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First hunt for first chamois
Having just completed a move back to the South Island I figured I better get out and have a wee look for a chamois. Having only hunted them once before with no success I didn't rate my chances to high but decided to give it a nudge anyway. I made the short drive up the Rahu abit later than intended, arriving around 7:30am to an empty car park. I figured it was a pretty good sign. Whilst sorting my gear another car arrived, a stunning young blondie comes over and has abit of a yarn, tells me they had heard about a few animals up the hill and asked if I minded if her and her partner hunted up there as well. I said no I didn't mind and let them know of my intentions. With that being done I ambled off up the track....well maybe not ambled, as just over an hour later I reached the tops. Soaked with sweat I sat glassing in the cold morning air. Nothing was stirring in he first bit of a basin so I decided to climb higher and sidle round to a saddle that would give me a good point to have look from, even better it was out of the wind! I start looking over the basin, up,down, left,right through all the nice sunny faces only to discover....nothing. I then started to glass the shady faces, same routine for about 20mins when I noticed what I thought was a rock move. Well out with the spotting scope and low and behold there's a chamios. Not just one..eight of them. Nannies ,juveniles and a buck feeding below a small bluff about a km away. I sat and watched them for awhile trying to plan a stalk. Being where they were and having bedded down it was going to be impossible to get close enough for a shot so I decided to wait and see what happened. I sat and watched for the best part of 4hours, plotting ways to get closer until finally they started feeding again, moving into a small gut out of sight. I figured I had 3 hours I light left so I may as well have a go at them. I crept around the top of the main basin, then descended into a small gut next I where I had last seen them. A slight downhill breeze was going to make the stalk iffy but I had nothing to lose. I carefully nosed my way over the crest of the spur to where I believed the chamios would be, only to discover that I was now about 10m from two nannies, who were completely oblivious to me. I quickly scanned below me hoping to see the buck but only found another nanny sussing me out and looking pretty cagey. With it all about to go pear shaped I lined up the nanny nearest me and let rip. Down she went, and off went about a dozen more in all directions. I caught sight of the buck an swung on him but decided not to risk it. I made my way over the the chamois savouring the moment before I Attachment 67758took a few photos, boned it out and headed for home. It's nothing too amazing but it's one hunt I'll treasure.
