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2S2K Tours (the long version)
Warning photo heavy and only read if you have 10 minutes of your life you don't want back :thumbsup:
2S2K tours, is the tongue in cheek name for our annual hunting trips, membership consisting of myself a 10 year citizen of New Zealand and self taught hunter of 8 and 2 long term mates from home (uk) who both now call perth WA their home with their respective young families.
The name was derived from the first of our annual trips and the boys first hunt 4 years ago where long story short we planned to walk to far, with not enough food for the multi day trip and Sean had to shoot goose for food and he secured a yearling on the last morning of 5 which with empty bags we carried out in its entirety. Both animals were shot with the only riflre on the trip (mine, under supervision) but by Sean. This meant all the way home we had to listen to “two shots Two kills” hence 2s2k tours was born.
That pretty much had Sean and Gareth hooked with the hunting bug themselves and by the next year saw them kitted out to the nines with pretty good gear and having jumped through the neccesarry hoops in aussie to be bringing their own rifles in future.
The trips have always been 5/6 days in the bush in a different location with average to poor results, last year for example with flights, time off and passes with the entertainment officers needing to be booked months in advance we were lucky enough to secure the entire week of cyclone Gita, which along with some pretty sporty moments also saw us hut bound for 48 hrs then a yearling on the way out which seemed to be our routine. But as always great memories and laughs.
Anyway onto to this year, our plan was to fly to the head of a river around Hari Hari west coast and hunt then hunt walk out for 5/6 days unfortunately for the first time our number was down to 2 as Gareth with unrelenting work pressure a young baby and a mrs who keeps his nuts in a jar on a high shelf unable to attend, the chopper cost didn’t seem feasible so we opted for the leg work instead.
DAY 1 sunday
A leisurely departure from north Canterbury after picking Sean up from the airport the previous day a good catch up and the usual hunting and food supplies secured.
4hrs later sees us leaving my truck at the road end and us walking up the river and a semi marked track to a flat we planned to have a look over that evening before heading for the tops next day.
3hrs later sees us arrive at said flat having lost about 4 litres of good living through the skin and joking about the temperature contrast of the previous year.
Unfortunately we found a young fella camped smack bang in the middle of said flat who was tramping by himself after a quick yarn we let him know our intentions as a back packer not having tramped before in nz or seen a hunter he was worried he was “ in the way”. We put his mind at rest and resided to the fact hunting the flat was off the cards, we set up camp a few hundred yards past him amongst a ridiculous amount of deer sign, the wind was all wrong for the remainder of the flat so after setting up bed for the night we headed up the river a few hundred more yards to look over a smaller clearing across the crossable river, 20 minutes before last light saw the first 2 pop out a hind and spiker, the higher elevation of the other bank meant only shoulders and heads were visable and try as we may to find elevation to get a better look it just wasn’t possible.
When right on dark 5 more appeared, 1st night fever really kicked in and we made a rash decision to cross the river for a better look we made a half hearted attempt before deciding better of it given the now failing light and the little chance of finding a cool enough place to hang an animal to pick up 5 days later. Walking bak to camp and calling ourselves muppets for getting wet feet for no reason we a stones throw from camp when the clear sound of antler on wood in the bush edge stopped us in our tracks we looked at each other and then within 5 seconds came a very loud solid low, half roar /grunt
The look on Sean’s face was priceless, having never heard any roar of any kind before in the flesh it certainly left its mark, “go and get him” I joked as the stag continued to grunt as he moved away slowly and noisily…. Sean never moved an inch. The animal was within 25/30 meters as we knew there was a good bluff just inside the bush edge and he was definitely on our level.
After seeing 7 deer and our acoustic encounter with mr stag the chat over dinner was exitable to say the least over what may lay ahead and how good the beast in the bushes actually was a few cracking branches in the vicinity were heard which only added to the hype, of to my fly and just sorting out the sleeping bag when another almighty “ ROOAMFF” bloody close made it my time to jump like scared kitten, “ Jesus”I’m gonna be a bag of nerves if he keeps doing that all night. Sean thought I was dicking about until the stag continued protesting our presence vocally and physically for the next half hour as he got further and further away grunting and smashing stuff, he may have been still going when I fell asleep……he was pissed off.
Day 2
Up before 1st light and a quick scout about revealed nothing handy but our focus had moved on getting to the tops for a better planned hunt rather than the 1st night fever that got hold last night. After a hearty bacon eggs and beans breakfast it became obviously apparent why we pissed of the Guy off the night before so much 15 meters behind camp was a very much in use wallow with mud splashed out all around it , the plan was made to revisit the area on the way out with better strategy to at least try and get eyes on the Stag, although part of me liked it left to the imagination of how good he might be….. the other part of me couldn’t help think the stag wasn’t going to last very long given hius territory once the roar kicked off.
6hrs and 6 litres of water between uslater saw us break onto the true tops absolutely soaked in sweat but with throats dryer than a camels kneecap. Compared to Canterbury monkey scrub this stuff had been epic and we were glad to finally get out of, very thankful to find our targeted small tarn still where it said it was on the map.Attachment 112070 After per longed lunch and rehydration session we set up our camp again with plans to glass the small basin just a small ridge over from camp with the plan after a morning session on the same basin to gain another 100 or meters altitude and make more permanent camp by a larger hopefully fresher tarn which would give us options on a couple of larger basins within the proximity obviously depending on the wind direction.Attachment 112071
After an hr of glassing a Stag stepped out into the start of a gut at the bottom of the basin, he was just under 300m away, he appeared a younger animal and with our binos we could see 10 clear points, I declined any shooting option on him so early in the trip and was quite content watching him feed at one stage he turned front on and lifted his head, this lifted the interst as he had far better width and curve to his rack than we had given credit for. Still not keen to shoot him I thought I’d have a play with my spotting scope for a really close look ( a new addition for this trip) but as I fumbled about he fed deeper into the gut never to emerge again that night.
That night over a backcountry feed we discussed the animal and Sean decided given the chance he would like to take him given another chance, as his first stag and very limited hunted opportunity fair enough too.
Day 3
We started the day as planned in darkness creeping up to our vantage point from the night previous, it was a perfectly still and silent morning and the very first light had us on tender hooks with the outline of every hebe having the potential to sprout legs and start moving. However it was noise that first gave the animal away , the distinct noise of a few cracking twigs somewhere out in the basin made the next few moments feel like an age trying to pin point it with light slowly improving at first we thought it was out infront somewhere but then definitely much closer.
The stag then emerged below us to the left and immediately it was obvious we had been busted, the table had turned, he was on the move back to cover constantly looking up trying to pin point us we didn’t move a muscle but another good whiff of a catabatic that we couldn’t feel must of confirmed it as his speed increased to a canter and he ran a lot further than he needed to to find cover. He was a good looking big animal cool to watch, the same one as the night before with the nice shaped head although there was a little disappointment Sean wouldn’t get his shot part of me was glad to see him go and hopefully reach his full potential.
A little deflated once he had disappeared we sat there in silence still glassing the first light when it was sound again that first alerted me, this time the location was easier to pinpoint and I immediately had another Stag in the Binos, this time the other side of the basin and on the opposite upslope safe from the morning catabatic that had probably save the last guy we watched him feeding contently for a few minutes giving him a decent look over.
Another big bodied animal at least 10 points although the rack seemed a little smaller if anything , Sean had already ranged him at a smidge under 300 and with the range opportunities in Perth and amount of time he had spent at them was confident in the shot should he choose to take it.
No sooner had Sean elected to take the shot when it was like the animals alarm for bed went off and he too started slowly ambling down towards cover not presenting a shot, just before he disappeared behind a small patch of cover I got a better look at one of his tops and let sean know he had a bit more going on up there than we originally thought, this didn’t ease the tension of the situation, but we knew where he would re emerged and Sean had arranged a solid shooting position off his new Bi pod. Re emerge he did the other side of the patch of scrub and our luck immediately changed as for reasons only know by the stag he stepped up onto a large flat rock and stood perfectly broadside exposing himself right down to the hoof, not needing any further invitation and without a word Sean squeezed off, the solid hit resounding back to us.
The animal dropped on the spot flat on the rock then rolled a couple of feet of the front never to move again
A congratulatory hand shake on a good shot ( no hi 5’s or whoop whoops here) our silly grins and mild shaking was evidence enough we were buzzing from the short morning events and the bagging of Seans 1st stag. We left the animal temporarily where he lay as it was intended route to next camp anyway and retreated back behind us to camp to packup ,brekkie and a cuppa to calm the adrenaline.
After a good feed and pack up we were about to done the packs once more to head first down to deal with our quarry then up a couple then up to our intended next camp a tarn maybe another 100m altitude above us actually just at the top of the gut the shot stag was taken from, it was then ominously the at first low drone of whirly bird blades begin to fill the air and grow in volume until a red R-44 appeared up an opposite ridge with doors off we just stood there not believing not believing our changes in luck as 8 shots rang out what looked like exactly our next intended camp/hunt area. It sounded like he had cleaned up a decent mob and when he grounded temporarily then slung out two hinds we expected him to return at least once if not two more times,unbelievably for all the hooning around and the 8 shots the 2 deer were all he recovered and we never saw him again all this happened easily within 2km of our position and we never got the impression he saw us or the stag laying below him in the basin.
Pretty gutted by our change in fortune it wasn’t hard to pull through it and on to the positives, we had an animal on the ground and if the operator was there 30 minutes earlier we probably wouldn’t have any and may have had to watch 1 if not both stags getting the one way ride in the gasoline taxi.as well.
Also I don’t begrudge anyone making a living out of it, we knew we were in an area that receives a bit of Waro pressure and probably helps explain the stags toeyness after all, them turning up was just bad luck for our intended area, but 8 shots for 2 deer …………. Learn how to shoot man!
After another sweaty tussle with a band of monkey scrub we were down in the basin and making our way through at times chest high tussock in a straight line to Sean’s stag the excited eagerness to to there added to the perspiration and the amount of trips and disappearances on route.
Immediately obvious was the fact we had underestimated the head on this guy and although not a huge rack he was 14 points, but it was the sheer size of the beast that was incredible, I had the bright idea of dragging him back up on to the flat rock where he last stood for the photo shoot it was about 10 feet away on a moderate uphill slope, we are no slouches but after about 10 mins we were only half way and rooted! So we decided to photo and process him where he lay.Attachment 112072
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A few quick pics and silly grins, we said our thanks to the big guy and set about taking what we could carry, obviously Sean wanted the head and he had only half earned that as he still had to get it back to the truck in addition we took the back steaks (1.2m long) and a couple off prime cuts…….. but it still didn’t sit well with me how much we had to leave on the hill, the hour climb to the next camp still with 2/3 days food + both back steaks in my pack confirmed much more wasn’t really possible.
We took our time setting up a solid camp un a flat area amongst plenty of well used deer trails that seemed to lead from all directions to our nearest tarn, it was easy to see why the Waro had targeted this area.
Attachment 112074
With a satisfactory camp we set out towards a bigger basin on the map but with increasing clag the afternoon looked ominously buggered, still it was cool having a mooch over to the basin edge following very clear trails showing so much old and fresh sign passing a few wallows that looked like they were beginning to see a bit of use. We persevered to glass for about 2 hrs without being able to see more than 200m at best before pulling pin and heading back to camp for even further debrief on the mornings events and handsdown the best feed in 2S2K’s short history of stag heart, bacon, onion, mash and gravy, and a well earned slightly earlier night.Attachment 112075
Day 4
Stuck my head out from under the fly to see stars with 1st light not far away the scramble was on to gear up and head over to our look out from the previous afternoon to see what the ‘for now’ absent clag was hiding. Getting there right on time we glassed hard for a couple of hours over some really good looking country that screamed animals with plenty of intermittent cover and feed but with nothing seen (waro pressure?) the clag slowly began to ominously creep back in. Between the drifting clouds I made out a shape and colour that didn’t look quite right then during a temporary clear spell could confirm it was a not bad looking lone Cham way up the creek head and on the other side of the valley out of our rangefinders range probably around 1.5 +k away the spotting scope confirmed it was a very solid looking animal and the seed was planted in my head what the rest of the day may entail.
Meanwhile Sean was undertaking a photo shoot with a pair of repeat visit keas that had become his mates, when he suddenly proclaimed look there and around 400 yards below us a pair of hind and yearling had fed out from a crease normally the perfect meat animal but luck was on its side as we were unable to carry much more meat than we had harvested it was pretty cool to watch them for the next good while going a bout their business while we had a cuppa and some lunch and a bit of banter over these being the first animals Sean had spotted…. He maintained he was glassing hard and I maintained if he wasn’t dicking around with the birds he wouldn’t of spotted these either!Attachment 112076Attachment 112070
My plan for the Cham had manifested in my head as he was clearly bigger than my pb head in the shed at home at a modest 8.5” so I sold it to Sean that we would head that way and see how it goes, neither of us were sure if we could get there but with increasing clag …..and well nothing else to do we headed of up hill toward the creek head.
An hour and a half later we had closed to just under a km (the cham had only moved about 100m) with a big down and up mission ahead to get within range that didn’t look all that possible as the route disappeared into a rocky gorge at the bottom before up some bluffs towards the animal. Reality was making me slowly admit to myself that the Chamois was maybe un shootable and probably unrecoverable. Getting to grips with the wasted effort was made easier by a few cheese and crackers and some pretty cool views between cloud of the glaciers we seemed to have gotten a lot closer too.
Something caught my eye to the right and immediately the binos confirmed it wasn’t over another lone cham was feeding down hill this time on our side of the creek only just above our altitude roughly 300yrds away, as quick as he was there he was gone as a larger bank of passing clag obscured the view, we were pretty exposed and with no where to shoot from we took the chance to scramble/sidle through the next gully toward the last seen location, the clag passed just in time for us to get a good look at him and before he fed from view into a larger looking gut between us….the glimpse had comfired he to was a decent animal and now the target…. We waited.
And waited but he did not re emerge the gaps between the clag were lessoning along with my patience, so I opted to head up above where he was last seen and look straight down into the gut he had disappeared into leaving Sean at the look out with only hand signals if he should see him before I did. Attachment 112078 As always what looked like a short steep travel up and across took longer than anticipated in the terrain the chamois move about in without worry, a huge flat rock overhung the gut the animal had disappeared into , first impression was how steep and deep the gut was then wow look how far he had gotten, feeding down hill and back to cover….. not having shot downhill at over 45 degrees before I was not keen to let the gap widen any more than the 200m he was at, using the edge of the rock as a rest I took the first opportunity as quartering away he lifted his head. Following the solid hit he tumbled further down for what felt like an age before coming to rest in against a larger rock. I waved Sean over before sitting back to take it all in …… unbelievably the Cham pushed himself to his feet and began very slowly making his way further down the dry creek …tough bastard. I was sure he was dead on his feet but not wanting to perlong his ordeal further or the retrieve I chambered another 150gr sst rushed the shot …….and missed the 2nd found its mark and he went legs up never to move again.
Sean joined me shortly and I greeted him with “welcome to my shooting range” feeling pretty sheepish about having fired so many shots. Another sweat fest followed for the very steep retrieve and I was pretty please with my new pb cham at 10” and Sean Returned the favour of carrying the meat I harvested as my bag could take no more. Attachment 112081both hit shots had hit him at the base of the neck so although he was a dead cham walking after the first shot both were a little higher than intended so a lesson learned for shooting down at that angle.
The clag had permantly set in by the time we had returned to the ridge so it was a couple of hours back to camp for an earlier feed than usual of big fat veni steaks with rice a new best ever meal and an earlier night following the full debrief of the days events.Attachment 112082Attachment 112083
Day 5
With no need to shoot anything further as we could carry no more we planned to exit a day early, so broke camp first thing in the morning and after a short morning glass revealing just the 1 hind we began our decent mid morning , when we left civilization the forecast was for the only rain of the week that day (4mm)
And that moisture was beginning to fall as we headed down.
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Our plan was to traverse downwards to a manageable creek and follow that out to avoid the scrub hell we dealt with on the was up without antlers and lighter bags but in true 2s2k fashion when we finally reached the creek we had probably had over 50mm and it was rising quickly (now very unmanageable), the rain never stopped all day and into the night so after 9hrs on the hoof being gorged and bluffed multiple times we had to pull the pin and settle for a very wet night me in a bivvy bag between rocks and pungas and Sean improvising his tent into something resembling shelter in the only clear 1m2 he could find. At some stage in the night the rain ceased rattling on my biv and I was in serious need of fresh air so popped my head and staired confused for a while at the stars in front of me …. Confused cos I was laying on my side and they should have been above, it slowly dawned I was staring at a bluff covered in glow bugs was pretty surreal but good for sending you back to the land of nod.
Day 6 saw the creek recceeding enough to allow a couple of crossings to make better progress, highlight of the day was a pair of Whio which was another 1st.
It was another full day of getting out and still serious graft after little sleep with a heavy pack and cham hooks that occasionaly would get caught up however any time I felt like a little whinge I only had to glance at Sean who was getting hung up by anything and everything with his antlers and earning every point at one stage left completely dangling by his pack half way up a bank ,on any other it would have been funny and I would of got photos but by this stage I only just had the energy to help him get free.Attachment 112085Attachment 112086
Finally back to the main river flat the final 3hr grind saw us back to the truck for 5pm .
Totally Rooted
A little relieved to be relatively unscathed.
But absolutely stoked to have had the epic trip with a good mate with reasonable success an memories to last a lifetime.
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