I bought a rifle from a retiring guide last year, and the rifle came with a complimentary guided tahr hunt. I finally took him up on it a this past weekend. He took me into some public land via a sketchy as private access road (requires 4wd and chains on each wheel!)
We got up the valley by mid afternoon and immediately started seeing tahr. Having never seen them before I was pumped! The longer we sat the more they stood out. We would have seen close to 70 up the one valley.
We were a group of 4, and decided to split, leap frogging up the valley and stopping to glass. We went up ahead and I spotted two decent bulls down low, one younger blond one and one decent older one much darker. They were only 350m away, but the problem was they were across the valley, and we would have to cross the valley floor that had zero cover. We decided to wait and watch them, they hadn’t seen us yet. We knew we were on a timeframe though, as the other two guys would be heading up before long. Sure enough next minute both our bills are on high alert looking back down the valley. We were still unseen at this stage. As our mates rounded the bend we tried to discretely whistle and wave them to stop. Eventually they saw us and stopped in their tracks, but when we checked on our bulls they were now looking directly at us. Busted.
We figured we might as well have a crack getting closer as we had nothing to lose.
I stood up and staying hunched over made my way across the valley, there was a wee gut just over from them that would give me cover to get closer.
When I got to the gut I realised I couldn’t see them anymore and thought they had gapped it, but the guide (still in original position) could see them and told me to head up to a particular rock and set up for the shot.
I wasted no time and gained about 150m elevation to said rock. Threw my pack down and got ready. Still blowing hard from the climb, and adrenaline rushing through me from the rush I struggled to calm myself. I sat watching for a minute, waiting for a glimpse of either animal, managing to control my breathing. Suddenly there up pops blonde, my heart rate spikes. I range him at 230m, and wait for his bigger mate. There he is. I had a good broadside shot and took it, BANG! He jumps with fright and runs further along. Shit I missed! In my haste I didn’t wait for him to stop, and the round sailed over his shoulder.I chambered another round and waited for my moment. Calm. There! BANG! Flop. I hit him low in the chest, and the Roy s exited out through his upper shoulder. He was done.
I made my way up the further 200m, and found this magnificent animal lying in the rocks. My first Tahr, I was pumped. I sat down with him as the guide made his way up the hill to me, and just drank in the scenery. Fuck yeah.
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