Just a quick post - Sorry no photos.

I got a business opportunity to visit some large stations in the Inner kaikoura ranges and the host agreed to also take me hunting for an evening. So I took my Sako L61R 280 ackley with 160 gr Accubond loads I had been playing with.

Last evening three of us with 2 rifles went for a drive in the back blocks of the farm with lots of scrub and river gullies. We walked a bit and kept glassing when the farm manager (host) whistled and showed us 3 fallows on the opposite face and lower down at about 300 meters (ranged). My acquaintance then took a shot with his 6.5 Swedish mauser and missed. He fired again and the spiker started to run. I took a shot & missed.

So we drove around a bit and a couple of ks away again we walked a bit, glassing. We topped a ridge and glassed and spotted 2 spikers sitting in a gully below at 324 meters. My turn to shoot & I sat down with my elbows resting on my knees and fired at the pale spiker. Shaun said "you rolled him" and a quick look through the scope confirmed that the deer was down. The second deer was still sitting - about 5 meters away!! Anthony fired and missed. He fired again and missed again and I asked if I should shoot and they both said yes. As I was squeezing the trigger the deer turned and I herd a tump. I felt that I had hit him too far back. The deer was hit hard and was moving. A couple of shots did not connect at 350 meters+. Suddenly 2 reds (a 8 point stag in velvet & a spiker) spooked near us and trotted by and stopped at about 50 meters looking confused. We decided not to shoot them and just finish off the fallow spiker.

As I started to walk down the hill to cross the gully the wounded deer got up again and started trotting to the top and so I sat down and took a shot as it was crossing the top of the ridge. I heard the crack of bullet hitting a bone. By the time I went down & up again the others had driven around a couple of ks and walked to the ridge. I could see Anthony walking to where I last saw the deer and so I stayed back and soon heard his finishing shot.

I am very happy with a quick spring hunt and some nice venison in the freezer. Really happy with the long shots and the first animal was clean though the heart.

My longest shot on big game so far.

quote:

Posted Nov 9, 4:20 PM
Just a quick post - Sorry no photos.

why not?

I left my camera at home & the other guys did not have any!

I have planned to take my video camera for work but forgot. It would have been ideal to video the shot as there was plenty of time & the animals were facing away and unaware of us on top of the ridge behind them.

Still a good feeling when you get two deer at long range.

I cooked up one of the back steaks for dinner and it was awesome as usual. The kids were into it faster than me!