FEATURE Reece Kuhn

Having been lucky to jag a few mid-week days off work I set out for a solo pre-rut exploration in mid-March to a state forest I have had success in over past few years. Although I primarily shoot meat animals, I’ve also been fortunate to also shoot the odd fallow buck here and there. The forecast weather wasn’t great with heavy rain and strong winds, but on the positive side it was a much-needed cool change.

On Day 1 I arrived at 3pm to be greeted with end-of-the-world weather as expected. Firing up the Jet Boil I made myself a cuppa preparing for the absolute soaking that was about to occur.

I set off, gale-force wind in my face, popping through the tree-line off the gated fire road, and dropping into a gully system. I planned to stalk along the creek while glassing the opposite side.

Less than 10 minutes into the forest I spot a white fallow doe feeding on the edge of a clearing. Stalking in for a closer look and ranging her at 80m, I noticed a few more coming out from behind the scrub. I counted eight does and two fawns, and at the back a young buck that seemed to have them rounded up. He wasn’t really a shooter.

At this point I remember the saying, “Don’t pass up something on the first day you would beg for on the last.” With no croaking to be heard I make the decision to shoot a meat animal and a chocolate doe dropped on the spot.

As the group spooked, I noticed the white doe lit up like a Christmas tree among the dense bush. A few fawn calls had her running in and a neck shot at a little over 40m meant that I had two meat animals in great post-summer condition. A short walk out with the meat from the two does closed Day 1.

On Day 2 I awoke before sunrise to more torrential rain and strong wind. I intended to drop into the same gully and execute yesterday’s plan of following the creek while glassing the opposing face.

I put up a few pigs and came across fresh deer scat but no sign of the actual deer; yesterday’s shots probably had something to do with that. Toward mid-morning I spotted the unmistakable blaze orange hat of another hunter so headed back to the van to reassess my plans for the afternoon.

Moving to an area that I hadn’t hunted before, I found it steep, thick and similar to red deer country I hunt in a different forest. At midday the skies cleared, the wind eased a little and the sun poked its head out. Thinking that this shift in weather would bring the deer out of hiding for a feed and a dry out, I packed enough food and water to last me until sunset and set off to explore.

An hour into the hike I came across a fresh scrape, with red deer prints leading up a game trail. With the wind in my face, I moved on 100m and found another scrape. “We’re on, they’re definitely in this system” I thought to myself. After 20 minutes of advancing slowly with the wind perfect and glassing the highs and lows of the system I saw three brown blobs among the tussock. Through my binoculars I identified two bedded red deer stags and a spiker. Both stags had 6-point antlers with one of them presenting a broadside shot.

Ranging them at a little under 100m, I shouldered my rifle and put the cross hairs on his shoulder. Meanwhile, he began to stand up with purpose: they had winded me. I let rip a 130-grain Barnes TSX from my Tikka T3X Lite .270. The stag jumped and ran up and over the hill as the other two peeled off and disappeared.

“He’s just run up-hill…this ain’t good!” I thought as I sat patiently and waited for what felt like an eternity. I had heard him charging off, then silence. After ten minutes, I decided it was time to make my way slowly in the direction he went. After tracking blood for 150m through thick and nasty country I found him piled up; my first public land red deer stag. I couldn’t believe it, I was absolutely frothing!

I’m stoked to be able to have access to NSW state forests and to hunt public land, especially when they offer such incredible hunting opportunities like I had experienced over the two days.