A week of suffering and scoffing anti-virals. 3kg lighter. Ive avoided it up to now so have done ok. 5 days after the clear test its time to test the body. Something easy - still coughing and not feeling all that strong. A quiet hunt using the quad and a relaxing night at the hut will be just the ticket. Yeah, right.
2.5 hrs driving wore me down a bit more but my energy and enthusiasm increased once I had sorted my gear and set off.
4.14 pm and I was a bit early but no matter, I still carefully approached the first likely spot and glassed around. Not careful enough though because a few Fallow dashed across a little clearing and into the gloom of the scrub. One though dallied too long and I was already laying down and ready for the shot. The pop of the 52 Targex at 200 yards signalled a hit and it tumbled out onto the clearing. My first health check coming up, 'cos I had to cross a steep little gully and then climb a face to get to it. I was surprised how good I felt although the up hill made me puff a bit. Those tramping sticks are a great aid.
I sidled around high and eventually found the little clearing.
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Deaded
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I boned it out and stuffed it into my pack. The whole thing took about 40 minutes and I got back to the bike feeling ok and encouraged by how I felt.
Of course I should have stopped at that and headed for the hut. I had a deer. But I have no self discipline and the little voice in my head encouraged me on "You might as well try to get another one for the soup kitchen. One wont feed many people". So I headed for the next spot.
7pm and I had been scanning and moving for about an hour or so and finally I spotted a couple of Reds. 2 hinds. The front one older and maybe had a fawn but the back one younger and looking like a 2 year old. I was all set up and the range was exactly 200 hundred yards. Head shot coming up. Too easy. She lifted her head from feeding and I took my chance. Maybe I pulled the trigger rather than squeezed it but in any event she scarpered and I just lay there thanking the gods that no one had witnessed it. Chasened, I moved off to another spot and sulked.
She's in this pic on the grass behind a bit of scrub.
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Right on dark I was back where I had had the miss. It's a good spot and sure enough up in the scrub I could see a couple of reds moving about. One was a spiker and he finally stepped into view. I was ready to redeem myself, but not with a head shot. He was 280 yards and I had dialled in 1.5moa for 275. Deep breath, exhale, firm on the neat little Backlanz bipod and exhale. Cross hair on the front of his shoulder to allow for a bit of wind. "Pop" again and the stag bolted. Three others chased after him. I was confident. I marked the spot on my brain and walked back and got the quad. I was expecting a bit of a circus finding him in the thick scrub but when I hopped off the quad and stepped into the scrub there he was right there. He had bolted maybe 20 yards down hill and collapsed in a perfect spot. I decided to take him out whole.
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It was dark now. But that little voice kicked in again "Come on, get another one for the soup kitchen". So for the ride back I slipped the wallaby thermal clip-on onto the end of my scope which just "happened" to be in my pack.
I hopped off the quad as I approached likely spots and walked ahead using my red head lamp. There seemed to be a few around. I crested a rise and there were 2. The closest at about 100 yards. "Pop" again and I saw it tumble down hill with the hot blood signature clearly visible spurting through the night air.
Re-laod, scan, and there was the other one. Bigger and looked like a stag. Redemption time 'cos all I could see was its head and neck. "Pop" and flop.
Number 1 (actually number 3). A pretty scrawny looking spiker. There are far too many deer in this area. The farmer calls them "vermin".
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Number 2 (actually number 4). She was a very big dry hind. She had a very sore neck.
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Ouch, I was accumulating quite a load and it was getting towards 11pm. I was starting to flag what with the finding, gutting and dragging in the dark. "Go to the hut" the little voice finally said. I capitulated and agreed. But one last look around...
Immediately there's 4 up the hill on the edge of the scrub. 3 stepped into the scrub. One lingered...
5 should do it :) Nice lung shot.
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It took me about 45 minutes; gutting, organising, tightening strops and cinching ropes. Finally my load was ready for the cautious ride back to the truck. I was failing fast. It was nearly midnight.
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The load was large and unstable. The rear load was balanced by my full pack and a couple of legs on the front. I cautiously navigated the tracks back to the truck and unloaded.
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I had shot 5 deer for 6 shots. Ranges between 280 and 100 yards. The .223 can dish it out if you are careful.
I staggered into the hut pretty damned spent. Luckily my wife had slipped me a couple of hard boiled eggs when I had left home. They were dinner at 1.15am. I slept like a top through to 6am. It's amazing what 5 hours sleep can do. I packed up and was on the road for home by 9am and bundling the deer into Brian's chiller by noon. They can be cleaned up for the butcher tomorrow and then on to the soup kitchen (minus the 10 back steaks of course :))
