Overnight Christmas break trip
Before New Year but after Christmas two of my work colleagues invited me hunting with them, they have both been hunting for years where as I’m still new to all this.
Anyway they arranged to collect me from home as we would be continuing on down my road and access a DoC block through a private farm, the manager is a real good bugger and we all know him and his wife very well. We drove through his paddocks until we gained the furthest boundary and then pulling on packs we climbed the fence and followed the river which was quite low for four hours, plenty of fresh deer poo was spotted and lots of freshish prints too so hopes were high.
We set up an overnight fly camp opposite a big slip and settled in for the afternoon before heading up valley around 6pm. We travelled for another two hours stopping to glass as we went and checking all the little side creeks with no animals seen. Upon reaching a spot from where we could glass the head of the valley and higher slopes.
Way up high around 2km away three spikers were seen chasing each other around and also a Chamois. With no clear way to gain the heights we returned to camp and a late dinner.
The alarm was way too early for me but we dragged ourselves up and out by 4am to return back up valley to try and gain the tops. Right at the very head of the valley we spotted three wild sheep left over from the old St James station days, these were duly dispatched by one of my colleagues as the farmer had requested we do so if any were seen.
With no other game anywhere to be seen we climbed up to the ridgeline and did a big circuit back to camp in time for lunch and a quick pack up for the walk out.
