I might be getting older, but I'm obviously not getting any wiser!
Well last year I went to the South Canterbury Recreational Sportsmen's Club wallaby hunting competition where I joined up with cambo, 270moss, and muzr257 from this forum along with others. This knackered old body caused a frequent call from the team of "Where's gadget?" (much like the calling on a morpork, strange creatures these roo shooters) on a frequent basis as I did my best to keep up but managed to knock over 13 roos for the weekend, would have been better if I hadn't heard this awful click, click, click from one of my scope turrets as I reached behind me early on the first long walk. Never mind I had the trusty shotgun there as a backup which worked well for a few close up bolters when walking and spotlighting. I would have to say with a big thanks to the patient crew from last year, and have to admit that I'm hooked.
This year it just happened to be starting on my birthday, thanks for nothing TimeRider you tattler, and I was organized to go down again with a mate from my rabbit hunting crew to join up with another local team on a different farm. We arrived at the camp site about 2pm and immediately got our hunting gear set up for a wee walk down a long valley back to the camp. Due to some technical difficulties, namely that I'm a crap shot standing unaided, and the very long grass I only managed to knock over three wallabies on the wander. The last km was done at a pretty slow pace as my leg gave up on me but that wasn't too bad as it was really just the bit from the bottom of the valley to camp. We arrived at camp with just enough light left to pitch our tents before knocking up some dinner in the dark.
After a big dinner we loaded into/onto a vehicle for a spotlight session. My mate was too had it after the walk so hit the sack instead. I put a couple of my little LED torches on my scope and an LED headlamp on my head. We drove over a few paddocks and tracks where I accounted for another 5 or so wallabies, removing heads for the count wherever we could recover them. The LED lights I had on the rifle were outstripping the halogen spotlight on the truck for distance and invaluable. At some ungodly hour of the morning we returned to camp and after a clean up I hit the sack.
Day two (Saturday) dawned with just four of us left for hunting. My mate was still feeling the effects of the previous day so opted for a shorter walk with one of the locals. I was feeling the effects fairly well too with very sore legs so opted for a nice easy long walk; I did say in the title that I wasn't getting any wiser. We drove up a ridge then sidled around to the next ridge where we crossed a saddle then up the next ridge before dropping down a steep valley to a few roos we saw. There was a massive amount of cover but we sat and watched for about ten minutes. One popped out on the other side of the valley where I nailed him at about 200m. Nothing else moved so Al decided to cross the valley and retrieve the head, as he started to climb again on the other side three roos broke cover, where he nailed one on the face I was on, then I guided him onto another that I saw duck into cover. He wanted be to have a crack at it from where I was, but I managed to get him move a couple of metres till he was literally standing on it before it broke cover and was nailed at 10m. I dropped down to the valley floor and wandered down through the delightful matagouri and spaniard to recover his first head while he grabbed his second.
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We wandered up the valley and climbed back up the saddle and up the ridge again then sidled a few more wee valleys before stopping for a wee lunch break that neither of us had with us, but I had a biscuit and gave him a muffin that I'd snuck in the top of my bag and had a drink from the bladder that I'd finally got around to filling. After a few minutes we continued to sidle and climb. Roos were not to be seen but there were huge amounts of scat about, basically fresh stuff with every pace all day long. We sidled around heading back to the vehicle and Al stops and points at an irregular black shape and says that that heap of cow shit looked almost like a pig but wasn't. I looked about and remarked the place must surely hold a few roos before my eyes stopped on a black shape behind some matagouri, "But that looks like a pig over there" I quietly said to Al who responded, "You spotted it, You shoot it." I settled my boney butt down on a nice comfortable soft sharp rock and propped the fore stock on my knee and lined up on the shoulder, a gentle squeeze and 55gn of lead dropped it on the spot. The legs just buckled, the only movement was the length of the legs straight down. Three roos broke and we nailed one each, then sat for a moment or two when another roo stuck its head up and popped it at about 150m off the knees.
We wandered down to the pig and the initial cow pat erupted as 10-12 little piglets took off. "Quick, shoot them!" I heard and we managed to get 4 each. My first shot looking down the side of the barrel would have been good on an action movie as bits went flying everywhere, removing the top of the head of one from the shoulders forward and sending the legs off another flying. After grabbing as many of the piglets we could find, that I was told would be good eating and unlikely to survive on their own, it was back to the pig for a photo opp, to clean it up, and carry back to the truck, luckily only a few hundred metres above us. Removing the head was made easy by the little projectile exiting through the neck.
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My lilly-white skinny wee pins were knackered and it was only about 3pm, so when I was asked if we should head down for lunch or go for another hunt there was only one option really, ... so we headed down to check out another spot and climb, and sidle, and drop and climb some more. Hey I said, "were not here for a rest are we?" I think I need more weight though as I slid over an unfair number of times and twisted the knee popping the knee cap off yet again, the cleats on my boots just didn't seem to dig in enough. We saw a couple of roos pass between us but none were in shootable spots nor visible long enough and after a couple of hours walking we headed back to the truck.
On the way back down we checked out another hill for a spotlight later that night for access. While there, as you do, we went for another stroll for an hour or so where I managed to get another wallaby, if I could shoot it would have been two. Again, as with everywhere else that day, there was a huge amount of scat but no wallabies to be seen. There was just so much grass/cover everywhere as the place was destocked ready for a new owner in a couple of months time.
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After another big dinner and a little rest we were off to do the spotlighting on the hill from earlier. The LED torches again being pressed into use along with an HID spotlight, much better than the halogen from the previous evening. We managed to bag 11 heads and one wallaby each for the heaviest wallaby category. I was also getting the hang of removing the heads a bit better too and would have to recommend the inexpensive Bacho knives to anyone. I walked most of the way back down collecting heads on the way. Then back to camp for a quick brew, wash and hit the hay. We could hear a lot of wallabies thumping about bit with the shoulder high snow grass we just couldn't see the hip high foe.
Day three arrived and once breakfast was out of the way I gutted the whole wallabies, then we packed up the now dry tents as a few showers threatened. Once that was done I took the legs and back steaks off three of my neck shot wallabies from the night before while my mate skinned then took the legs, fillets and back steaks from the wee pig. After packing the truck it was off to the weigh in for the official bits, then some grub and a drink. We didn't get any prizes but wasn't expecting to. TimeRider is happy with the roughly 20kg of meat brought home. I'm asolutlely stoked with the aching legs, meeting people and learning heaps. I'm always aware that the day I stop learning things someone will be digging and deep narrow hole and leaving me in the bottom of it.
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A big thanks to the organisers and hosts that put up with us. We both thouroughly enjoyed the comp and have both vowed we will be back next year.
