Thread: Last few weeks in three vids

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Nice stuff @JoshC I must admit that I pushed the like button before viewing as I figured I'd not be disappointed
Couple questions in the first video why that stag? Also was the shot low?
How's the WARO going to affect you? Is this the last of the golden era for you? I remember how tough it was to get onto animals back in the early 90's hope I'm wrong but it looks as though it's going to effect you quite a lot

Haha. Shot was right behind the shoulder, he was on the trot and continued to run about 20m before falling. Dead when I got there.

Why him...I saw him come out of the bush about 20 minutes before dark about 1500m away, got a quick bit of blurry footage and he looked good, he was "mature" and had "lots of points" haha, so I hoofed it over there..biggest blow out I have had for a while! I saw a good 12-14 last year in the same gully and thought (had convinced myself) it was him, so in the heat of the moment I had semi made my mind up already I was going to shoot him.

By the time I got within range it was near on dark and he was standing on the bush edge with a couple of hinds ready to bolt, I'd been careless in my approach due to lack of time. I had maybe 10-20 seconds to settle and decide to shoot...which I did. Due to fading light I still couldn't see what he had on top exactly, so measure on the ground so to speak... In hindsight, and if I had more time, I would have most likely left him for "next year". However, his meat is now in my freezer and the head has been tidied up and will hang in one of my boys bedrooms so all good. Plus it was an epic hunting trip and I take comfort in the fact there are several other younger stags with great potential and most likely the same genetics to carry on breeding.

The areas I hunt do get WARO'd fairly regularly by a Te Anau outfit, always have done. They are also heavily hunted...more hunters in these hills that I have seen before. Deer numbers are certainly higher now than when I first started hunting some of these public land areas down this way. I've been sitting on the hill glassing deer on several occasions when the helicopters have flown in and buzzed the valley. One of my favorite mountain areas down here is due to be aerially 1080'd so I dare say the numbers there will take more of a hit. I won't lose any sleep over it.

I have been hunting public land on the West Coast, Canterbury and Otago for 15-20 years...with Dad and then by myself, and have always managed to see or find deer...obviously sometimes more difficult than others. Every time I have hunted a Haast roar block I have seen 15-30 deer on a trip...that's even after the guys that have come out before me have said its a waste of time and there's no roaring or deer about (exactly that happened this year before we flew in...)

And yep, that old WC stag is a cool beast. Really stoked with him. Boiled him out and cleaned up the skull last night. Fair to say he's probably avoided a few hunters and choppers in his time.

Originally Posted by JoshC

Haha. Shot was right behind the shoulder, he was on the trot and continued to run about 20m before falling. Dead when I got there.

Why him...I saw him come out of the bush about 20 minutes before dark about 1500m away, got a quick bit of blurry footage and he looked good, he was "mature" and had "lots of points" haha, so I hoofed it over there..biggest blow out I have had for a while! I saw a good 12-14 last year in the same gully and thought (had convinced myself) it was him, so in the heat of the moment I had semi made my mind up already I was going to shoot him.

By the time I got within range it was near on dark and he was standing on the bush edge with a couple of hinds ready to bolt, I'd been careless in my approach due to lack of time. I had maybe 10-20 seconds to settle and decide to shoot...which I did. Due to fading light I still couldn't see what he had on top exactly, so measure on the ground so to speak... In hindsight, and if I had more time, I would have most likely left him for "next year". However, his meat is now in my freezer and the head has been tidied up and will hang in one of my boys bedrooms so all good. Plus it was an epic hunting trip and I take comfort in the fact there are several other younger stags with great potential and most likely the same genetics to carry on breeding.

The areas I hunt do get WARO'd fairly regularly by a Te Anau outfit, always have done. They are also heavily hunted...more hunters in these hills that I have seen before. Deer numbers are certainly higher now than when I first started hunting some of these public land areas down this way. I've been sitting on the hill glassing deer on several occasions when the helicopters have flown in and buzzed the valley. One of my favorite mountain areas down here is due to be aerially 1080'd so I dare say the numbers there will take more of a hit. I won't lose any sleep over it.

I have been hunting public land on the West Coast, Canterbury and Otago for 15-20 years...with Dad and then by myself, and have always managed to see or find deer...obviously sometimes more difficult than others. Every time I have hunted a Haast roar block I have seen 15-30 deer on a trip...that's even after the guys that have come out before me have said its a waste of time and there's no roaring or deer about (exactly that happened this year before we flew in...)

And yep, that old WC stag is a cool beast. Really stoked with him. Boiled him out and cleaned up the skull last night. Fair to say he's probably avoided a few hunters and choppers in his time.

Was that @R93