adam
28-12-07, 08:41 PM
Here's some photos from the new block, by far some of the hardest leg work I have done.
I discovered an excellent pig spot on the last afternoon, within an hour I glassed over 4 mobs of pigs. I also found a good concentration of black fallow, the odd red deer and one of the peaks of the property holds 4 really good billy goats. Besides that the country is excellent the creeks run with clear water and the property owner is great to get along with.
Anthony my property owning mate said that the only place they have ever seen goats was up on that point and they have never been disturb or seen anywhere else on the thousands of acres. So late on the first afternoon I was busy with the spotting scope searching that area with good hopes that a large billy would be about in such a far off and isolated place. Soon enough after a treacherous climb I spotted 4 good billies on the peak, one of being a monster of a goat around 120dp the others consisting of 100 to 110 douglas points.
About 4 hours hike into one of the mountains towards Killer Peak.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270320.jpg
Looking back across to the western ridge boundary with camp another 700meters up the main valley(right).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270330.jpg
About 3/4 of the way up Killer Peak on one of the many small tussock flats I spotted another mob of Black Fallow does, I sat tight and they walked single file 7 meters besides me. I also found a lot of rubs up this mountain, great spot come the rut.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270342.jpg
Still powering on towards the rock bluff at Killer Peak Mountain I stopped to drink from the crystal clear waterfall and spotted this guy in the grass besides me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270338.jpg
I finally got to the top after a hefty heart stopping rock climb at the last 100meters, a risk I won't be taking again as I near came unstuck when a rock from under me gave way. I felt it give way and my only thought was to grid anything I could with my hands and a thorny bush was my only savour, its spikes drive deep into my hand but it held my weight and I got to the top. Heart racing I pulled my recurve from my backpack and kept on. I spotted the smaller of the billys but could not locate the biggest billy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270388.jpg
That’s one rock solid billy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270362.jpg
And a decent shape set of horns
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270374.jpg
I would have loved to have arrowed the solid billy but I simply couldn't get down to the platform they were on, it was shear cliffs going down and shear cliffs to come up from below the mob. Eventually after scouting around Killer Peak for the biggest billy I return to the solid billy and started to call to try get him to come up the cliffs. I started with a nanny call then made the sound of rutting billys and it got his attention. I then shook a tree and called again and he made his way towards me along with a younger billy.
At one stage he was 30 meters below me but thats as far as he'd come and no way was I going to shoot him down there not when I couldn't see any way to get to him. So I left him for a future hunt. But before I could get off the mountain a crack of thunder behind me drew my attention to a massive storm that just formed right in front of me. Within minutes it was pouring down over head and thunder was ringing my ears. The mountain was made even more slippery and getting down from the cliff was almost impossible, but hours later I found myself soaking wet in the valley at the homestead.
After walking back up the valley to camp I got the fire roaring and got toasty warm, great feeling.
Late the next afternoon I pin pointed the spots for pigs and from the one advantage point I glass 4 large mobs of pigs. I only had enough light to get to the closest mob. At 7 meters I lined up the large of the pigs and snapped a shot off with the Bighorn Recurve, double lungs and it was all over in no time. A good solid sow. 700grain arrow got a complete pass through tipped with a black stump.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC280395.jpg
Adam
I discovered an excellent pig spot on the last afternoon, within an hour I glassed over 4 mobs of pigs. I also found a good concentration of black fallow, the odd red deer and one of the peaks of the property holds 4 really good billy goats. Besides that the country is excellent the creeks run with clear water and the property owner is great to get along with.
Anthony my property owning mate said that the only place they have ever seen goats was up on that point and they have never been disturb or seen anywhere else on the thousands of acres. So late on the first afternoon I was busy with the spotting scope searching that area with good hopes that a large billy would be about in such a far off and isolated place. Soon enough after a treacherous climb I spotted 4 good billies on the peak, one of being a monster of a goat around 120dp the others consisting of 100 to 110 douglas points.
About 4 hours hike into one of the mountains towards Killer Peak.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270320.jpg
Looking back across to the western ridge boundary with camp another 700meters up the main valley(right).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270330.jpg
About 3/4 of the way up Killer Peak on one of the many small tussock flats I spotted another mob of Black Fallow does, I sat tight and they walked single file 7 meters besides me. I also found a lot of rubs up this mountain, great spot come the rut.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270342.jpg
Still powering on towards the rock bluff at Killer Peak Mountain I stopped to drink from the crystal clear waterfall and spotted this guy in the grass besides me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270338.jpg
I finally got to the top after a hefty heart stopping rock climb at the last 100meters, a risk I won't be taking again as I near came unstuck when a rock from under me gave way. I felt it give way and my only thought was to grid anything I could with my hands and a thorny bush was my only savour, its spikes drive deep into my hand but it held my weight and I got to the top. Heart racing I pulled my recurve from my backpack and kept on. I spotted the smaller of the billys but could not locate the biggest billy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270388.jpg
That’s one rock solid billy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270362.jpg
And a decent shape set of horns
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC270374.jpg
I would have loved to have arrowed the solid billy but I simply couldn't get down to the platform they were on, it was shear cliffs going down and shear cliffs to come up from below the mob. Eventually after scouting around Killer Peak for the biggest billy I return to the solid billy and started to call to try get him to come up the cliffs. I started with a nanny call then made the sound of rutting billys and it got his attention. I then shook a tree and called again and he made his way towards me along with a younger billy.
At one stage he was 30 meters below me but thats as far as he'd come and no way was I going to shoot him down there not when I couldn't see any way to get to him. So I left him for a future hunt. But before I could get off the mountain a crack of thunder behind me drew my attention to a massive storm that just formed right in front of me. Within minutes it was pouring down over head and thunder was ringing my ears. The mountain was made even more slippery and getting down from the cliff was almost impossible, but hours later I found myself soaking wet in the valley at the homestead.
After walking back up the valley to camp I got the fire roaring and got toasty warm, great feeling.
Late the next afternoon I pin pointed the spots for pigs and from the one advantage point I glass 4 large mobs of pigs. I only had enough light to get to the closest mob. At 7 meters I lined up the large of the pigs and snapped a shot off with the Bighorn Recurve, double lungs and it was all over in no time. A good solid sow. 700grain arrow got a complete pass through tipped with a black stump.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/PC280395.jpg
Adam