Uhunt Hunting, a way of life - Caine Svenson

Uhunt Mag Information

  • Posted By : UHUNT APP - Jesse Farr
  • Posted On : Mar 09, 2019
  • Comments : 1
  • Views : 5090
  • Likes : 8
  • Category : DEER HUNTING » STORIES
  • Description :

    I now pass those skills onto my son and daughter so one day they too can provide for themselves and help keep numbers in check.
  • Location : Queensland, Australia

Overview

  • Hunting, a way of life - By CaineSvenson
    (Form: SUBMIT STORY/ARTICLE or admin@uhunt.org)



    Hunting for me started at a very young age, it was a way of life. As a lifestyle, a source of food or to control introduced animals. All hooved animals that roam our beautiful land are in fact introduced. Domestic or Feral. They were all brought here in one way or another at some point. Along with a lot of other predatory pests. Wild deer are high on the list with many species roaming different parts of Australia depending on where they have been released the habitat in which they thrive in. I believed if numbers are managed the Deer are a great asset to this country, bringing organic meat to many families and providing a healthy outdoor lifestyle and culture. I was passed down hunting skills to make me successful as well as skills I have learned in the field. I now pass those skills onto my son and daughter so one day they too can provide for themselves and help keep numbers in check.

    This short story is a recent hunt I shared with my son. It had been a normal week at work on the tools when I got an early finish due to the weather. I had planned to head out in search of some meat for either myself and family or for my hunting dogs. I headed out alone it didn't take me long to find a suitable candidate for dog meat. He was an old stag, white in the face missing hair around his shoulders likely from battles during the rutting season and poor antler quality. I am a trophy hunter also hunting deer for the antlers. I don't always shoot a stag with the most points or the best looking but instead, study them before harvesting to determine a rough age and access their antler formation. Does he have all his lower points? Has he got two or more points on top? Does he have good shape and mass? Many things come into play. If a stag is lacking in these areas and has got a reasonable amount of age, then he is most likely a cull stag. One that should be taken from the herd to improve future genetics. This stag was certainly in this category, so a stalk was made to close the gap. I moved into around 200 meters and secured a steady lean on a wattle tree. By this time the stag had laid down and was almost entirely out of site. An ethical and humane shot did not present itself before darkness fell, so he was once again safe.

    That night I talked to my son Isaac and told him about the stag I had seen and mentioned to him that I was going to see if I could find him the following morning. He was keen so up early and out into the bush on daylight. The fog was playing havoc as I tried to locate my quarry. I spotted deer up high in the top of the gully I had seen the stag in the day before. We decided to move up the bottom of the gully glassing as we went hoping to see the deer before they got onto us. As we pushed our way up, we were stalking through the area the stag was bedded up the previous day. As luck would have it, he was bedded up not 50 meters from his last bed. He spooked at first but wasn't a hundred percent sure what had gotten him up. I had my rifle at the ready as he rounded a lantana bush not 40 meters out. He comes to a halt looked in my direction then turned to leave the scene, but it was all too late as my tikka t3 in .270 barked. He went straight down.

    Isaac was keen to get a close look, so we moved up cautious, but the 130-grain pill had done its job. After propping him up an getting some photos, it was time to get our hands dirty. Izaac was right in there keen to get amongst it helping with removing the four legs and rib fillet. Once home I broke the animal down and diced it for dog’s meat. The stag was old, and the rutting season not far gone. Hopefully, the lean meat will help give them the energy to catch me a good mountain pig shortly. Keeping the farmers happy with feral animal numbers in check and keeping my love for hunting satisfied, there’s nothing better than being outdoors. I'm sure the younger generation will too one day enjoy our way of life as much as I have. Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it.

    By Caine Svenson