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Hunting has always been a passion of mine ever since I was a child growing up. In my early teenage years I had that one friend whose father owned some land near a popular lake in Tasmania. I was lucky enough to be able to spend weekends at the lake riding in the bush on a 4 wheeler, hunting wallaby and some target practice with the 410 and 12 Gauge and some trout fishing on the lake. After having some time away from hunting I was lucky enough to meet my wife. Her father has been a shooter all his life and in his words “shot on a number of properties in Tasmania”. Having one main property that he has been able to go to with friends to hunt and cut wood, I was able to tag along as the son in law and rekindle my passion for hunting once again. The property has a vast array of wildlife with an abundance of wood to be cut, an outdoorsman’s wet dream!
After many years of attending the property to cut wood, hunt wallaby and rabbits and to socialise with friends for the weekend, I made the decision that I would try my hand at some deer hunting. The Tasmanian Deer Season starts in the last weekend of February which coincides with the last weekend of Summer. My father in law did not take much convincing, at all, to dust of his 270 and head bush for a 2 night, 3 day deer hunting camping trip. The camping spot was picked and the decision was made, we would head up on opening weekend of Does, this would mean we would have the chance of being able to take a stag or a doe. Now when I say camping, it was a bit more like glamping , my father in law owned a 18 foot caravan, which made camping very, very comfortable.
We get to our camping spot on the first day and setup. That evening standing around the fire my father in law talks about previous deer hunting trips, the good old days. As the light starts to fade I see a doe and her young fawn bound across a paddock to our left towards a gully. We grab the rifles and head off that way to see if we are able to find a potential stag before the light fades to much. We get to the ridgeline at the gully and wait. We see the doe slowly moving through the bush on the other side of the gully with her fawn. Doe season does not officially start for another two days, so this doe is in luck. As the wind changes the doe stops on ridgeline on the other side of the gully, she knows we are here somewhere, she stands there and scans the area with her fawn by her side. Then they both bound across the gully and into the bush. As the light fades we head back to camp. That night we go out for a spotlight (which is legal in Tasmania with the appropriate permits) to see what is around in regards to wallabies. We also hope to spot a few good areas we think might be worth checking out in the morning. After a successful night of shooting, a few wallaby in the bag, we head back to turn in for the night and get some rest before the early morning.
Up before the sun on the second day we have a coffee in the caravan before deciding on what areas we would cover. There was a hill to the left of our camping site which lead to a gully. This could prove to be a nice spot to get to and setup before the sun rises. I decided to head this way while my father in law decided to head the opposite direct, which was a bit more flatter ground. After quietly heading up the hill and setting up around 100 meters from the ridge of the gully I wait. Sitting there it starts to lightly rain, it’s the type of rain that is misty and annoying. No matter. The sun starts to rise, I can start to see the gully and what is there. As it gets lighter and lighter I can see there is nothing in sight. II decide to make my way through the gully and to the overside, after walking well in to the morning I decide to call it. Heading back to camp deflated we decide to go for a drive around the property and cut some wood. That night again we head out and get a few more wallaby, at least this way we will not go home empty handed.
The next morning, up again before the sun. This time the rain is even heavier. My father in law decided to stay in. The rain is not going to stop me from trying to bag my first deer. As I exit the caravan I decide to head to the same gully again. I walk behind the caravan and cannot believe my eyes. Right in the paddock behind the caravan is a deer! I sneak around the tree line of the paddock to see if I can find a nice resting spot. As I get to a pile of trees that had been pushed over by the tractor, I manage to get a nice resting shot. As my heart starts to pump faster I try to get the deer into my sights. I have a Carl Gustaf 270 with Leupold scope, I manage to slow my breathing and get the deer in my sights….. it’s a spikie! In Tasmania they get a free pass as it is illegal to shoot them. I quietly move off up the hill towards the gully. After finding a nice spot I settle in to wait and see what comes my way. As the sun rises my dreams of tagging my first deer fade further and further away. Even more deflated then the previous day I head back to camp to drop my torch off and check a different area. Back at camp I head to the ute, that is next to the caravan, to put the torch away. As I am resting the torch on the tray of the ute I look up, and a doe has ran into camp….. am I dreaming? The doe stops and looks at me around 80 meters out, I quickly call out to my father in law, I am able to get the perfect resting shot off the tray of the ute. Without hesitation I line up the doe and take the shot. My father in law runs out of the caravan to see what is happening, the deer runs, did I miss such an easy shot? We quickly take off after the deer, we find it 20 meters away, it’s a perfect lung shot.
It wasn’t the 28 pointer I was dreaming of, but it was a beautiful animal. After this great weekend I have been deer hunting many times and made some great memories.
After all memories last a life time.
