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.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...4f9ab2f3aa.jpg
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....
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...5779aa375a.jpg
We circled around to get the wind right, then climbed a ridge and traversed across a face into a prime glassing possie....
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...a457c75d9b.jpg
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
