Thread: December & Jan 2014

Well - Xmas has come and gone, it sure was a fast run to the end of the year for me - I managed to get into the Ruahines for three days the week before xmas , this was my first trip into this country and what a great place, steep hard country but rewarding all the same. This trip was the first time I had to try and blood my new suppresed Tikka 243 so I was eager as to get huntin as soon as we got to the Hut. We finally landed at the hut around 5.40 on a fine and windy Friday the 13th dec, we all claimed a bed, got dinner sorted for when we returned then split out in different directions with the hope for a kill on day one. An hour later I was hunkered down in a small patch of shrrubs in the P&%SSing down rain, it took about half an hour and this passed followed by an very still calm evening, I had been down a steep spur glassing a likely slip with nothing on it a thought Id try and quickly scoot back up and over to another ridge to try and view some more ground , I was starting to run out of good light but I reckoned id have another 35 to 40 mins before darkness took over, with seat pouring off my bald head I got back to the main ridge and eyed my destination, 5 minutes later while heading towards my desired spot I saw the tell tale bum and ears of a red hind feeding away from me - I was in a little dip with the wind up my bum so I "got small" which is hard for me at around 115Kgs and just under 6ft, the hind stopped feeding and winded for a bit before continuing to feed, I watched her for about 5 minutes before she presented a good shot - Right first chance for Mr .243 - squeezing off a shot placed on her neck at around 150m was followed by the satisfying "Whack" of a bit of copper finding a new home, down she went and Up I stood making my way to where she dropped. Nek minute - I went to bleed her as I do to most of my deer I drew out my gerber and reached round under her chin pulling her head back drawing my blade close to her neck suddenly she bucked throwing m off balance and slicing the top of my leg instead of her neck - F&%K - ill deal with the wound later I thought regrouping I finally bleed her out before looking down at my new wound - Not a bad nick I was pissed off I cut my new Hunting trou - I couldn't do much with the leg except plug the cut, so I gutted her and packed her back to the hut..... Over the next few days we had a great time we saw about 30 deer shooting 7 between us, with the final tally being - 3 stags , 1 spiker and the rest hinds. Ive fallen in love with the .243 what a bloody fantastic rifle - ahrdly makes and sound and with the Norma 95 grain ballistic tips it knocks those reds down hard. - Snaps from the Ruahines
With plenty of venison for the xmas BBQs I switched my focus to getting some trout - the family just happened to be staying at lake Rotoiti for 7 days over new years so it was a perfect time to try some new Jigging rigs and experiment with a few variations, the day we arrived I loaded up the boat with roads and gear lifejackets and a couple brews and headed to "My Hole" 40 minutes later I'm wrestling with a 7Lb rainbow hen - Fishing every morning and every night for a few hours resulted in nailing around 20 fish the best being 8lb the rest all about 4 or 6lb. I snuck back last week after work to see if "My Hole" was still holding fish - I fished out of my kayak and nailed 4 fish in three hours only landing two, when I got back to the ramp and started loading up my gear I little boy and his mum came down to see what Id caught - after showing talking to them for a while I took them back down to the lake edge and gutted one of the fish a nice fat 4lb hen and said if he helped he could take it home for the next nights dinner - his eyes lit up and both Mum and kid where stoked - they proudly trotted off with the fish in tow. About 5 minutes later I was tying down my kayak on the roof racks and they where back with two Stubbies in there hands as a thank you for the fish. I left with a good feeling, hopefully they enjoyed the Fish as I did the beers. A couple of days later sees me boning out the fattest yearling hind Ive ever seen, a good mate of mine shot the hind off a local farm that backs onto the Mamakus.... (one fat hind)...2014 is shaping up to be another good year of adventures and fun.......we've booked a fly in trip for the last week in Feb with helli sika - 7 days chasing late summer japs and honing the lungs for April.......All the best Guys Roy

Shit Roy you've been a busy boy, good hunting and fishing

Great read Roy, thanks. Shame about the leg though. Could have been a lot worse

Good shit roy!!!! Getting it done!

How many of you on the Ruahines trip Roy? 30 plus deer is heaps for doc land

Sounds like the perfect holiday to me

Originally Posted by Pengy

How many of you on the Ruahines trip Roy? 30 plus deer is heaps for doc land

three of us - the deer where all down low - you had to drop down a fair way - so not so much "tops" hunting as they call it more likely I can say ive hunted the ruahine "bottoms" aside from the deer I shot on the first night on the tops the rest where down low

Way to go Roy. That young fellah will remember the big man that gave him and mum a trout during the holidays and will recount the story to his class mates. Good on ya mate.

Did you chopper in Roy? Would have needed an extra flight to get all the meat out wouldnt it?

Originally Posted by Pengy

Did you chopper in Roy? Would have needed an extra flight to get all the meat out wouldnt it?

Na drove into the hut via 4wd - the meat filled most of the iceteck chilli box. I purchased a vac packer the week before this hunt it is a great tool to age and preserve meat. We just ate some rump that had been vac packed and ageing in the beer fridge since the 16 dec ........ yummmayyyyyy .....!!!

Cool. Just that you said that you "landed" at the hut at around 5.40 so figured you were flying.

Like you Pengy Roy doesn't fly!

But I love to fly. If only my stumpy little wings would let me

Originally Posted by Pengy

Cool. Just that you said that you "landed" at the hut at around 5.40 so figured you were flying.

yea we where pretty much flying with excitement to get out the door and into some Hunting - I am taking a chopper ride late Feb into the Kawekas for 7 days - hopefully me alone doesn't cook the weight limit !!! haha

Excellent report Roy, great results all round, Reds & Trout....gotta be stoked with that!