Thread: Perseverance

I've been hunting sporadically for just over a year now but a recent sporting injury and a quieter work schedule had inspired me to spend more time in the bush. Needless to say, with more time spent pursuing anything worth pursuing, there will be some progress. From hearing the odd twig snapping or on the rare occasion the sound of hurried movement of hooves on my initial half hearted forays to now regularly seeing and being able to track animals has been super rewarding. My mates often get an excited message from me (sometimes while I'm still in the bush if I have reception) about seeing a deer or a pig and I'm sure they have started rolling their eyes at me by now, but I still never got to that next step of pulling the trigger. It just all happened too fast or the bush was too thick etc etc... However, this progress got me gripped! From the month of May when I sustained my injury through to now, I somehow averaged 2- 2.5 days a week hunting and I find myself spending all my down time watching hunting videos and buying hunting gear of trade me. It has become an absolute addiction.

I saw my first stag bush hunting two weeks ago, followed by me shooting my first pig!



Yesterday, I had my first close encounter with two sika deer in a completely new spot for me. I spent the best part of an hour tracking really fresh looking prints down a potentially productive spur I had identified. Halfway down the spur I see this figure (I still get surprised seeing a deer just standing there in the forest) in what almost looked like a "point position", sniffing the air up the spur I had been down. I took my chance to bolt down, safety off and line it up and then BOOM and reload. I saw the animal jump and run off and noticed there was a second deer not so far behind it, before it too took off. I was in disbelief that I hadn't hit it as it was less than 50m away. Two deer re-appeared less than 10m further, in exactly the same channel I had shot through and I had a second chance. I line it up again and CLICK. ???? Turned out that in my haste I had ejected the cartridge but not pulled the bolt back enough for it to pick up another round. By the time I had reloaded the deer had quartered away and I was looking at it's behind before they eventually figured out it was not safe to stay and buggered of. I couldn't quite figure out what had happened. Did I hit it? Had I completely missed at 50m? I had a look at the spot I shot at it and there was no sign of blood. I spent an hour tracking up and down the spur and the adjacent creek they wandered off to. Nothing. I had total mixed emotions. On one hand I was relieved it was a clean miss, on the other I was embarrassed and upset on missing this opportunity to take my first deer (solo).

Fast forward to today. I relived the disappointment in my dreams and so thought I was going to make the most of my time off and beat the rain and go on an afternoon hunt. I was on dinner duty tonight, so decided it would be a recce to a new area and I would be back home by 4. I started to see deer sign as soon as I left the car and thought that this may be promising. The sign soon dried up and I started to see rugby field sized patches of pig rooting. Well, pigs it is! I thought to myself. After a couple of hours I started to see a bit more deer sign and the sign started getting fresher and then there it was! A red deer hind standing broadside to me. Bolt goes down, safety comes off and I line it up. Now as I'm doing this my thoughts go to yesterday's miss. I decide I have time to slowly kneel down. The deer is still in a dead stop and hasn't smelt or seen me. BOOM! This time, I'm 100% certain I've hit it. I see it jump and I see dirt go flying in the air as I imagine it lay on it's side with it's legs instinctively kicking away. Then, I see the deer jump up and start running away. I am ready with another round up the chamber but I remember reading not to chase the deer and so I wait. I wait about 5 minutes and go to where it stood. NO BLOOD!!! WTF!!!!! So I head in the direction of where it took off hoping to see heavy prints of an animal running away, some blood or smell it. Nothing. 30 minutes later I return back to the spot I shot it from and then back to where it stood. As I'm walking towards the spot, I spot the deer. There it is, lying dead 5m away from where I shot it!!


I am so relieved, but also really baffled to the lack of blood trail. It got my mind racing back to the deer I had shot at yesterday. It behaved in a similar way to this one and there was no blood trail...I hope it isn't out there, injured. I hate the thought of meat going to waste but I rather it was dead somewhere than wounded. At least my shot today was better (still a bit too far forward) and I took my time to take it.


I am still new to butchery and the walk out to the car was less than a km, so I decided to gut it and backpack it out.

Here it is, hanging in my garage:


Now I can rest easy during the rain, plotting my next adventure.

P.S. Sorry for the rambling. Blame celebratory beers.