Hi Guys

The Prize Rifle and the Goats of Grevillia
a hunt report using the 270AI AR prize rifle.

First a bit of background.I have been trying in my own way to improve the image of hunters.I have volunteered my services to National Parks and Wildlife should they need anything hunted and shot.This is problematic at this stage as Firearms are not permitted in National Parks, something I am trying to change.
I requested and received the Draft Feral Management report, which on reading, hunting was not mentioned as a control measure.
In this report I noticed that there were some goats mentioned that were up on the escarpment at Grevillia about 50 km from my place. They were old Saanen whethers. Now these goats were on the boundary of the Toonumbar National Park so, sometimes they were on private land and sometimes in the park.The escarpment goes from an elevation of 450m up to 800m and is just climbable if you have the right route. It has trees,grass trees and tufts of grass growing on it with out crops of basalt with sheer drops. The area is part of an old caldera.

I contacted National Parks and asked if they wanted the goats dealt with , I figured if I could get the goats and make a good job of it I could make a submission along those lines for using hunters as a control method, they did, so begins the story.

I made some phone calls and found the owners of the goats. The story was they had released some goats (all the same sex-female) on the escarpment to eat out the weeds about 10 years ago, in those days it was State Forest it has been only recently declared a National Park. The goats had not eaten the lantana like they should have and they wanted to get rid of them, but no one had been able to get them. The owners gave me permission to hunt and shoot the last remaining goats,if I could.

I contacted National Parks and let them know that I would deal with the goats for them, and let them know I would be around the edge of the National Park and might have to traverse the park to get the goats.I did not want to get busted with the prize rifle in a National Park and have it confiscated.

My partner and I went over to check out the" fairly famous" goats of Grevillia and when we arrived there they were high up on the escarpment, 2 white goats.
From the Farmhouse at an elevation of 450m to where the goats were at 700m was over 600yds at an elevation of 30 degrees, range estimated using the duplex of the 2.5x8 VarX3 on the prize rifle.I was told by the farm manager that there was no way up to the goats ,it was too far to make an ethical shot without being able to finish off any wounded goats. So, the first problem was how to get to the Goats.

I have the topographical maps of the area and on the map it looked as if it was possible to get to the top of the escarpment and work our way along the top to the goats and there was an old track that had been cut in to launch hang gliders off the top of the escarpment about 1.5 km from where the goats were situated.

We got out the compass and the map, tracked down the old path and cut our way through the overgrown path , about 30m of machetteing to the top of the escarpment where they used to launch the hang gliders.However we found it impossible to get through the one and half kilometers of dense rainforest to where the goats were.

I should mention that this is world heritage rainforest and is not unlike the Amazon.It is very dense and very dark.It was very difficult to follow a bearing through the forest as all you can see are tree trunks, and even with a compass it is very easy to get disoriented, and being a world heritage rainforest I didn't feel right blazing markers on those ancient trees.
Carrying the prize rifle also made things complicated. So we gave up on that plan.

Next plan after studying the map was to try and follow a creek up that started just behind the escarpment and get at the goats from behind.
So again we got out the map and compass and found a way into the creek bed and started to work our way up the creek.

This is your classic mountain stream basically bare basalt rock with towering rainforest trees either side. We were going along just fine until we came to a large rock pool with very steep sides so there was now way around. I stripped off to see if I could wade through, however it was very deep and over my head and at the top end was a 2m cliff with a small waterfall to negotiate to continue up the creek.It was getting late in the day and the time taken to get us,the dogs,rifle and gear across the rock pool and then again on the return trip made it unwise to attempt and we didn't have anywater proof containers.I was also conscious of the fact that any afternoon thunderstorms were a potential life threatening occurrence when stuck in a creek bed.So we shelved that plan for future consideration.

We then discovered (were told) that there was a way up to the goats from the front of the escarpment.On the other side from where the hang gliders were launched. So as you stand facing the escarpment(which faces north) we were going to follow a fence line up on the left side(east side).
We found the fence line it started at an elevation of 400m and went up to 800m at the top.My partner, me, the dogs and the rifle climed up to the top.
It was a sling the rifle over the back and using hands and feet climb up to the top. We then worked our way west but again came upon impassable rainforest between us and the goats. That plan was no good so started to consider the creek option again.

However on detail study of the map I figured that I would be able to make a track up from the west side of the escarpment, having been up the east side I figured it was feasible. The problem was cutting the track through to the base to start the climb. I contacted the landowner who owned the property where I wanted to go and secured permission to access the escarpment. He showed me the way and I was able to drive up to the base of the escarpment at an elevation of 650m and the climb was up to 800m more or less straight up. I then machetted about 20m to where I could start climbing. I then returned to the 4x4 and got the prize rifle and with the dogs climbed up to the top. I was mainly seeing if it was feaseable and after a cursory look for the goats, as I didn't want to loose sight of the way down, returned to the 4x4. I had proved it was possible to get to the goats, all I had to do now is wait for the goats to be in the right position. The farm manager said he would let me know when the were in position.

I contacted Parks and wildlife as I was keeping them informed of my progress I mentioned not blazing the rainforest trees and they kindly gave me some "sighter tape" which is pink flourescent and about an inch wide to tie around trees for navigation.

Then yesterday I got the word that the goats were in position and as I drove up to the escarpment I stopped and could just see them with the binoculars and I noted their position. I found my track again only this time I marked it and then as I climbed up the escarpment I marked the track up.When I got to the top I was then able to negotiate along the top of the escarpment using the sighter tape so I could find my way back.I was more confident with the sighter tape and could concentrate on finding the goats without having to commit the track to memory.It was pretty hairy up there and fairly steep and I did not want to fall off taking a wrong turn.

It was the dogs Warlow (the deafdog) and Sumo, me and the prize rifle tracking east across the edge of the escarpment. I knew I was above the goats and evey now and again I approached the edge and looked over.

Then when I looked over there they were about 50m below me almost straight down.They seemed surprised to see me and were just standing together about 5m apart looking up at me.I assumed a kneeling/sitting position chambered a round and fired at the first goat.I had the rifle sighted for 300m expecting a long shot at the goats,the scope was set on 4 power,i mis judged the hold over and the first shot was too low.I cycled the bolt and fired again, by this time they were moving and I had a better view ,this time was a good heart/lung shot and the goat dropped.I cycled the bolt again and the next goat presented me with a shot looking down at its back.I took a spine shot through the neck just above the shoulders.The goat dropped immediately and tumbled off the cliff and fell some 30m. I cycled the bolt again and was going to take another shot at the first goat when it gave up the ghost and it too tumbled off the cliff falling about 10m down.It was all over in 10 or 15 secounds.It was the culmination of 6 weeks of work.

I havn't received the Ackley dies as yet so I was using my fireforming load.
130gn Hornady SP,.270 Winchester brass,CCI bench rest primers and 42gn of AR 2208.

First Blood for the Prize Rifle.

Regards
Deafdog

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deafdog@turboweb.net.au
http://deafdog.turboweb.net.au

Well done, Deafdog!

I wish I had a topo of the area, I am sure I could follow your hunt from your excellent description.

Keep up the good work!

Don

I very much enjoyed your account of your hunt. Rufous.

Well, I for one don't want you on my trail, Deafdog. You're too tenacious for me! A job well done and a clever approach to this issue.

Don, if you or anyone wants any topo maps, I discovered there are several outfits now that will sell you topo CDs for just about any place you like. I ordered mine from an outfit near Albuquerque, N.M. and I think I paid like $10 per CD. (Each Cd covers many square miles.)

You can search the internet to find them or I'll dig out the exact address for anyone wanting it bad enough to email me.

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A well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft/lbs of energy.

Great story. Well written. Thanks for sharing.