for the life of me see what she was onto, so changed my position by a few hundred yards for a different view. I was sitting looking through my binos when I heard Tilly move, and glanced at her and she was staring out to the right. It was a yearling hind that must have winded us through having moved our position. It was bolting through the tussock headed for the bush and I was lucky enough to get a shot into her at about 150 yards. It came out of where Tilly had been winding. Yummy tender venison.

I was now about 5 hours from my truck and it was 10am so I trudged back to camp with the meat and had a brew and then packed up camp. It had turned out sunny and hot, so I was pretty much buggered by the time I got to the car park. Happy though.

The pics are a bit mixed up I'm sorry. Camp was at the top of the big face in the pics. I call that .223 face, because the first time I was there 45 years ago I shot a deer on the big slip with my .223. I hauled it out for the chiller...good grief, what a way to make a living.

Nice work. I think I recognise that view from about this time last year. Craig and I were talking about heading in there again soon.

nice one, pic 2 and 3 do look familiar.

its a popular spot nowadays. Best hunted during the work week. I didn't see anyone on Friday, and just met 2 hunters on their way up the track on Saturday.
Still deer there though. The better you plan it around the weather, and more you get to know it, the better your success will be.

Great stuff, Yes a very nice spot indeed

Hamish

nice one BC , doesn't leave many excuses for people half your age to get off their bums and do it.

Bloody good on you Bruce good shooting still got it eh

Originally Posted by Tahr

its a popular spot nowadays. Best hunted during the work week. I didn't see anyone on Friday, and just met 2 hunters on their way up the track on Saturday.
Still deer there though. The better you plan it around the weather, and more you get to know it, the better your success will be.

Awesome report, with some hard yards put in. hanks for that

Your last sentence sums up successful hunting in a nutshell

Originally Posted by Huk

Bloody good on you Bruce good shooting still got it eh

She was going like the clappers and the bullet hit her high in the lungs. I think that the whole three of us (me, Tilly and the deer) were damned surprised. Although when I pulled the trigger I did think that I had about the right lead on her but it might have been a bit high. There was no sign of a hit because she was disappearing into a tussock hollow as I fired. I found her when Tilly cut her ground scent, and there she was dead as a door knob.

Is water handy, how much did you carry in?

I tend to carry alot on me, (2l) but it gets used up usually!!, always thought of the pros and cons of the extra kg or 2 in weight v actual hydration needed.

Always thought it's better with than without

Originally Posted by Kooza

Is water handy, how much did you carry in?

I tend to carry alot on me, (2l) but it gets used up usually!!, always thought of the pros and cons of the extra kg or 2 in weight v actual hydration needed.

Always thought it's better with than without

I took 1.5 litres (750ml of it had electrolytes in it). Camped quite close to a tarn, so boiled another 750ml from that on the second day. I had a thermos of coffee back at the truck and that was a life saver when I got to it.

Must have been the stock that helped with that shot

p.s. I mentioned "fruit cake gully" and ".223 face". There's "venison gully" too. Aspiring hunters should do that...give locations and favourite spots names. Get to know an area intimately and grow some affinity for it. Be observant and get to know the area and animals you hunt. It will add immensely to your enjoyment and success.

And respect the animals you kill too. Talk nicely about them. They are not "c-nts" or "f-ucking deer". And treat them well when they are dead. They are not horses to be sat astride of for bragging pics, and they look undignified with their tongues hanging out.

Respect the land, respect the game.

Originally Posted by stug

Must have been the stock that helped with that shot

Of course. Its changed the balance nicely to slightly weight forward and is very easy to shoot.

Hard to beat those open tops right now, good report and good shooting.