Thread: MEB's 2012 Red Roar - Part 1

We land all too soon and get our biv's sorted as quick as we can. Main camp gets built of a main rope with some tarps over. We cut a few saplings down to make space. Clearing up rubbish and shit left over from the last party. Tie the tarps up and Malc and I get the Kitchen sorted. Phil hands out presents and pics are taken.


Our main eating and socialising area


Our bivs and sleeping area


Presents from phillipo

Blair and I get our kit sorted and head off up the side creek. Blair gives a few roars here and there and we sneak along. No replies to the roars but sign everywhere - both fresh and old. We sneak through some beaut deer country but no deer. We then head up to a slip Blair knows and check it out for a while but no deer. We slope off back to camp full of expectations. Dinner was the chewiest mutton ever. Washed down by a few tins of Bourbon and cola. Had a good bit of banter. My boot repair leaks so I have a wet right foot on day one. Our plan is to sneak up the creek at first light and ambush the slip, watch until after first light and then head back for breakfast and a full day in the hills. I have a fitful nights sleep. Expectation and a mattress I forgot to blow up see's to that. Combined with warm weather and I hardly sleep a wink before alarm goes off at 5 something.
2/4/2012
Gear on and we head off up the clearing. Lots of fresh sign again. Find a good shooting posi and camp out at base of slip, opposite side of slip and stream. We wait. And wait. Nothing showed so we sidle along the stream side till I can go no further and I look up. TWO DEER. The shot that was there no longer presents itself and the deer are mostly out of sight. Then a deers head and neck come into view through the trees. I aim for the centre of the neck and apart from a bang the deer do nothing. A head neck and shoulders come into view through the small gap in the trees and I shoot again. The deer slowly wander off up the hill. I find it hard to believe I missed twice and head across the stream to climb to where the deer were. I search and find no evidence of a hit but fresh prints meander off up the hill. We figure the projectile might have been deflected off a branch or twig, twice. Good enough excuse for me. Blair and I decide to sneak back towards camp about 20m up from the creek. We find some nice looking open guts and I get a stone thrown at me - your going too fast. Take one step, look around scan the area for deer. Then take another step. Slow as you can and inch your way through. Expecting to see a deer with every slow step. We have almost cleared the last open gut when I hear a twig snap from the direction of the creek. So slowly we inch our way towards the creek. As I near the creek I crouch down and get closer. I slowly raise myself up and find a Stag bathed in sun staring straight at me. I freeze and hope that Blair has seen the Stag. Any movement at this point and it would be bye bye Stag. The Stag stares at me for a few moments and then drops his head down to resume feeding. He is head on to me as I swing the rifle up. Crosshairs on his neck, I aim for where his heart would be and squeeze the trigger. The Stag slumps straight to the floor. An ear twitches then no movement at all. I turn round to Blair who's grinning. Handshakes and a pic then I'm off across the creek to my Stag. My first Antlered Red Stag. How many points did he have? I've no idea. I just saw the antlers and knew it was a Stag. I get to him and see 6 points. Quite a young animal. Im elated. Pressure is off.



Blair gets on the radio and lets the boys know. They head up the creek to join us while Blair shows me how to get the head of easily.