Trophy Bowhunts
09-03-08, 09:49 PM
I just got back from my first experience with Red Deer and to say I learn't a lot would be an understatement. As my Red Deer hunts start this year I thought I had better put in some hard yards to learn as much about them as I could plus the country I will be hunting. The property is excellent and over the week we saw approx 30 stags which I am hoping is pretty good for the pre-rut. I was very impressed with the quality and saw a double 5 that was spectacular to say the least. He was very heavy and tines would have all been 10-12 inches in lenght and approx 36 inches in lenght. Given that description I am hoping all you regular Red Hunters can let me know if this is a good head.
Steve's story:
I had gotten back to camp about 8-30am after a long climb back up to camp and to say I was buggered was an understatement. Carrying about 7-8 KG's too much after the off-season I wished I had done a bit more fitness work..:confused:.
I had just made myself some Bacon & Eggs and was wandering where Steve was. I picked up the UHF and gave him a yell. He returned the call saying he had shot a good stag about 30 mins ealier but was still following the Blood trail (he sounded a bit dejected). I told him to keep going he would find him. He returned saying he thought it was a good shot at 37m with his Compound and the blood trail was good but patchy.
I told him to give me a call when he found him. Well time passed and it was around 9-30 and nothing was heard, I thought I had better give him another call to see what was happening. He said that he was still on it and then suddenly everything went dead. (Murphy's law). He came back, that just as I called 2 big stags broke out from the gully he was following, he hoped his was not one of them. I told him to keep on it. (He was even more dejected sounding).
The UHF barked into action about 15 mins later and a very excited Steve was saying I got him, I got him. I congradulated him and told him to tell me his co-ordinates so I could come and give him a hand to bring him out. This done It worked out about 1 km from camp. I set off down the hill on the quad to the closest spot I could get to him which was 500m in a straight line but about 1 km up & down.:o
Beware never use 2d co-ordinates as his were about 100m out and that is a big difference in hilly country. I ended up one spur over from Steve and spooked the same 2 good stags 4x4 4x5 (I left the bow at home :mad:). By the time I got to Steve I was buggered and took 15 mins to recover before we set about the pic's and caping out.
We got back to camp about 2-30pm after 4 1/2 5 hrs on the job.
Steve's first Red Hunt and pre-rut as well. Congrats mate and a job well done. I had better get one or I will never hear the end of it...:P:P
Steve's Red (4x4 181DP)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/trophybowhunts/IMG_0811-1.jpg
Camp
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/trophybowhunts/IMG_0808.jpg
2008 all booked out but will be doing 6 hunts in 2009.
2 Pre-rut (Feb)
2 Rut (Mar-April)
2 Post-Rut (April)
Good hunting all
Mick
Steve's story:
I had gotten back to camp about 8-30am after a long climb back up to camp and to say I was buggered was an understatement. Carrying about 7-8 KG's too much after the off-season I wished I had done a bit more fitness work..:confused:.
I had just made myself some Bacon & Eggs and was wandering where Steve was. I picked up the UHF and gave him a yell. He returned the call saying he had shot a good stag about 30 mins ealier but was still following the Blood trail (he sounded a bit dejected). I told him to keep going he would find him. He returned saying he thought it was a good shot at 37m with his Compound and the blood trail was good but patchy.
I told him to give me a call when he found him. Well time passed and it was around 9-30 and nothing was heard, I thought I had better give him another call to see what was happening. He said that he was still on it and then suddenly everything went dead. (Murphy's law). He came back, that just as I called 2 big stags broke out from the gully he was following, he hoped his was not one of them. I told him to keep on it. (He was even more dejected sounding).
The UHF barked into action about 15 mins later and a very excited Steve was saying I got him, I got him. I congradulated him and told him to tell me his co-ordinates so I could come and give him a hand to bring him out. This done It worked out about 1 km from camp. I set off down the hill on the quad to the closest spot I could get to him which was 500m in a straight line but about 1 km up & down.:o
Beware never use 2d co-ordinates as his were about 100m out and that is a big difference in hilly country. I ended up one spur over from Steve and spooked the same 2 good stags 4x4 4x5 (I left the bow at home :mad:). By the time I got to Steve I was buggered and took 15 mins to recover before we set about the pic's and caping out.
We got back to camp about 2-30pm after 4 1/2 5 hrs on the job.
Steve's first Red Hunt and pre-rut as well. Congrats mate and a job well done. I had better get one or I will never hear the end of it...:P:P
Steve's Red (4x4 181DP)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/trophybowhunts/IMG_0811-1.jpg
Camp
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/trophybowhunts/IMG_0808.jpg
2008 all booked out but will be doing 6 hunts in 2009.
2 Pre-rut (Feb)
2 Rut (Mar-April)
2 Post-Rut (April)
Good hunting all
Mick