STEALTH
18-08-08, 08:19 PM
After a much anticipated wait, my week chasing sambar was finally here.This time I was hunting with sambar expert and good mate pete,a rifle hunter with about 30 years experience chasing these guys.
We arrived on sunday afternoon,picked up the keys to the hut and settled in.With an hour left of light we went for a drive around the property and in that hour I gained a good idea on how the animals moved about in this area.After a gormet dinner pete had prepared, a few beers and the standed "he was this big" story it was off to bed.
MONDAY
I decided to walk a creek bed Pete had seen a 30 incher last time he was down so before first light I was off down there and to my suprise about 30 mins into my first sambar hunt I has 150 metres off a 30 incher.This smart old stag knew which way danger would come from so I decided to wait till he moved and then back tracked and tried to come in from the other side working in well with the wind.This game of cat and mouse went on for around a hour before I spooked a couple of roos pushing him into the thick stuff.At least I got some good footage and a couple ordinary photos.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00628.jpg
I spent a couple hours at midday glassing hoping to catch a few bedded stags out but the strong wind and the patchy rain had them tucked away somewhere.
I went back out for a walk at 4 and put a stalk on a few does but the wind wasn't too kind to me and they wheren't sticking around.
TUESDAY
I walked up the mountain and made my way down a valley hoping to get the deer feeding up and with a perfect wind it wasn't long before I saw 4 hinds and 3 spikers feeding up to me. I sat tight and watched them hoping a stag was among them and after a hour I was sure that there was no stag around and picked a yearling as my target, as he was the closest.He come into 30 metres and eventually offered me a broadside shot, so i took it.As soon as the string dropped his bat like ears pricked up and he pulled back causing the arrow to hit him high.He bolted off and a quik look through the binos I noticed the arrow in his neck and bleeding heavily he only made 20 metres.I had just taken my first sambar.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00633.jpg
I strung him up and started to dress him which didn't take long at all thanks to a couple of razor sharp Myall knives.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00634.jpg
All the meat was packed out and nothing went to waste.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00636.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00637.jpg
After that exausting hike I thought it would be a good idea to spend the afternoon in a tree stand I put up the day before.I picked a tree that was between 2 wallows and just above a scrape .Pete nicknamed this game trail as the sambar highway and you can see why in this pic.
The lower wallow
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00662.jpg
Upper wallow
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00664.jpg
You can just imagine how big this stag is when you see how far he rubbed mud up this tree.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00666.jpg
I was only in the stand for half and hour before a 15 inch stag walked into the lower wallow and started to roll around in the mud carrying on and having a fat old time.This went on for about 10 mins then he stood up and started to make his way up towards me.The clever young lad picked the route on the edge of the game trail.Although he wasnt what I was looking for I figured a 15 inch stag would be a good first stag.He walked up and got to a gap in the small dog wood trees I ranged earlier at 25m, I slowly started to draw.He caught my movement in the corner of his eye and he was off in a flash.
This is the gap I was going to shoot through.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00667.jpg
I was dissapointed but in the end I really enjoyed the encounter.I stayed there till dark with no more animals coming in.
WEDNESDAY
With the wind being the same as the day before I decided to make my way back down the same valley so I could get a look at the lower part.As I predicted the top half was qiet from the day before as I made my way down the ridge I come to a flat area which looked like a good bedding area so I went extra slow and it wasnt long before I saw the ears of spiker bedded down.I snuck into 40metres when he stood up an had a stretch quartering away.I drew and let fly hitting him behind the ribs but being on that agle I suspected a lung hit and the blood on the trail confirmed my hunch.I trailed him to a fortress of blackberries and after 2 hours of trying to snip through it with my pocket gerber and a thousand pricks all over, I decided to abandon my search.Dissapointed I pressed on and glassing the other side of the valley I found 4 hinds and 2 spikers feeding.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00643.jpg
Watching for any stags around I found this massive bodied malformed stag.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00648.jpg
I let them be and headed back to the hut a bit bumbed and was quikly cheered up with some char grilled bluefin tuna steaks Pete had whipped up for lunch.
That afternoon I went back to valley that I had stalked the 30" in.I sat up high and waited but nothing come out.The deer had noticed the pressure and decided to stay up high.
THURSDAY
I set off before dawn to another valley a couple of k's away and decided to glass it from a far.As the light got stronger I counted 5 mature hinds starting to head back into cover when a rifle shot echoed through the valley sending them into the thick a tad bit faster.I knew pete had taken one so I headed back to camp where I saw pete with a grin from ear to ear.
He had shot a nice 27 incher from 50 metres with one shot from his .270 winchester dropping it in 20 meters only 10 metres from a 4x4 track.The rest of the morning was spent on caping and all the meat was recovered.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00659.jpg
After lunch I decided to hit the tree stand again but with the wind being the way it was I decided to call it quits and it was off to the pub for a counter meal and a beer.
FRIDAY
Was a slow morning with only a few hinds about.So it was back to the hut for breaky.
I headed out to a new valley that evening where just on dark I saw a 20 incher heading along a game trail out for his evening feed.With a good wind I sat at the entrance to the trail dareing him to come through.I could hear him thrashing a tree about 50 metres in front of me but the more I waited the darker it got.So when I couldn't see any more I slowly pulled out with the plan to come back in the morning.
SATURDAY
I headed down the same valley hoping to get the stag coming back up.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00660.jpg
The wind was blowing in my face and I saw 4 hinds but no stag so I headed back to camp to pack up and start the long drive home.
Although I didn't manage to grass a stag I did enjoy the week and cant wait to get out there again soon.
Thanks for reading :)..Frank.
We arrived on sunday afternoon,picked up the keys to the hut and settled in.With an hour left of light we went for a drive around the property and in that hour I gained a good idea on how the animals moved about in this area.After a gormet dinner pete had prepared, a few beers and the standed "he was this big" story it was off to bed.
MONDAY
I decided to walk a creek bed Pete had seen a 30 incher last time he was down so before first light I was off down there and to my suprise about 30 mins into my first sambar hunt I has 150 metres off a 30 incher.This smart old stag knew which way danger would come from so I decided to wait till he moved and then back tracked and tried to come in from the other side working in well with the wind.This game of cat and mouse went on for around a hour before I spooked a couple of roos pushing him into the thick stuff.At least I got some good footage and a couple ordinary photos.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00628.jpg
I spent a couple hours at midday glassing hoping to catch a few bedded stags out but the strong wind and the patchy rain had them tucked away somewhere.
I went back out for a walk at 4 and put a stalk on a few does but the wind wasn't too kind to me and they wheren't sticking around.
TUESDAY
I walked up the mountain and made my way down a valley hoping to get the deer feeding up and with a perfect wind it wasn't long before I saw 4 hinds and 3 spikers feeding up to me. I sat tight and watched them hoping a stag was among them and after a hour I was sure that there was no stag around and picked a yearling as my target, as he was the closest.He come into 30 metres and eventually offered me a broadside shot, so i took it.As soon as the string dropped his bat like ears pricked up and he pulled back causing the arrow to hit him high.He bolted off and a quik look through the binos I noticed the arrow in his neck and bleeding heavily he only made 20 metres.I had just taken my first sambar.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00633.jpg
I strung him up and started to dress him which didn't take long at all thanks to a couple of razor sharp Myall knives.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00634.jpg
All the meat was packed out and nothing went to waste.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00636.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00637.jpg
After that exausting hike I thought it would be a good idea to spend the afternoon in a tree stand I put up the day before.I picked a tree that was between 2 wallows and just above a scrape .Pete nicknamed this game trail as the sambar highway and you can see why in this pic.
The lower wallow
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00662.jpg
Upper wallow
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00664.jpg
You can just imagine how big this stag is when you see how far he rubbed mud up this tree.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00666.jpg
I was only in the stand for half and hour before a 15 inch stag walked into the lower wallow and started to roll around in the mud carrying on and having a fat old time.This went on for about 10 mins then he stood up and started to make his way up towards me.The clever young lad picked the route on the edge of the game trail.Although he wasnt what I was looking for I figured a 15 inch stag would be a good first stag.He walked up and got to a gap in the small dog wood trees I ranged earlier at 25m, I slowly started to draw.He caught my movement in the corner of his eye and he was off in a flash.
This is the gap I was going to shoot through.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00667.jpg
I was dissapointed but in the end I really enjoyed the encounter.I stayed there till dark with no more animals coming in.
WEDNESDAY
With the wind being the same as the day before I decided to make my way back down the same valley so I could get a look at the lower part.As I predicted the top half was qiet from the day before as I made my way down the ridge I come to a flat area which looked like a good bedding area so I went extra slow and it wasnt long before I saw the ears of spiker bedded down.I snuck into 40metres when he stood up an had a stretch quartering away.I drew and let fly hitting him behind the ribs but being on that agle I suspected a lung hit and the blood on the trail confirmed my hunch.I trailed him to a fortress of blackberries and after 2 hours of trying to snip through it with my pocket gerber and a thousand pricks all over, I decided to abandon my search.Dissapointed I pressed on and glassing the other side of the valley I found 4 hinds and 2 spikers feeding.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00643.jpg
Watching for any stags around I found this massive bodied malformed stag.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00648.jpg
I let them be and headed back to the hut a bit bumbed and was quikly cheered up with some char grilled bluefin tuna steaks Pete had whipped up for lunch.
That afternoon I went back to valley that I had stalked the 30" in.I sat up high and waited but nothing come out.The deer had noticed the pressure and decided to stay up high.
THURSDAY
I set off before dawn to another valley a couple of k's away and decided to glass it from a far.As the light got stronger I counted 5 mature hinds starting to head back into cover when a rifle shot echoed through the valley sending them into the thick a tad bit faster.I knew pete had taken one so I headed back to camp where I saw pete with a grin from ear to ear.
He had shot a nice 27 incher from 50 metres with one shot from his .270 winchester dropping it in 20 meters only 10 metres from a 4x4 track.The rest of the morning was spent on caping and all the meat was recovered.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00659.jpg
After lunch I decided to hit the tree stand again but with the wind being the way it was I decided to call it quits and it was off to the pub for a counter meal and a beer.
FRIDAY
Was a slow morning with only a few hinds about.So it was back to the hut for breaky.
I headed out to a new valley that evening where just on dark I saw a 20 incher heading along a game trail out for his evening feed.With a good wind I sat at the entrance to the trail dareing him to come through.I could hear him thrashing a tree about 50 metres in front of me but the more I waited the darker it got.So when I couldn't see any more I slowly pulled out with the plan to come back in the morning.
SATURDAY
I headed down the same valley hoping to get the stag coming back up.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/frankothetanko/DSC00660.jpg
The wind was blowing in my face and I saw 4 hinds but no stag so I headed back to camp to pack up and start the long drive home.
Although I didn't manage to grass a stag I did enjoy the week and cant wait to get out there again soon.
Thanks for reading :)..Frank.