Tahr well earned

After buying a NZ Hunter mag for something to read while on holiday 4 or 5 years ago i decided to get back into hunting. I was especaly interested in and intregued by monarcs of the mountain, Tahr.
Because none of my mates or even aquantances hunted. I obsessively researched everything from rifles to boots to hunting grounds and everything in between that i would need to get my trophy bull . After $$$ spent half a doz solo trips into the mountains a foot high stack of NZH mags later and mockery from friends that i have all the gears and always talk hunting but have never shot anything I finally tipped one over.
My origonal plans to go hunting with my cuz fell over but it worked out i could go solo a day later, just missing the rain and striking fantastic weather.
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(Lake Pukaki with Mt Cook in the background. photo doesn't do this justice as people who have seen this view on a blue bird day can attest. A very powerful sight).
I set off up the valley at about 230 wondering how my fitness was going to hold up. After 3hrs i made the first hut and was feeling good so i kept moving to Littles hut glassing along the way. I didnt see anything whilst glassing but saw plenty of hoof marks in the riverbed which gave me confidence. I made the hut at about 830pm had a quick glass before dark still nothing. I don't think i fully appreciate the time you need to spend glassing I'm very impatient.
Next day dawns (well not yet) and i set off for the head of the valley under head light i get about a mile up and realise I've set off a bit too early i get boxed in by the river and cant see shit so i find a comfy spot and have a bit of a lie down.
At last the day dawns (after 1.5hrs) and i can see, so i start glassing. Still nothing!
"Fuck it if i cant see you i will come find you".
So up i went (this is the bit i hate!).
I sidled up for an hour then came to a bit of a gut which made me change corse to directly up luckily with all the rain the fine gravel was solid as which made for easier going.
With every breather i gazed up into the bluffs hoping to see something but not expecting it when shockingly a small group of Tahr were walking along under the bluffs.
ACTION STATIONS!!!!
RANGE FINDER!!!
285!!
HOLD OVER!
2.5"ish minus1" for the angle so not much needed
I started to calm down and rested my 7mmRM on my pack and peered at them through the scope it was what i thought was a group of nannies with some juvys i wasn't sure if i wanted to scare of what could be around the corner for a nanny when the biggest one presented its self for a perfect opportunity. I took it. Bang, flop, roll summersault, roll, slide out of site
WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!
The 200 rounds i spent shooting a little black dot payed off!
After a half hours climb and some scouting around i found it hung on a rock on the scree of doom leadind over a small bluff
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I almost left it there but after noticing it was a bull and assessing the danger which was mostly in my head i carefully crawled down took the head and back straps.
"Im a real hunter now" i thought to myself.
All this before 10am so by 1130 Attachment 8120
i was off the mountain and had what turned out to be painful a 8 hour walk out.
At 3pm i was buggered and 100m from the other hut when out of the river a mob of half a doz jumped up and trotted off up the hill. My gun was strapped to my pack and i was shagged so i let them go. For next time.

Nice work and bloody typical seeing animals near home on the way out.

Good shit.

The first one is always a good feeling an you had a bit of effort involved as well:thumbsup:

Awesome well done username :thumbup::cool::beer::beer::beer:

Have a beer on me .

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Good on ya mate. Good effort. 8 hr walk in that country? What sort of day pack have ya got there, badlands?

Tahr well earned indeed, :thumbsup: good on ya.

Thanks. it was a bit of a scouting mission so i wanted to get up as far as i could to have a nosey and test my limits. they were definately tested. I was down to a hobble when i got to the car. R98 its a hunters element evolve

Attachment 8122i missed this one

Hobbling down riverbed why 8 hrs fresh feet and body would have been 6 my feet and shoulders had had it by the time i got off the hill.

Sweet, thanks.

Well done , and a good story to boot .

Bet that lost a few pounds off ya avatar?:thumbsup:

Great read username and cool pics too:cool:

Yeh but i put it back on when i got back to twizel with a big hearty stew and deep fried spuds for dinner then a full cooked breakie before heading home

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Originally Posted by Dundee

Bet that lost a few pounds off ya avatar?:thumbsup:

Great read username and cool pics too:cool:

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Good effort there username. You could knock a few pounds off your avatar but a few pounds off you and there'd be nothing left. You stopped smiling yet?

Good work :) I should really get off my ass and start chasing those things at some stage too.

Yes, this year could see a brace of NI hunters down for a few Himalayan goats .

Well done username. Sounds like a brilliant trip. Sunshine, scenery and score.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

Good effort there username. You could knock a few pounds off your avatar but a few pounds off you and there'd be nothing left. You stopped smiling yet?

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It gets better every day. im going back in a couple weeks with my cuz.
You dont need a miracle gadget just a couple days spare, a tank of gas and a good pair of boots and binos.
It was completely unnecessary To go that far up i just wanted to see what was there.
Take your girl up in november and you have very good chance in filling your roasting pan.
I will message u when i go and theres room for one more im planning a few trips at this stage. Time will tell if it eventuates but i am determined to get a bull 11"+ this rut.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by username

It gets better every day. im going back in a couple weeks with my cuz.
You dont need a miracle gadget just a couple days spare, a tank of gas and a good pair of boots and binos.
It was completely unnecessary To go that far up i just wanted to see what was there.
Take your girl up in november and you have very good chance in filling your roasting pan.
I will message u when i go and theres room for one more im planning a few trips at this stage. Time will tell if it eventuates but i am determined to get a bull 11"+ this rut.

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Might have to give it a go. Must admit I feel a bit more confident after the wallaby comp. A nice trophy nanny or two, ... to mount on the side of the plate with some fresh veg.

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Originally Posted by username

It gets better every day. im going back in a couple weeks with my cuz.

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Sounds like you're getting hooked, be careful!! Well done and good effort

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Originally Posted by hillclima

Sounds like you're getting hooked, be careful!! Well done and good effort

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Im hopefull to make it back up friday. Leave home 3:30ish get there about 5 an hours walk to doc land. The first few k of doc land looks to be potential deer country so stalk that from day light till 12ish to get a good handle on the areas layout. then 3hr walk up to where i disturbed the tahr in the creek. glass and hopefully some will come down. stay in the hut up there. leave there early morning under head ligh.t stalk back trough deer country. three hunts And ive only been away from the family for 36 hr .ish. Got my blaze yesterday. I also have a lot of respect for that country especially coz i hunt solo. I should really get a Emergency locator beacon.

Hey username, awesome effort for your first tahr!!
I managed to get my first in November last year and am definitely hooked.

A PLB would be a good idea for you especially if your going to go up solo in the rut

A mate and I went for a shoot up the valley yesterday. We crept through what i think is deer country but didn't see anything. So after a feed of bacon and eggs on the side of the track we took off up the river.
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It was still quite early and i wanted to explore a side creek that wrapped around behind the main range. The creek dropped sharply into the main valley so it was a steep hike up. After an hours hard slog we got a better view of the country behind the main valley. It looked like you could walk part of the ridge of the main range and look down into scree heads and bluffs (not sure of correct terms) so we headed for the top
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It was 3.5 hours and a 1000m vertical climb since our bacon and eggs and we were at the top. Dead end. Shit all that climbing and we could only look down into the top of two scree's (or maybe bluff systems is the correct term?). we had a good look into the scree's then i needed a wee lie down before a decision needed to be made for our next move. 15 min had passed and i caught myself snoring so it was time to move on. I was picking up my rifle when i heard some rocks rolling down the scree so i had a peek over and what do you know a group of 4 or 5 tahr were making there way across i alerted my mate and set up 360yd 45deg or steeper it was a tricky shot but i had a go at a nanny anyway and missed (i still cant spot my shots it makes it hard to know where i go wrong) I made some guess adjustments and missed again, then that mob was gone. My mate spotted a lone nanny on a ledge 330yd same angle it was a sitting duck so after a bit more thought and better shooting position i let one go. I again lost sight of the target but my mate informed me it paused for a second then toppled off its perch and rolled into some gnarly stuff all the shooting disturbed another mob that was moving into the next bluff system. It had some better bulls than i've seen before no great trophy's but good enough for me. Because the chance of retreval was very slim and we knew they would be heading down soon for a feed we let them go and took off down to the bottom of the main valley to spot them
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It took a couple hours but we were in place to spot the tahr we let go earlier. After a half hour/45min i gave up and put on my pack when my mate says he see's them i have a look and see bugger all. It took 10min for me to see them, the first tahr i've seen from the valley floor. They where very small luckily my mate had just brought some BX2's because i would never have spotted them with minnox. it finally clicked why you need quality hunting optics, my wife is not going to be happy!

it was 6:30pm and we made a plan to move up a shallow gut to the tahrs level and shoot off a rocky outcrop so off we went. It was very steep and hard going but we made it to the rocky outcrop in 1-1.5 hours the light was fading so we quickly set up they were at 256m and about 30deg up i wasn't happy with my position but i made do because i thought, Easy shot! we called our targets my mate shot first and me straight after.

We both missed and the tahr were gone!!! what an anti climax.

Although i missed two out of the three tahr i shot at it was the most successful hunt to date because i learnt alot.

The value of a good rest.
The value of quality binos
What Tahr look like on the hill through binos and (what people have already told me)
That you dont have to up go looking for tahr just wait untill late afternoon and watch them come down. "hunt with your eyes not my feet" R98.

But what will i do for the rest of the day!!!

Nice country there amazing!! ive never seen or shot a tahr but its on my list! taking away the learning points from every trip is important for me good effort mate.

Thats why i hunt tahr at least you get a good view. The best thing about that hunt was hatching a plan and it working untill we pulled the trigger

Good to see a Waimo out on the steep stuff,good luck with your future hunting.

Brilliant UN, as im 'up north' i havent done any of this stuff, sounds a real challenge, well done mate, keep the learning curve upward!!!!!!!

Great stuff1

Thanks for sharing, nice read!

Well done Username.:thumbsup:
Bit of range time and field practice in order ay ;)

Yeh i need to sort out spotting my shots muzzle jump is pissing me off i might try a t2 brake. ive tried to sort body position maybe i will video my technique and post it.