Kinda strange but lucky day - goat hunt

Just a quick report on a goat hunt on Sunday 22nd June 2014.

One of my friends came home for the weekend from Palmy as he had his semester break start while another keen friend contacted me for some goat meat. So sussed out a plan for Sunday and off we went to my spot X which is often filled up with goats.

Left home around 6am which got us to my spot car park as the day just broke. Was chilly morning and the breeze as usual on the coast was high. Got the gear all sorted and had just started to walk towards the track when I spotted movement on a slip just near the begining of the track. Zoomed in the scope and saw 3 billies grazing merrily on the slip. The slip was just on the edge of the car park clearing. I walked to the edge and tried finding a place to rest my rifle and take the shot.
The excitment of seeing the billies so close to the car park was over taking me. I had not seen any so close to the entrace in so many trips I had made there earlier on. Unfortunately I couldnt find any place to rest the gun and because the billies by now had seen me they started climbing. I just had less than a min before they would make it into cover. So I took the chance of taking a free hand shot. "Bang" and a clean miss it is. They disappear into cover. It would have been a effortless trip had I got that billy. lol.. So bit frustrated with that we started up the track. I was wondering whether it was the wind that may have caused the miss or was it that I just completely missed it.

Up the track we went talking about how good the day would have been bla bla etc.. my mate whi had been on other goat hunt trips with me earlier asked me the question "would you have come up the track had we got that billy down there". I said ofcourse not. He smiled and said "as far as I know you, you would still have come up here because it would be too early for you to return without taking that walk. lol

We walked about 2ks up the track. The recent heavy rain has changed the total look n feel of the track that I initially knew of. There were new and big slips, side streams that were just like creeks were wide now giving more access to new spots and more hunting.

We took a break as one of my mate just wore a jogging canvas and was quite tired by now. The other mate was kinda lucky as he used my old boots and was ok. We decided to go a little further before we would turn back. As we got up, four big billies that were making down towards us saw us, turned and took of in the opposite direction. I quickly found a rest and aimed. They were about to turn a corner up a side stream and the only likely place I would crack the shot was "up the arse". I didnt like the idea so instead pulled the safety back on and followed wishing they might stop soon or allow me a better placement of the shot.

Damn they moved pretty fast and were lost in just a nick of time. My tired mate was almost giving up and suggested that we should return now. So kinda frustrated and not wanting to tirer hime more I agree. I was bit depressed with the fact of seeing 7 billies and getting none.. Well thats what hunting is all about. No 2 days are the same I guess but yes I do believe in luck though..

So we made our way down towards the car park. This time we were coming down opposite of the face of the slip where I took the shot that morning. When I was face to face about 200m directly opposite the spot where the billies were that morning a saw a good resting place that I could have used to take that shot earlier. So like an idiot I placed my gun adjusting the scope to see how the shot would have been. I zoomed in and guess what, I saw a brown tail.. lol I though it could be the buck fever kinda thing so I moved my sight off the scope, move slightly to the right and looked again. Sure enough it was a young nanny. wow.. quickly told my mates to move behind where I was and chambered a round in. My mates thought I was only fooling them until i let the shot rip. I saw it on the scope that it was a clean drop on the spot.

That was it, a kinda strange hunt for me. all the walk in just seemed like a bonus to the reward for the day. Some pics below..

Palmy mate posing
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