does anybody get out after sambar here in Victoria for a trophy hunt in Summer? or are the chances of finding Hard antlered stags just too small. has anyone shot a hard stag in summer? winter hunting seems so far away..

The problem with hunting sambar in summer is once one see a couple of snakes you soon forget about looking for deer and become more concerned with where you are stepping.

I get out all year round, summer means one can look for new country, visit old haunts and generally get into areas which are closed over winter (tracks) and if your lucky take a meat animal. Wear stout boots and gators and decent daks for the unseen snakes and you should have a good time..

Even in winter I get so hot that often I hunt in a T-shirt. So summer hunting for me would be hopeless, even without the flies and snakes.
Mark

Dugga pm me about it and we might just have to go and have a look...i have you pencilled in for some hard yards hunting come winter mate .....but we can have a squiz a little earlier if you like.
I saw five one real bloody hot evening once and from memory it might have been March i ended up knocking over a small six point velvet head that was so fat and juicy he had to go into the freezer for an early start...i have spent a week in Eildon over summer with a few looks in green gullies that produced marks but crackly leaves stop you dead from trying to stalk the bastards...its hard enough in winter mate with soft wet leaves let alone the dry cornflaky ones

As for hard antlers most of the decent heads have droped there may still be the odd smaller head around trying to find a spare hind or two.
i went for a lesurlie sunday afternoon drive christmas day after i did the whole visit the rello's thing we went to check out a few new tracks and i shot a old stag, no head gear he was just starting to grow his antlers judging by the size of the coronets he had i regret not leaving him for next year but it was actually the first sambar iv had a decent shot at so i took it. 30.06 smashed one shoulder bullet stopped when it hit the second after 8 years of chasing these damn things i finally can say iv shot 1.

quote:

Originally posted by sambar1:
As for hard antlers most of the decent heads have droped there may still be the odd smaller head around trying to find a spare hind or two.
i went for a lesurlie sunday afternoon drive christmas day after i did the whole visit the rello's thing we went to check out a few new tracks and i shot a old stag, no head gear he was just starting to grow his antlers judging by the size of the coronets he had i regret not leaving him for next year but it was actually the first sambar iv had a decent shot at so i took it. 30.06 smashed one shoulder bullet stopped when it hit the second after 8 years of chasing these damn things i finally can say iv shot 1.

You make it seem so simple..tell us about the chase

thanks gryphon1, read my PM

well gryphon it was actually really simple probably a bit too simple and i honestly dont expect to shoot another under such easy conditions again.
it was christmas day and i was getting sick of the relo's so i picked up a mate and decided to check out a few new tracks while there werent too many people round. naturally we threw a gun in just in case and a knife and thats all the gear we had. after going past were we wanted to be we dropped down into a gully and drove the track up the gully for about 15 minutes when i spotted a large bodied deer standing on the side of the hill so i jumped out put 1 bullet in the gun and gave it to it from 70m hitting it square in the shoulder it didnt flinch which worried me a little then ran straight up hill which worried me more and out of site, yelling at myself for not putting an extra couple in the mag, i took off after it picked up some freshly moved dirt but no blood i starting tracking about 15 m later i find it. 1.5 hours later its on the ute and were heading home after gutting we had to lower it by ropes down a cliff face then drag it down the river for 300m to the closest spot we could get the car. I said something about not being prepared, never try walking round the scrub wearing a pair of $250 ariat boots they have no tread and they weigh a ton once they fill up with water and always take a camera the only photos i have are on my mobile phone which i am trying to copy onto the computer ill try and get a few posted in the near future and regardless of the fact i just shot my first sambar mum was not impressed coming home in my good clothes being covered in blood butit was worth it.

dONT WORRY ABOUT YOUR OLD STICK MATE by the sounds of it you will be coming home with more blood on you again now you have the monkey off your back..always good to read such stories.

And for you sambar toughness doubters read this line as quoted.
"so i jumped out put 1 bullet in the gun and gave it to it from 70m hitting it square in the shoulder it didnt flinch which worried me a little then ran straight up hill "

yeah i had one last year that i tracked for 8.5 hrs before losing it in waist high bracken it was shot by a bloke this was the second deer hes seen just happened to be a 24" stag it was broad side at 25yds hit with a 140gr accubond out of a .270 found chunks of bone 1" long and blood in some spots a blind man could follow but never found it needless to say im still trying to get him to 1. practice more offhand and 2. get a bigger gun!.
i recovered the bullet from my deer the other day 150gr corelock out of an 06 passed through 1 shoulder blade and stopped when it hit the second bullet had lost its core and the jacket weighed a whopping 43grs no wonder it couldnt penetrate the second shoulder but my 7mm rem mag is back to being sighted in after some work so the next ones going to get a 160gr woodleigh which im confident will hold together and penetrate better!

quote:

yeah i had one last year that i tracked for 8.5 hrs before losing it in waist high bracken it was shot by a bloke this was the second deer hes seen just happened to be a 24" stag it was broad side at 25yds hit with a 140gr accubond out of a .270 found chunks of bone 1" long and blood in some spots a blind man could follow but never found it needless to say im still trying to get him to 1. practice
more offhand and 2. get a bigger gun!.

Years ago I shot a roo from the back of a ute with my 300 win mag at about 30 yards, we were in a hurry and didn't stop to check him, anyhow when we came back that way a few hours later he was gone,found lots of blood and bone at the scene but took us a while to find him, he had managed to travelled over 200 yards over rough terain before he expired, the 180 grain bullet had hit way lower than i'de thought and smashed one hip as it exited.

Just goes to show that roos are pretty tough too, but going up to a bigger cannon doesn't mean shit unless you put the bullet in the right spot.