Thread: Good times, Great weather, New mates and Fresh venison

I’ll add in my 2 cents.

Booked in to meet up with the guys at the hut on the 24th but due to their car troubles they were delayed. Danny and I didn’t know this and when they didn’t show up the hut the morning after we decided we should walk up to a point where we could get reception.

Sure enough we get word that they are all good and got to the car park before first light and had scored a nice looking stag already! The pressure was on now so we continued up the spur. My original intent was to reach the tops and go from there. Once we got to the alpine brush the bush seemed damp and not very habitable, very tightly packed.

We made the call to head back a bit lower and abseil down a very steep slip using tussock and other brush as support. We found a ice knoll to sit on comfortably and I used my phone gps to establish the distance of some of the slips. We made an absolute racket on the way down the slip due to the angle of the climb and cautioning one another of where to step and climb.

Once we were propped up in our newly found spot we started to glass, taking turns with the binos. This was Danny’s first time in the bush and we had put in some hard slog already so sitting down was a real treat. I took the binos again and sweated casually over the slips that were around 340metres away. A stretch I though for my .308 which I had only fired at 100 yards at the range and set it up to be around 2.4 inches high. I knew the caliber is a capable killer beyond that but with my current set up it is definitely at my limit. I was using Belmont factory ammo for the record.

As I swept across the face, out of absolutely nowhere I seen a mouse shaped head looking directly in our direction. I reckon he was wondering where those noisy beasts from earlier had got to. I harshly whispered “I see a deer!!!” I couldn’t believe our luck.
The adrenaline kicked in and I found myself telling Danny “Don’t worry we have all day” more to get myself to slow down than anything.

I noticed the antlers, quite poor looking once up close but very exciting at the time as I informed my mate that “it’s a stag!!” And “it’s feeding now”. I tried to set up for a shot while Danny tried to locate the stag with the binos I had handed back to him. “Find the big banana looking tree and it’s about 50metres up from there”. That tree was in fact a cabbage tree I just couldn’t think of the correct words at the time.

I ended up laying across the side of the face with Danny holding me up as I lined up the stag, putting the second ballistic receiver dot on his shoulder. Click went my rifle as I realised in the excitement I had not put the bolt into place yet. I quickly flicked it shut and lined up again. “Tell me where the bullet hits” I said in case I had to adjust my aim.

I squeezed the trigger and Danny stared across the space between us and the stag with the binos. Boom! The shot rang out and the rifle jumped up slightly. I knew with the slight fright I got that it had been a pretty good trigger pull. I brought the scope back down but couldn’t see the stag.

“You hit him” Daniel yelled. “He’s rolling” he continued. I found the stag in the scope mid tumble and it appeared he was trying to run but couldn’t get balance. I then lost him because I took my eye off him.
Danny yelled “he’s down!”. I picked him up again. “He’s dead” I yelled checking 2-3 times through the scope between hi fives and hoots.

I couldn’t believe it. A dream come true and my first kill in the bush! The rush was out of this world. I will save the gruelling recovery story for another time perhaps over a camp fire in the future. But we were finally on the board and exicted to get back to camp and meet our new mates. Sharing our success.

We had a great hunt yarning at the hut getting to know the lads and sharing how we had first started hunting and how much of a passion it had become for all of us. Talking about our first times out where all we had was our new rifles and a keenness to get out there and learn.

We look forward to future hunts with the boys and possibly anyone else that is keen to have a go. Shot @Been Upto it was a great hunt and congrats on the stag you shot. What a good kill at 635yards. Very impressive! Love the 260rem