Brian and I have just spent a couple of days out and about.
The first evening Brian shot a red hind at about a 100 yards with his 270wsm. I could see a couple of deer close to where he was from a ridge I was on a few hundred yards away, which I alerted him to on the little hand held radio. He stayed super hidden and in the end one of them popped into sight. At the shot it bolted a 100 yards or so but I saw it eventually tip over. I went over to help find it which Tilly did no trouble.
But before I went over Brian radio'd and said that he could see a Fallow spiker a couple of hundred yards back where had walked from, so that copped it too. Silly spiker. Brian had 2 in the bag. No pic of the spiker because it was a bit bloody. We butchered them both and shared the load for the trudge back in the dark.
The next night we were heading out to a different spot and a couple of Fallow jumped out in front of us. They crossed a gully and then appeared trotting along the scrub line. I was able to get a shot at the front one at 275 yds with my 300saum. It sounded like a hit but there was no reaction from it, and they both disappeared into the scrub . I was pretty sure I would find it so took the dog over while Brian stayed back to watch and direct me. Tilly was keen and sniffed around where they had last been but couldn't pick anything up in the tail wind.
She tracked up a creek and eventually Brian radio'd that he had seen a deer's head pop up in the scrub down wind from me. I took Tilly around and she eventually bumped a velvet buck that was sick but still a runner. She tracked/chased it 80 yards down into a clear creek where I was able to finish it. The 150 grn Barnes had hit the deer in the lungs but the angle was away towards the stomach and it didn't hit anything hard - it should have killed it but with the Barnes (as good as they are) you get that sometimes. Its all about angles and vitals. My bad. You can't blame your tools.
The buck was mud fat and will be beautiful eating.
We carried on and saw a Red hind and yearling but they were left in peace.
All in all it was a couple of great evenings and we arrived home late last night with quite a stock of prime venison.
[the photos are stuffed up and out of order but you should be able to work them out]
