Gulf Addict
02-10-07, 08:01 PM
If you are looking for pictures of our harvest I am sorry to disappoint you. We didn't even get a shot off. We did learn heaps though and can't wait to get back there again.
Prior footwork showed that deer traveled past our chosen spot just after sunrise. So we planned to arrive around 4.30am. A touch late but sign was good when we had a doe and fawn run directly in front of the car just as we were arriving.
We parked up as quietly as we could and then split up. The other two blokes with me went one side of the gully we knew was the local deer highway. I started heading to the other side. I had only gone about 15 steps when I heard the deer calling just behind me. I quickly dived for cover in a drain nearby. My heart was beating so hard I was sure the deer would hear it. Adrenalin was pumping and I was sure they would smell me because of it. Next dilemma that sprang to mind was how on earth am I going to draw while laying on my right hand side.
I laid dead still for about five minutes hearing the deer no more than 10 metres away. They had balked at the fence surely knowing some thing wasn't right. Things went terribly quiet. Bugger, they must have made me even though they couldn't see me. I cautiously raised my head above the drain. They had moved another 10 metres away and were actually sniffing the air in the opposite direction.
As quietly as gravel allows I crawled across the track and squatted behind a large clump of lantana. I could count 10 does most with young ones standing on the other side of it slightly downhill in the gully. Not a hope of getting a shot from where I was.
By this time the other two had completed the gully circuit and had come back out where I was meant to go in. I signaled for them to round the gully to the lower side and see if they could get any where near having a shot. 10 minutes passed feeling more like an hour. The whole time I was watching the deer smelling the air.
In those 10 minutes watching the deer I learnt more than I have by reading as much as possible about them. There was only a breath of wind that morning but enough to carry our smell to the deer. I couldn't see the other two at all when they rounded the gully but I knew exactly where they were by watching the deer. When the other two were too close the lead doe "called" and then they were gone.
A relaxed chat followed and we decided to do a bit of scouting to plan things out further for next time. We had a pretty casual walk through one section of the property where the deer had come from earlier to see where they were feeding and that sort of thing. While walking along the top of the hill we casually glanced down a track and nearly crapped ourselves. What we initially thought was more deer was actually a wallaby. We walked on, checked things out and started to stroll back to the car. Glancing down the same track at the wallaby again and we did crap ourselves. Now there was 3 deer standing on the exact spot the wallaby was looking right back at us.
Ducking as quickly as we could we couldn’t help but crack up laughing. Surely they would be gone by now but we decided to split up and have a look see any way. Again those two went that way and I went this way. While walking along the track towards the road I saw the property owner at the end waving madly to me and pointing down the road. I ran as fast as I could to him and then I saw them.
Three big antlered red bucks looking right back at me no more than 30 metres way. I had actually run straight past them to get to the road. All be it on the other side of a stand of trees. Obviously it was to late to stalk them but I tried any way. I kept 2 huge iron barks between me and the two closest deer but the biggest red down the hill could see me the whole time. I got to about 20 metres and was about to step out from behind the trees but the big one called and ran off. I followed them for about 150 metres. They stopped frequently but always about 30 metres from me and with some thing between us every time.
Eventually I lost track of them and headed back with the other two once they caught up. It was only once we got back that we found out from the owner of the property that once I took off to stalk the three last deer there was another 3 that crossed the track and headed in to the bush behind me.
We have found a great spot with plenty of deer. Now we just have to get things together. Oh, and next time, remember to take photos. I had the camera with me the whole time but excitement took over and I completely forgot about it until I took my backpack off.
If this keeps up I will have to change my name to Deer addict.
Prior footwork showed that deer traveled past our chosen spot just after sunrise. So we planned to arrive around 4.30am. A touch late but sign was good when we had a doe and fawn run directly in front of the car just as we were arriving.
We parked up as quietly as we could and then split up. The other two blokes with me went one side of the gully we knew was the local deer highway. I started heading to the other side. I had only gone about 15 steps when I heard the deer calling just behind me. I quickly dived for cover in a drain nearby. My heart was beating so hard I was sure the deer would hear it. Adrenalin was pumping and I was sure they would smell me because of it. Next dilemma that sprang to mind was how on earth am I going to draw while laying on my right hand side.
I laid dead still for about five minutes hearing the deer no more than 10 metres away. They had balked at the fence surely knowing some thing wasn't right. Things went terribly quiet. Bugger, they must have made me even though they couldn't see me. I cautiously raised my head above the drain. They had moved another 10 metres away and were actually sniffing the air in the opposite direction.
As quietly as gravel allows I crawled across the track and squatted behind a large clump of lantana. I could count 10 does most with young ones standing on the other side of it slightly downhill in the gully. Not a hope of getting a shot from where I was.
By this time the other two had completed the gully circuit and had come back out where I was meant to go in. I signaled for them to round the gully to the lower side and see if they could get any where near having a shot. 10 minutes passed feeling more like an hour. The whole time I was watching the deer smelling the air.
In those 10 minutes watching the deer I learnt more than I have by reading as much as possible about them. There was only a breath of wind that morning but enough to carry our smell to the deer. I couldn't see the other two at all when they rounded the gully but I knew exactly where they were by watching the deer. When the other two were too close the lead doe "called" and then they were gone.
A relaxed chat followed and we decided to do a bit of scouting to plan things out further for next time. We had a pretty casual walk through one section of the property where the deer had come from earlier to see where they were feeding and that sort of thing. While walking along the top of the hill we casually glanced down a track and nearly crapped ourselves. What we initially thought was more deer was actually a wallaby. We walked on, checked things out and started to stroll back to the car. Glancing down the same track at the wallaby again and we did crap ourselves. Now there was 3 deer standing on the exact spot the wallaby was looking right back at us.
Ducking as quickly as we could we couldn’t help but crack up laughing. Surely they would be gone by now but we decided to split up and have a look see any way. Again those two went that way and I went this way. While walking along the track towards the road I saw the property owner at the end waving madly to me and pointing down the road. I ran as fast as I could to him and then I saw them.
Three big antlered red bucks looking right back at me no more than 30 metres way. I had actually run straight past them to get to the road. All be it on the other side of a stand of trees. Obviously it was to late to stalk them but I tried any way. I kept 2 huge iron barks between me and the two closest deer but the biggest red down the hill could see me the whole time. I got to about 20 metres and was about to step out from behind the trees but the big one called and ran off. I followed them for about 150 metres. They stopped frequently but always about 30 metres from me and with some thing between us every time.
Eventually I lost track of them and headed back with the other two once they caught up. It was only once we got back that we found out from the owner of the property that once I took off to stalk the three last deer there was another 3 that crossed the track and headed in to the bush behind me.
We have found a great spot with plenty of deer. Now we just have to get things together. Oh, and next time, remember to take photos. I had the camera with me the whole time but excitement took over and I completely forgot about it until I took my backpack off.
If this keeps up I will have to change my name to Deer addict.