Shika

Shika (meaning deer in Japanese) was what I was after. I had a leave pass from the Mrs's and thumbs up from my 3 month year old son that I could go out and play again for 5 days. I had recently restored my grandfathers Brno 223 by stripping the remaining varnish off, giving it a light stain, about 10 layers of tru oil, new butt pad and sling, and re-blued the barrel successfuly on my second attempt with some sound advice from guys on here (thanks guys). I sighted it in a few days before and had a nice grouping at 100m within the diameter of my palm. That will do!

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The first afternoon was unsuccesful with a few deer getting my wind. The next day I ventured high and dropped down various gullys and water sheds to have a very frickle wind blowing from all directions. I got close to a few deer, but not close enough to get a bead on them. The following day I was working a ridge when it all started to feel like I was geting onto a good area. No wind, quiet, and still crunchy under foot, the going was slow but I had all day ahead of me. There was a opening in the bush and my eyes flickered to it expecting to see something. Nothing. I took a few more steps and had a Shika squeel at me half the distance between me and the opening. I saw a head full of antlers quickly departing my field of view. Bugger, hadn't seen that one! Moving on along the ridge, I came to a saddle. I sat down and had something to eat and concluded there was nothing on one side. Walking up the next incline, I heard an unusual khoooo sound to my left on the other side of the saddle I had just left. Stranage, I didn't think we got wood pigeons up this high? Another step had the same response. I looked down a gully and a Shika was standing side on with its head obscured behind a tree with just its antlers protruding. I had time to fart around with this one. I raised the rifle, and squeezed off a round and it ran down hill a few paces and started to wobble from side to side showing the signs of a good hit. I let it come to a rest and began my walk slowly down. Super stoaked to find a nice spiker at my feet shortly after, and my first for this species.

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The next day was a bit wet, so I took it easy as my feet were a bit tender from all the hills and read up on Shika. The next day was still drizzly but just a fine misty type of day which can bode well for finding deer out in the open. I managed to get within 10-15m of 3 sika stag on various ridges. There was scrapes, tree rubbings and various fresh droppings to keep me very interested but I just couldn't get the jump on these stags.

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Pushing out onto the flats, I thought my day was done when a hind bolted up a scrubby face from the grass flat below. I slowed down. Peering over the next ridge onto the river flats I spied a young hind feeding away. Again, I had time so took a few quick snaps as day light was fading and I still had a big walk back to camp. I got into the prone position and squeezed off a round in the engine room. She trotted off. I reloaded thinking I had somehow missed, but she came to a stand still and began to crumble to the ground.

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On the walk back to camp another hind jumped out infront of me. I thought why not, raised the rifle and was confronted by a vision of just blur! Quick whipe of the scope didn't help and I concluded my Leupold scope had given up the ghost and was fogged up inside. One very lucky Shika. Two Shika in 5 days, I can't complain about that though!

Epic! Nice work Rusky:cool:

Neat looking area and well done on the Deerz

Excellent result, nice job on the restoration

Nice rifle and animals, kaimaniwas?

good read

Pluss one on the gun it looks great ,sika are rite up there on the todo list are they roaring yet ?

Boaraxa, this was a few weeks ago so no roaring.

nice one

Good effort nice rifle.

awesome mate, any roaring?

Well done.

Leupold should repair/reseal your scope, usually doesn't matter how old

Well Done !!

nice work rusky !