Houseplant Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Lockdown restrictions have been eased, so we can travel further afield. I decided to go for another goat hunt as we are getting a bit low on meat in the freezer. I realise these reports are all a bit similar, so will do my best to spice them up! Back to my regular spot. Scenery wouldn't be out of place on the film Predator! About an hour in to the bush, I caught a glimpse of movement in the scrub and saw a short tail wag. I sat still and waited. Heard a lot of crashing about and expected a big group of goats to pass through when a pig hunter, his wife and their three dogs appeared. These situations can sometimes be a little tense and really highlight the importance of gun safety, but all was good and pleasantries were exchanged. We agreed a plan to avoid each other and he would give me a 10 minute head start. In reality, this wasn't going to work as we were heading up the same ridge line. From that point on, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind. I had the dogs on my heels and it felt a bit futile. At a small clearing, I spooked a young goat. I think it winded the dogs and disappeared in to the bush. I pushed on and literally walked in to two nannies. Mid-neck shot with a Hornady 300BLK Sub-X round put one of them down. Then it got up and ran off! I'm really not happy with the performance of these subsonic cartridges and am going to seriously consider custom reloads or using supersonic rounds. I went off after the injured goat. As it turned out, it literally bowled over my new pig hunter friend who was on the other side of the ridge. A bit bemused he said it went that way! I followed a big blood trail and found the goat crumpled at the bottom of a small gully. Although the shot was fatal, it ran about 25 metres. Just not acceptable in this environment with respect to animal recovery. As per normal, I harvested the back legs and back straps from the animal. I got to try out my new knife. It is an Outdoor Edge Razor Lite EDC. It has replaceable blades and performed well on one animal at least. Not one for the traditionalists, but it's going to be very useful on multi-day hunts in the bush. I was happy with my animal and decided to give the pig hunter some space. Headed home after a relatively short walk and back in time for lunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Excellent write up. Keep them coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Very interesting and never samey to us. I read every pigeon over stubble write up and find each great. Compared to shooting goats in a rainforest they are much more grey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgsontour Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Proper hunting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 One day, one of your trips is going to go from this... To this... Great stuff as ever. I guess there's plenty more to come. Until you get eaten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted September 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 4 hours ago, WalkedUp said: Very interesting and never samey to us. I read every pigeon over stubble write up and find each great. Compared to shooting goats in a rainforest they are much more grey! Everyday is a learning day for all of us. Thanks to one of your posts a while back, I started taking the backstraps. We had them for dinner tonight. Salted, seared, then blow torch for a little extra flavour. Excellent! 50 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said: It's funny, I nearly bought a 45/70, maybe I should have done! I think the goat would have stayed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Superb again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted September 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 12 hours ago, old man said: Superb again! Cheers ☺️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgsontour Posted September 15, 2021 Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 Been thinking about this post since I first saw it and have been laughing today as was on walked up partridges today through fodder beat thinking its a country mile away from shooting in NZ. Don't get me wrong a really enjoyed my day but did consider we are just playing at it; well done again to HP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted September 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 5 hours ago, mgsontour said: Been thinking about this post since I first saw it and have been laughing today as was on walked up partridges today through fodder beat thinking its a country mile away from shooting in NZ. Don't get me wrong a really enjoyed my day but did consider we are just playing at it; well done again to HP Thanks. The goats in NZ are domesticated animals turned feral population, so I wouldn't claim they pose a great challenge for the hunter. The challenge is finding them and getting in and out the bush safely. Make no mistake, this environment will kill you if you get it wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 16, 2021 Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 Fabulous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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