Uhunt Mag Information

• Posted By : UHUNT APP - Jesse Farr
• Posted On : Feb 05, 2020
• Views : 2464
• Category : DEER HUNTING » STORIES
• Description : Sure as hell, she knew I was there & took off like a rocket, Honking away.

Overview

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  By Darcy  Papas 

  It was friday afternoon I was on my way home from work when I got a phone call from the boys, they were all pumped up and had made last minute plans to head away up the Alpine National Park for the weekend, so we quickly decided on a place we had never been before and it was on. I rushed home loaded up the ute, grabbed my gun and we were off. It was a long seven and a half-hour drivein, and it was late when we arrived. I knew there was going to be Sambar and Fallow Deer in the area as we had seen a few on the drive in so I was keen to get in amongst it all. The next morning we all had a good sleep in only running on a few hours of sleep, we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the victorian high country for what it is, chopped up some wood and got camp set up properly. There is never a dull moment when I’m up in the high country with good company, spending all hours of the day laughing and enjoying the atmosphere this place offers, it never fails to produce great vibes from everyone. I scoped out a few spots to have a hunt and decided on a nice big gully that leads from the river flats all the way up to the ridge which was a good couple of kilometers up from the river. Saturday afternoon hit, and it was time to get in there, we all ventured off from camp to different locations, and I high tailed it straight up, after a few hundred meters pushing up from the river I slowed right down and started doing my thing.
  
  

  Spending alot of time glassing through the scrub for any bit of movement. When glassing for Deer through scrub I will never try to look for a Deer itself, but a distinctive movement that will give them away as they are masters at blending in, a flicker of the ear, a big ginger rear end, the movement of a leg or the dark silhouette line of the top of their body horizontal across the bush a bit like a log. I spotted a gumtree full of Cockatoo’s up ahead, I knew if they saw me they would start screaming and squawking, its a good way to be busted because the Deer will definitely know that they are screaming because there is danger around and every Deer within a few hundred meter radius will be alert and looking in your direction, making things a lot more difficult closing the gap on one. I decided to take a detour and moved around them, not long after I stepped out from some bushes and saw a big-bodied Sambar glowing in the sunlight feeding away. I couldn’t see its head, so I was unsure if it was a Stag or if it knew I was there as it was only 50-70 yards away and got me by surprise. Sure as hell she knew I was there and took off like a rocket, honking away. She was high up in the gully and headed straight for the top. That afternoon I pushed up higher and got busted by a few more Hinds. It was a great first hunt, and I knew there were definitely a few Deer around.
  
  

  That night I was thinking how I was going to tackle it in the morning, I noticed all the Deer were up higher closer to the ridge, probably staying away from the busy river flats with all the weekend campers and fourwheel drivers stirring up the joint. I asked the boys if someone could drop me off with the ute up the top early in the morning and I would make my way down the gully back to camp. Dinner and a few beers around the fire saw us all asleep. It was a freezing cold night, and when I woke up there was frost everywhere, so straight away I knew the Deer would definitely be up high where the sun would hit first to try get some warmth and also better feed as it defrosts. We all had a coffee and a chat, and as first light approached, we drove up the ridge, and I got dropped off. I started off in a gully and started contouring my way around to reach the spur which I knew had open patches of grass and feed and where sunlight would hit first as it comes up. It was still a little dark as it was just on first light when I reached the spur, slowly glassing away, using my ears for any sounds and watching every step I took not to snap a twig. I glassed the surrounding faces as the sun come up with nothing in sight. There was no wind but the thermals where rising; the conditions were perfect for my stalk.
  
  

  I started walking down the spur ever so slowly, I walked down into a dip, and as I walked back up from that dip I stepped out of some thick bush, and there was half a dozen Fallow standing in a group only 60 meters from me. We both saw each other at the same time, and they all looked at me. I’m not sure who copped a bigger heart attack. Without any hesitation I lifted my Sauer 101 chambered in .270 and aimed at the biggest head I saw, I knew I only had a couple of seconds to spare before they would spook off, he was perfectly broadside and I sent one through his engine room, it was a clean shot. I watched them run down the spur in the openings and sized up the other bucks, I was lucky enough to have taken the biggest in the group, there were a couple of other bucks and a few hinds. I watched him stumble down the hill, and he was down within 50 meters. It all happened in seconds. It was a special moment when I walked up to him, and there was a lot of appreciation when I saw him, so much hard work, countless hours in the field, constant researching and money spent on gear & trips for it to all finally come together. I was absolutely stoked for my first Fallow buck, to say the least. I jumped on the handheld to the boys and called them up to help with the carryout, it was a great experience to share with my best mates and an awesome end to a weekend away chasing those elusive Deer in the hills. This one will keep a spot on my wall until the last of my days and will be a hard one to beat.
  
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