As I said in the 'Here and Now' board, I had a great wee trip into the Main Divide with our son on Saturday morning. I had a leave pass for a quick dash down to CHC, so shot down on Friday afternoon. A beaut day was capped off by watching the mighty Chiefs get home against the locals.
Up at 0345 on Saturday morning, gassed up and with a pie, coffee and up-n-go each we headed off into the gloom, hit the rain and wind as we headed west.
Parked up, quick piddle, coats on and we headed uphill with headlamps on.
We were at good glassing spot by daybreak. I spotted an animal on a dirt pan where the feed met the scree. Ranged at 1014m. That animal became a group of eight. Two smaller stags were jousting and fighting, followed by the big boy who seemed to be trying to push them away from five hinds.
They ended up chasing each other downhill covering 250m in about only 10 seconds.
Then James spotted another group feeding lower, about 625m away.
The rain had stopped so the coats came off, and we watched them graze as the sky cleared and the sun hit them.
We had decent cover, so doubled through the scrub and got to a good knob to shoot from at about 300m. There were six hinds and a yearling in the group, I wanted to shoot the yearling, but it was getting shooed around by one hind, and not feeding in one spot.
I ranged them at 314m, and told James which one I was lined up on and settled into it, focusing on my sight picture. It was a good hit, we heard the wet, hefty whack! after the shot. The little Swede and the 130 gr Sirocco did the biz.
We dropped our gear and headed up with a rifle and knives, ( James headed up and I struggled along after him ) James found the blood, and after the butchery we headed down. Going up was a bit tough on my towny legs, but down wasn't easy either.
Back at the car, we swapped out the bloodied, sweaty gear and headed back to CHC to a mates place to get the veni into the chiller.
After a shower, re-pack, and a man-hug I was back at the airport at 3 pm, in the cool of the lounge.
Some of the other boys had been up to Kaikoura, so some of the veni has already been traded for crays!
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