kiwi3006
Well-Known Member
My friend Rob and I have just got back from 4 days hunting. It is the roar here in New Zealand so we had hoped to pick up a red stag each.
We walked in for 2 hours on the first night and set up camp, then the next morning packed up and walked a further 4 hours upriver. We had camp set up by midday. Thw wind was coming down the valley so we decided to head back downriver and then climb up into a basin and glass it for the evening.
We had only gone 200 metres from camp, when rounding a corner we saw a black big feeding on a scrubby face above the river.
By the time we were set up it had fed out of sight. Rob moved a few metres and saw a grey pig feeding a different clearing. We ranged it at 383 yds and set the scope. Rob jumped in behind the rifle (My 7mm mag) and chambered a 162 a-max. He waited a while to see if the black pig would come out because it looked to be bigger. I set up the spotting scopeand noticed the black pig coming into view.
Rob squeezed off the shot, I picked up the trace just before the bullet hit and saw the hair move on te pigs shoulder as thge bullet went in. The pig pitched forward and dropped out of sight. I contemplated shooting the little grey pig, but we decided to leave it to get bigger.
Looking up to where Rob shot the pig
Rob and his pig
We climbed up to the pig, took a heap of photos and then gutted it and hung it in a tree to pick up later.
We climbed up in to the basin and started glassing. We moved around to several different places before heading to the prime spot just before dark. We came up to the last rise and I noticed a grey shape on the tree line. checking through the scope it was a red hind. I got the rifle set while Rob ranged her at 311 yds.
I had to crawl forward a way to get a clear shot, but couldn't see through the scope because of the sun. I had to crawl back to Rob and borrow his cap to shade the rear lens. I chambered a 160 accubond and sighted on the front shoulder. She dropped at the shot and rolled downhill into the trees.
When we climbed around to her we found the biggest red hind I have ever seen. We had to gut her where she lay before we could move her to get some photo's.
Me with the hind
We now had so much meat we wouldn't be able to carry it and all our camping gear in one load. We ended up spending all the next day carry the meat about 4 hours back down river and leaving it where we camped on the first night. We saw two more pigs for the rest of the trip but didn't get a shot at either. We only heard one roar all trip.
The last day involved 7 and a half hours of walking taking the camping gear out to the vehicles and then going back in to get the meat. A satisfying but tiring trip.
Stu
We walked in for 2 hours on the first night and set up camp, then the next morning packed up and walked a further 4 hours upriver. We had camp set up by midday. Thw wind was coming down the valley so we decided to head back downriver and then climb up into a basin and glass it for the evening.
We had only gone 200 metres from camp, when rounding a corner we saw a black big feeding on a scrubby face above the river.
By the time we were set up it had fed out of sight. Rob moved a few metres and saw a grey pig feeding a different clearing. We ranged it at 383 yds and set the scope. Rob jumped in behind the rifle (My 7mm mag) and chambered a 162 a-max. He waited a while to see if the black pig would come out because it looked to be bigger. I set up the spotting scopeand noticed the black pig coming into view.
Rob squeezed off the shot, I picked up the trace just before the bullet hit and saw the hair move on te pigs shoulder as thge bullet went in. The pig pitched forward and dropped out of sight. I contemplated shooting the little grey pig, but we decided to leave it to get bigger.
Looking up to where Rob shot the pig
Rob and his pig
We climbed up to the pig, took a heap of photos and then gutted it and hung it in a tree to pick up later.
We climbed up in to the basin and started glassing. We moved around to several different places before heading to the prime spot just before dark. We came up to the last rise and I noticed a grey shape on the tree line. checking through the scope it was a red hind. I got the rifle set while Rob ranged her at 311 yds.
I had to crawl forward a way to get a clear shot, but couldn't see through the scope because of the sun. I had to crawl back to Rob and borrow his cap to shade the rear lens. I chambered a 160 accubond and sighted on the front shoulder. She dropped at the shot and rolled downhill into the trees.
When we climbed around to her we found the biggest red hind I have ever seen. We had to gut her where she lay before we could move her to get some photo's.
Me with the hind
We now had so much meat we wouldn't be able to carry it and all our camping gear in one load. We ended up spending all the next day carry the meat about 4 hours back down river and leaving it where we camped on the first night. We saw two more pigs for the rest of the trip but didn't get a shot at either. We only heard one roar all trip.
The last day involved 7 and a half hours of walking taking the camping gear out to the vehicles and then going back in to get the meat. A satisfying but tiring trip.
Stu
