Thread: Public land deer - 53 years ago.

These are the first 2 deer that I shot and sold. I was 21 It was in the head waters of the Mangahao in the Tararuas. About 5 hour walk to where I shot them.

The rifle is a Brno .222. I shoulder shot the little one at about 100 yards and neck shot the velvety in his bed at about 15 yards. We saw 23 deer that day. The cheque I received for the 2 sets of HQ with back steaks attached and the velvet was bigger than my one weeks shepherding wage at the time. A while later I chucked shepherding for casual farm work and meat hunting.

The Brno was a neat little gun. It had a 4x Tasco 'scope on it and I used Hertenberger and Sako 50 grn ammo. Eventually sold it for a 308.

Shooting these 2 deer was life changing. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Small things can make big differences.





When I got into selling it a bit more seriously I mainly hunted the Ruahines.
Still just a young bloke here.





Great times. I stopped selling it when you had to bring the whole deer out and heart lungs and liver. Had my own farm by then and was farming them instead of killing them anyway.