First ever deer hunt....

Go easy on me guys, this was my first ever un-guided hunt.......solo, so 'the boss' didnt want me to 'go bush' alone......STILL CANT UPLOAD PICS...GRRRRRRR

As I went to a ‘deer farm’ for my first ‘kill’, I don’t really consider that as a ‘hunt’….i mean, lets get real, they were fenced in FFS!!!!!

So I decided to go on my first ‘real’ hunt at the weekend, as im a complete novice, I thought I would go for open tussock and not ‘bush’ for safety reasons!!!
Being on my own, i still took my PLB and usual safety stuff, bright ‘blaze orange’ hat and vest…..

Left after work Friday night for the 4 hour drive down to Tongariro park, got there and climbed into my ‘scratcher’ bag in the back of my X-trail…..
FFS, half an hour later a DOC officer is banging on my window with a torch saying I’m not allowed to ‘car camp’….

Moved to the hotel (Skotel) car park further down the road, im in a deep sleep, same thing happens again! 1-30 in the fukn morning, different guy!!!!!
So I now have to drive to ‘National park’ village, found a quiet, dark backstreet and finally got my head down…..

Alarm went off at 5-30, just wanted to stay in my bag, it was fukn freezing!!!!!...got up, made a cuppa, had some grub and im finally off….

Got to trail head, head torch on, pack on, checked I had my bolt & ammo in my back pack and im away, about an hour in and I find a big ‘slip’ on my left
Just where I need to go, (I had prepped my hunting location beforehand) this would be ideal……felt good, wind was on my nose, perfect, got no further than
20-30 meters, when I saw my first hoof print (there were to be many!) looked ‘fresh as’ to me (?) edges nice & sharp, mud inside darker colour that the ground
Around it, head torch off, as quite as I could be, bolt in, put 3 rnds in the mag box (takes 4) and closed the bolt on an empty chamber for safety reasons……

Stalked up the slip like a fukn deranged ninja, trying not to laugh at myself…….got to near the top of the slip, dropped my backpack and crept to the top so I
would not silhouette myself, chambered a round and……….fuk all!!!!!! Gave out a ‘roar’ with my ‘roaring horn’ (top off a traffic cone?) no response…..
Carried on to the next ridge (there were to be many!) same result, and the next & so on……

finally came to this high volcanic lava flow ridge overlooking a small forest with a steam along it, great ‘kill zone’ thought I (WTF am I on about?) set up my bang stick
and sat it out, ‘glassed’ the fringe of the bush line with my bino’s, after dropping down about 10 metres so I could not be seen on the ridgeline….

so to cap it all off I had a big long walk through fantastic scenery, didn’t
see one deer the whole day, they were probably all around me laughing!!!!!.....but we all have to start somewhere, must have fell over about 6-7 times, its incredible
where a rifle bolt handle can lodge itself!!!!!! Will just keep going till I finally get one….after all, its called ‘deer hunting’ NOT ‘deer shooting’……

will be back in soon, with a mate, so we will hit the 'bush' this time!!!!!!!

Enjoyed that read Scouser,better luck next time;)

Good on you for being in amongst it Scouser. Too bad about the disturbed sleep.

Well done mate,keep trying if there is prints there must be deer.

Good luck on your next hunt. So you can't sleep in your car in the doc car park but can park your car there and sleep out in the doc block?

As regards the DOC officer, there was just no reasoning with him, i was the only one there, i explained what my plan was, that i would be away at 'sparrows fart' but
he was adamant, same with the fella at the hotel car park.....i was trying to sleep, not having a 'party' or anything, both places off the road in a quiet dark corner....

oh well, i know for next time, bring curtains....LOL

Toby, yes is the answer.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Toby

So you can't sleep in your car in the doc car park but can park your car there and sleep out in the doc block?

---

Yep the logic (if there is any) is perverse at best Toby.

Cheers for sharing Scouser!

I remember my first hunt...
Got to the track and my map was outdated, they'd changed the name of the track I wanted to walk and there was another track that wasn't even marked! (LINZ, you should feel ashamed). Crawled through supplejack, fell over, got lost, got wet, fell over again (and again), wished id not gone alone, still lost, pulled the plug and headed north for the track, got home, had a beer in the shower to clean the greenery out of my ears.

Turns out the clearing I was headed for wasn't where I thought it was...

Haha lots of great memories!

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk 2

Good on ya Scouser - sounds like my early efforts

"And needs must that the true path is narrow and hard, for if it was broad and smooth every motherfucker and their mate would be on it"

Keep at it

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rushy

Good on you for being in amongst it Scouser. Too bad about the disturbed sleep.

---

Yeah Rushy, i was running on empty after 10 hours out on the hill, slept like a log after that!!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Well done mate,keep trying if there is prints there must be deer.

---

True VC, either that or the devil has taken up 'line dancing'........

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 308

Good on ya Scouser - sounds like my early efforts

"And needs must that the true path is narrow and hard, for if it was broad and smooth every motherfucker and their mate would be on it"

Keep at it

---

Cheers 308, im in for the long haul, its not some 'bucket list' thing!!!!!!

Good effort mate, keep going like that and your first wild deer won't be too far away!

Scouser, I have been meaning to ask how you found the time to get out as I thought you were full on tied up for 12 weeks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rushy

Scouser, I have been meaning to ask how you found the time to get out as I thought you were full on tied up for 12 weeks.

---

I am Rushy, trying to balance my 'home life' with hunting, boozing, tramping....Duck season starts next month, trying to keep 'the boss' happy as!

Good for you Scouser,like your approach. The Ninja bit had me coughing on my coffee lol. The way you described the fresh prints tells me your a quick learner.

Don't be so hard on yourself with the farm hunt. You would probably have learned a fair bit as well as getting to see deer. A good learning curve that a lot of newbies could well do with that show you stuff that books don't.
You know where they are so is only a matter of time - both deer and Doc ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phillipgr

Cheers for sharing Scouser!

I remember my first hunt...
Got to the track and my map was outdated, they'd changed the name of the track I wanted to walk and there was another track that wasn't even marked! (LINZ, you should feel ashamed). Crawled through supplejack, fell over, got lost, got wet, fell over again (and again), wished id not gone alone, still lost, pulled the plug and headed north for the track, got home, had a beer in the shower to clean the greenery out of my ears.

Turns out the clearing I was headed for wasn't where I thought it was...

Haha lots of great memories!

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk 2

---

Phil you are skilled!!!

Keep at it Scouser, it took me ages to find the buggers on doc land, and they still elude me most trips. Just makes success that much sweeter!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sako75

Don't be so hard on yourself with the farm hunt. You would probably have learned a fair bit as well as getting to see deer. A good learning curve that a lot of newbies could well do with that show you stuff that books don't.
You know where they are so is only a matter of time - both deer and Doc ;)

---

Cheers sako, im not that hard on myself, just dont consider it a 'real hunt'....learnt a shit load on the guided hunt, that was why i did it, was fed up being a 'keyboard hunter' and wanted some first hand, gritty, get your knife & hands bloodied
and stop 'talking about it, and fukn do it'!!!!!!.....know what i mean....

I started hunting in the early 90’s with no idea what a deer look like. We even did a chopper trip into the Boyd in the month of September not even thinking that fine weather in Auckland could mean snow in the hills. After a dozen or so trips with not seeing anything, including 1 week in the Ureweras, threw it in.
In 2004 a mate said “lets go for a roar hunt” so we did and shot my first deer, a spiker.
I have been back every year since except for 1 year and a trip to Fiordland.
I have done a couple of “behind the fence hunts” not just for the easy meat but also a bit of fun and good to watch the deer move about. Always learning
If I had done a farm hunt (or a HUNTS course) when I first started all the years ago, I would not have thrown it in for a few years and missed out on all the good times in the bush.
In my books, doing a farm hunt the way you did should be encouraged if not compulsory for all newcomers. It puts you in the “square” as far as recognition and familiarity goes and may well reduce the chance of Buck Fever.

I’m pretty screwed for time now-a-days (preggy wife) but if I can get a bit of time off from home, I will be more than happy to get out there with you for a weekend

Stilll having trouble with the pics? Try resizing them on MS paint, that's what I do

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sako75

I started hunting in the early 90’s with no idea what a deer look like. We even did a chopper trip into the Boyd in the month of September not even thinking that fine weather in Auckland could mean snow in the hills. After a dozen or so trips with not seeing anything, including 1 week in the Ureweras, threw it in.
In 2004 a mate said “lets go for a roar hunt” so we did and shot my first deer, a spiker.
I have been back every year since except for 1 year and a trip to Fiordland.
I have done a couple of “behind the fence hunts” not just for the easy meat but also a bit of fun and good to watch the deer move about. Always learning
If I had done a farm hunt (or a HUNTS course) when I first started all the years ago, I would not have thrown it in for a few years and missed out on all the good times in the bush.
In my books, doing a farm hunt the way you did should be encouraged if not compulsory for all newcomers. It puts you in the “square” as far as recognition and familiarity goes and may well reduce the chance of Buck Fever.

I’m pretty screwed for time now-a-days (preggy wife) but if I can get a bit of time off from home, I will be more than happy to get out there with you for a weekend

---

Hi sako, huge thanks for the invite mate, i will defo look forward to going on a trip with you when time & family matters are convenient, experience is what i need the most right now......

cheers scouser

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Matt2308

Good effort mate, keep going like that and your first wild deer won't be too far away!

---

Cheers Matt, i took your advice on the traffic cone, actually found one in a skip that had been damaged....who's a greenie recycler then!!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scouser

Cheers Matt, i took your advice on the traffic cone, actually found one in a skip that had been damaged....who's a greenie recycler then!!!!!!

---

They work surprisingly well...my hunting buddy substituted his cow horn for my traffic cone on our hunt on Saturday morning with very good results! ;-)

Christchurch has no shortage of traffic cones at the moment!