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View Full Version : Open Hills, Swirling winds, bad luck but lots of goats!


macka
06-08-06, 07:42 PM
Today got up rather early for a goat hunt and drove the hour and twenty mins out to my uncles property out east in the bluebush and big open rolling hills. Well what can i say but it was one of those days :roll: Goats everywhere we looked, diddnt even get out the ute and saw about 50 coming into a dam across from where we parked the ute. Sure enough the wind stuffed up our stalk there as we got to 50m from the mob. That sort of set the scene for the day with 12 stalks in a row ither ending up with us getting spotted or the wind swirling at the last minute and sending the goats bolting.

Then at about 2 in the arvo after seeing over 200 goats so far we had a small billy come trotting into about 5m away and brownie punched an arrow through his chest putting him down quick. we took the legs and persisted with the rest of the mob only to get spied by another bloody nanny. (no pic legs were off before we remembered)

After a good think about our options we opted to go for a small mob just up on a hill in front of us that had not been disturbed all day. About half way to them brownie relised he had left his bow back at his goat and had to walk back and get it. While he was doing this i stalked the mob by myself with my not so trusty samick recurve. (well there is nothing wrong with the recurve only my shooting with it out past about 15m)

Well with only one bush bigger than 1 foot high i made it to 15m from the closest goat in the mob. A Brown nanny who was feeding directly towards me. I was sure she was going to feed right in on top of me and i'm still sure she would have if a billy back behind her haddnt seen me risen from his bed to warn the rest of the goats. So with the 55# limbs bending back to my anchor and the release i saw my goose feathered arrow sink into her chest front on almost up until the feathers. She only walked about 40m and layed down never to wake again.

On the way out we saw another 150* goats but diddnt have time to put in any more stalks. As i said it was one of those days and we would have had no less than 15 to 18 stalks for the day but with no luck and no help from the wind it was just the two nannies between us. With the hunting that hard it makes you apreciate taking one even more and especually with the recurve.

Here is my 5th goat with the trad gear.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010329.jpg

Here is brownie in the country we were hunting. There were about 100 orr goats spread out in mobs all over the hills behind his head. They were left unmolestered as we ran out of time.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010330.jpg

another view of the landscape from up on one of the large hills.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010331.jpg

And while sitting having a bite to eat this little fella came out next to us for a look. We diddnt have a clue what type of lizard it was so caught him and got a pic to ask you folk. Any ideas? It looks like a small what we call bearded dragon but it had light blue all under his belly and bright orange on his face.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010332.jpg

well thats it for the day. A Hamburger with the lot and an ice coffe on the way hope topped off the days hunting.. ahh geez life's good when your hunting :wink: :wink:

Macka

jdelia
06-08-06, 07:53 PM
TOP STUFF MACKA!!! are there always the same goats there in that number? you got urself an awesome spot there. keep up the good work

D'Elia

saberhunter
06-08-06, 08:06 PM
great job and great pics once again Macka.........

That nanny goat had a nice skin on it to :D

P.S. How did they taste :?: :lol: 8)

SH :wink:

Shano
06-08-06, 08:22 PM
You write a good story Macka.

You certainly have your work cut out for you given the landscape you hunt in.

Cheers

Shano

jason's
06-08-06, 08:22 PM
i shot a nany kinda the same colours as yous. i love that colour :D

rudy
06-08-06, 08:30 PM
What does your uncle run on the property, rocks. Just joking mate. :lol:

bobzila
06-08-06, 08:54 PM
ok i just checked my herp books and i carnt find that little buga but so all i can tell you is it is a member of the genus (family) ctenophorus. nice goat to :D

macka
06-08-06, 09:03 PM
D'elia always see a couple hundred goats out there but the terrain is pretty bloody hard for a bowhunter. Always get plenty of stalks but only about 20% of them are successful usually out there. Thats why i dont really visit that property much. But i have shot a coupld good TC heads out there.

SH, The lizard was beautiful..... lol nah let him go. The legs went to the dogs as we still got plenty of meat from a trip i took a month or so back. But there is nothing wrong with a nice young goat. i cant really tatse any differance from a goat or lamb roast.

Shano your telling me! I have had easier stalks on deer than some of the goats out there! I'm sure they have a sixth sense some times.

Yeah my hip quiver is made from the skin of a nanny i shot about identicle to that one too. I like the brown and white skins.

Haha rudy thats just the hills mate they dont have much for the sheep on them but in the flats there is a bit of grass that grows between the bluebush. They had some good rains out that way earlier and there is just starting to get a bit of green pick coming through atm. But it is harsh country and not many sheep per square km!

One other thing we saw today which was an absoloute amazement was a goat climb about 2m up into a mulga tree. The main trunk was on about a 70 degree angle to the ground and the goat walked straight up the trunk and then out allong a branch as thick as your arm and nibbled away on the canopy. I wish i had my video camera all this happened 60m away.

Macka

Puk
06-08-06, 09:34 PM
Geez Macka, they're right.
You had better learn to become invisible if you are going to hunt that country.
Less trees than the Hay Plains mate.
Good on you for getting into range to get any of them, especially with the recurve.
I admire your ability to do that.

Puk

jpbon
06-08-06, 10:31 PM
Looks like pretty hard terrain there Macka. You did good for putting in a number of stalks.

JP

PeterM
06-08-06, 11:03 PM
Good one mate, very good pictures again!

Antarcher
07-08-06, 06:20 AM
All these comments about the hard terrain make for a more satisfying hunt once you ground one. Some goats aren't too hard to get at but it looks any of these you are chasing are definitely a worthy reward for your efforts. It's not always the size of your trophy that counts. Any animal with a bow is very well earned.

Glenn
07-08-06, 06:21 AM
You're certainty hunting the hard way there Macka, good story and photos mate, I don't think I have ever seen a lizard like that one...Glenn...

Mozza
07-08-06, 06:28 AM
good stuff macca :)
definately looks like some hard country to stalk in.

danceswithdingoes
07-08-06, 06:52 AM
The antelope hunters of the SW USA often wear an Antelope skin and approach/stalk on hands and knees to fool herds out in the open. If you watch 'Dances with Wolves' the natives there used buffalo skins to create the same illusion. Maybe you should keep those nanny skins (get one in esterus and you'll have the stinky's come to you :D ) just a thought.

Scott
07-08-06, 07:59 PM
great yarn mate! but why dont ya put it in Bowhunting Stories???? :wink:

excelpoint
08-08-06, 07:42 AM
Nice pics Macka. Im pretty sure thats a Painted Dragon you have there mate. Just be careful holding them by the tail as Dragons will drop thier tail like skinks as well.

macka
08-08-06, 02:16 PM
scott, i diddnt think it was long enough to count as a story it was more of just a report on what happened. Admin could move it if its clogging up the general section?

excelpoint thanks for that mate a couple people have said that to so i think it must be. I have never seen noe before. Oh and thanks for the tip with the tail too :o would have felt too bad if it had fallen off.

Macka

hawkeye
08-08-06, 07:03 PM
love reading your inspiration SA goat hunting exploits macka and soooo good seeing you use your 'curve to such good effect mate... thanks for sharing eh. :wink: :D