Typical of the stag quality in this area
Walkabout was the aim and walkabout was the game, we didn’t stop for the full 4 days. Perpetual motion, resulting in man and dog totally spent of all energy. A trip to see if the Chammy where active was a big part of the mission too. For the record I didn’t see hide nor hair of any!
However deer where about a plenty and living well up in the tussock, which was as well as I had only brought with me enough dog biscuits for two days, relying heavily on shooting some fresh meat to supplement this.
A day and a half of hard walking off piste was taken to reach our destination. It was around 1 pm when we were finally in sight of our camp site which was a very isolated tarn reflecting the harsh sun light, many meters down from the high tops.
I was in a world of my own when a bark suddenly rang out. I dropped instantly to my haunches and looked up to see the biggest red stag I have seen for many a day. I instantly let loose with the .308 Sako, then two more at a hind that was one of four which accompanied him and which refused to go down, in fact after the second shot I saw the tussock sway way over her back, the way it does when a round passes through it. I checked the CDS dial and to my horror saw that during my march in it had somehow revolved around to the 500 meter mark. Sickened by what I saw I could only watch in despair as the five animals melted into the countryside. Wilson was decidedly aloof and disdainful of my antics, the silence was palpable.
Next morning up with the sparrows, I spooked a hind in the tussock whilst gaining some altitude from our camp. I hope this crappy hunting isn’t going to go on very much longer Wilson muttered.
It was a long hot morning, finally we called a halt after negotiating a particularly gnarly bluff system. We stopped by a creek for some well deserved lunch. We took off after about an hours rest contouring above the bushline before heading straight up a tussock and herb filled gulley. Sweating and in his case panting heavily, we disturbed a hind and fawn, practically stepping onto them, I got a shot away as they dropped from sight into another water shed. Following up the shot with no great enthusiasm, we paused at the spot they last stood looking for any sign of a hit.
Man this was getting a mite serious now, and I was wondering how long this spell of bad luck was to last. I picked up some movement back down on the bush edge we had left not that long ago and confirmed it was a hind registering 300 meters on my range finder. Pack down, rifle steady, wait for a side on, and squeeze the trigger. I thought I heard a thump but only saw the animal step forward out of sight. Nearly 300 vertical meters down, but we decided we had better investigate. The hind was lying just yards from where I shot at her with a neat hole in her shoulder. About bloody time too!!!!!!! I fed the dog at the scene and crammed some back steaks in my day pack, and we both leant into the hill to climb it once again.
Time was moving on now, we were returning to our watershed but where would we enter it? and how much further was there to go to camp? 4oclock , at this time of year leaves you very little lee way with daylight.
A stag suddenly appeared a little lower down from our position and around 100 meters away. I took it off hand again with the one shot. With a pack full of meat it was time now to make haste for our camp.
5 minutes later we had to skirt another stag, without it being aware of us. Finally with no more distractions we reached camp around 5.30 in somewhat of a lather.
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