Head shot goat hunting (NZ)

[Houseplant]

Yet another goat hunt!

Back in to a small area of densely forested public land that I have been working on for sometime now. I've found a long abandoned trapper's track which makes getting around a lot easier, but this is the usual picture.

I was only about 1km in to the bush when I had a feeling there were some animals about. Didn't see, smell or hear anything, just got that feeling. Weird since I have never seen anything close to that area. Sure enough, there was a white head of a goat bobbing about 25 metres away in a clearing. Used a tree as a rest, got nicely lined up for a head shot and pulled the trigger. Whoosh of a subsonic round and flop. Another white head appeared and I repeated the process to the same effect. At this point, a brown goat spooked which was interesting because I had no idea it was there. I probably wouldn't have shot it anyway, so no drama.

Two goats down. Both head shots with no sign of entry or exit wounds. Just blood from the mouth/nose. I've written before about my disappointment in the Hornady Sub-X subsonic rounds. No good for chest shots and variable on neck shots, but they are good for something it seems.

It turned out that I had shot a young nanny and a female kid. Happy with that as I usually select the kids as they are the best eating. I also kept the heart and will try it for the first time tonight.

Got to work with the knife. Took the back legs and backstraps from the nanny and decided to skin/gut the kid and take it out whole. It folded up quite nicely in to my Pikau-style backpack.

Home before lunch. I decided to butcher the kid in the same way that I would do a home kill lamb. Got the saw out and utilised everything. Shoulders, back legs, shanks, ribs and cut chops for the first time. Respect the goat! The fridge of dreams was looking good!

[mel b3]

That's a good day by anyone's standards.  Well done .

I still love that stubby rifle.

[Houseplant]

Thanks. The rifle has worked out well. With a 16.5 inch barrel and a custom over-barrel suppressor, it's a neat little package. Even with it on my shoulder, I can get through tight bush. It has become my favourite rifle very quickly! 

[Houseplant]

Just to finish the story off. Goat chops for dinner. Enjoyed by everyone, including the "vegetarian" wife!

 

[Scully]

Great stuff, and those chops looks fabulous! 
Ive probably asked before but what calibre is that little Bergara? 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Scully
Chops not chips!

[Houseplant]

Thanks for the comment. The Bergara is 300BLK with a 1:8 twist. Why? I bought it for the environment described so needed a short rifle, plus I wanted a dedicated subsonic setup. To add some context, in terms of ballistics, the subsonic rounds are more or less identical to .308 subsonic as both are 30 cal and use the same projectiles. Although the ballistics of 300BLK vs .223 are very different, the muzzle energy with supersonic rounds is similar. Having said that, the subsonic side of things hasn't really worked out for me and I'm still thinking about the way forward. The gun itself is fantastic and I would recommend it. They do a variety of calibres including .308 which would be the obvious choice. 

[old man]

Kia ora Hp.

[Weihrauch17]

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ultimate-300-aac-blackout-ammo-test/99395

If you unhappy with the Subsonics there is plenty of other choice if you want to keep the rifle which looks a great set up.

 

[Houseplant]

3 hours ago, Weihrauch17 said:

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ultimate-300-aac-blackout-ammo-test/99395

If you unhappy with the Subsonics there is plenty of other choice if you want to keep the rifle which looks a great set up.

 

 

Thanks for the link, I hadn't seen that article. The problem with subsonics for hunting is lack of projectile expansion. You might think that obvious, but the Hornady Sub-X rounds are supposed to expand at subsonic speeds. I can categorically state that they don't unless you hit bone and even then, it's often not enough. Subsonic alternatives exist, but unfortunately not at the end of the planet. So, I either persist with the Sub-X rounds and accept their limitations (head, or well placed neck shots only) or switch to supersonic. I have an unopened  box of Hornady FTX supersonic rounds sat in the cupboard, so need to do some more thinking.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Houseplant

[Weihrauch17]

If noise is not an issue and wth you hunting in the wilderness I can't see why it would be then going with supersonic would seem to be the sensible choice.

[Houseplant]

2 minutes ago, Weihrauch17 said:

If noise is not an issue and wth you hunting in the wilderness I can't see why it would be then going with supersonic would seem to be the sensible choice.

Good point. Two reasons. Boom with a supersonic round and the hunt is pretty much over for the day hit or miss, or at least involves a lot of leg work to find more animals. Secondly, I do shoot on farms as well and the farmers aren't keen on booming away, especially during calving/lambing. 

[Rim Fire]

I surprised that one shot will scare everything off i have shot fox and within 15 minutes a Deer has come out and shot that as well 

I find even at night you don't scare everything off 

[Houseplant]

23 minutes ago, Rim Fire said:

I surprised that one shot will scare everything off i have shot fox and within 15 minutes a Deer has come out and shot that as well 

I find even at night you don't scare everything off 

That has been the experience so far, but still learning! Maybe I'll give those supersonic rounds a go.

[mgsontour]

On 03/11/2021 at 05:00, mel b3 said:

That's a good day by anyone's standards.  Well done .

I still love that stubby rifle.

My words exactly

[Lsto]

I do enjoy reading your days out, it's nice to see things from the other side of the world, it always looks amazing.

Excellent write up, please keep them coming.

[Houseplant]

7 minutes ago, Lsto said:

I do enjoy reading your days out, it's nice to see things from the other side of the world, it always looks amazing.

Excellent write up, please keep them coming.

Thanks, that encourages me to put more reports up. Unfortunately, due to COVID travel restrictions, I can't travel south to hunt deer, so my hunting options are relatively limited.