Shame it wasn't Lotto I won but successful in my ballot application for a Tahr block for winter of 2021.
Myself, three sons and a couple of their mates will chopper into our favourite block mid-June (will be my fourth time in ). Plenty of room for all of us and hopefully plenty of tahr.

Everyone fizzing to get back in there for a week, catch up and fly in with legend chopper pilot James Scott and score on some trophies and meat.

Just can't get better than this.


Well maybe this.

Fantastic

Which block did you Get?

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
Which block did you Get?

The Jacobs, always been a productive block, about tops for the most tahr observed and gets good sun at the campsite if the weather is kind.

Have looked down on you guys in there from Zora. Greta blocks the two of them, and hunting there same herd of Tahr.

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
Have looked down on you guys in there from Zora. Greta blocks the two of them, and hunting there same herd of Tahr.

Had thought about putting in for a Landsborough block but all too small for a bigger party.

My second eldest son has got all keen to do some hunting, still getting his firearms licence but have already bought a 7mm-08 marlin for him. He complained last tahr hunt that he never gets invited and he wants to do next years duck shooting opening weekend with us down in Mid- Canterbury. He got himself a GSP dog so we can put that to good use on the big irrigation pond we shoot on.

He should be able to shoot something in the Jacobs, both his brothers scored a couple of bulls each and a nanny or two last trip, always see a lot of animals but can be hard to get at.

Im spending today packing, then heading down tomorrow for a wander around not far ( relatively) from there. Going to have a look and see what damage the cull has done. I know from thier website they took about 150 Tahr off the high stuff above where Ill be hunting, so will be interesting to see if there is a congregation of Tahr down in the scrub.

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
Im spending today packing, then heading down tomorrow for a wander around not far ( relatively) from there. Going to have a look and see what damage the cull has done. I know from thier website they took about 150 Tahr off the high stuff above where Ill be hunting, so will be interesting to see if there is a congregation of Tahr down in the scrub.

How did your trip pan out? We'll be going in week beginning 19th June next year

Was hunting with the long bow, so no dead animals. But saw a few bulls, and got within 12 paces of a massive Chamois buck. In the 10-11 inch category. Biggest buck I have ever seen. Unfortunately he saw me as I rose to draw. Was an amazing stalk as I had had to crawl across 170 meters of bare open river bed to get to him. I just needed him to have his head the other way as I came up over a 3 foot bank and unfortunately he was looking my way.

quote:

Originally posted by shankspony:
Was hunting with the long bow, so no dead animals. But saw a few bulls, and got within 12 paces of a massive Chamois buck. In the 10-11 inch category. Biggest buck I have ever seen. Unfortunately he saw me as I rose to draw. Was an amazing stalk as I had had to crawl across 170 meters of bare open river bed to get to him. I just needed him to have his head the other way as I came up over a 3 foot bank and unfortunately he was looking my way.

Now that would rip your undies, chamois are hard enough to hit with a rifle when running let alone a bow I suppose.
I find tahr tend to run in straighter smoother lines which makes taking a running shot easier whereas chamois jump and bob all over the place once disturbed when making their getaway, more of a snap shot where you think they'll be when the bullet arrives rather than a steady lead shot.

One of my sons mates took a compound with him on our last tahr ballot block shoot but didn't get to use it, the bulls he had a go at were a long way off and he relied on his 7mm Rem Mag for those. He did stalk a yearling tahr within sight of our camp while we were waiting for the chopper pick up with the bow but it didn't oblige so he couldn't get an arrow away.

Now that Would be a challenge!

Lotta fun even though you didn't
get a shot. Amazing how close we
can get sometimes.

Glad you're up to it, give it another
go sometime.

George