Aussie_hunter_JD
Well-known member
G'day all,
Thought I'd share a quick story about my new rifle's first outing. I apologise as it's more matter of fact rather than story telling I'm just strapped for time at the moment.
Last year my nan, who helped raise me and was the main mother figure in my life passed away suddenly. She didn't have a lot to give and like me valued kindess and doing the right thing over money but left a few hundred dollars to me. I decided to put it towards something to remember her for a lifetime. I sold my 270, a few other bits of gear and eventually had enough money to build my "dream calibre" in 275 rigby. I grew up reading a lot about hunting and conservation and my greatest idol in that respect is Jim Corbett who used the 275 to hunt maneating tigers and leopards (highly recommended his books). I found a donor rifle and a gunsmith and after about 5 months it turned up at my door. I've been moving away from technology a bit in my hunting in recent times, not at all out of any sense of superiority just personal interest so this rifle is based as an open sight rifle.
It arrived during summer which is bad for hunting for two reasons, one most deer are growing antlers or carrying young and also snakes. People joke and exaggerate about Australia being dangerous but snakes are something that genuinely does limit your movements in thick bush over warm months.
Finally feb came around which is still warm but with a cold snap and some rain it was likely to be a good stalking day.
I headed out with my gsp with plenty of time up my sleeve and arrived in the bush while still dark. I was hunting public land with the aim of catching deer coming off the private after a nights feed. We slowly made our way toward the edge of the private to a good glassing vantage point. We had probably 300m to go and just as the grey light of the morning started to show my gsp began indicating deer in some thick prickly tea tree, moments later a stick snapped. In good daylight that tangled mass enabled you to see a few yards at best, in this light it was inches. The deer was heading toward a section of unhuntable public ground the whole trail to which it would be protected so begrudgingly i moved on.
I eventually reached my glassing spot and swept the leica's across the private looking into every nook and cranny the sum of which resulted in a few kangaroos and nothing more. I was quite surprised but pressure from legal and illegal hunting in this area had increased in recent years so i thought maybe they're just pushing back in to the bush early.
All that was left was to stalk the bush so off we pressed my pooch leading the way. I decided to contour along parallel to the private a couple hundred yards into the bush thinking most deer coming off early would be dawdling along picking some feed as they moved to bed. This worked well for me but was robbing my gsp of her senses as this put us at a cross wind. We'd moved along a little further when we came to a prominent game trail, i strained in the poor light to make out fresh tracks but the hard ground wasn't giving up her recent guests. I pressed on detouring to a patch of trees that deer in the area are quite partial to. As i gazed along under the foliage which on these trees reached down to the neck of a red deer sized animal i caught sight of some vertical posts. In nature straight lines with few excepctions don't exist (at least in this part of the world) and are generally a good sign of something living or man made, in this instance the four legs of a deer. Against the dark mess of trees and with the sun still yet to awaken i was robbed of my vision as i raised the open sights level to deer, without optics it was simply too dark. He was around 50m away and at about this stage my dog who'd seen me raise my rifle and then noticed the deer followed by silence let out an involuntary whine. At this the deer trotted out and at around 80m stopped broadside in some more open bush. 10m either side would see him in thick cover again so i wasted no time. I took a knee leveled the sights behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I do enjoy following blood trails and reading sign of animals under all conditions is a passion of mine. In this instance though it was not needed as he was down where he stood and did not so much as quiver thereafter.
I was overcome with great joy and great sadness, the rifle which already means so much to me making it's first kill. It was somewhat surreal, a moment of reflection for the loss of my grandmother, me still hunting as I've always done with life continuing on as it does whenever anyone leaves this world deer or human. Yet despite this, the feeling that she will live on through those of us left behind who have been touched by her and the rifle achieving some symbolism to bring it all together.
That night i cooked up some of the eye fillet/tenderloin and thought about the last time i saw her the day before she passed. She told me the last thing she wanted in life was to see my wife give birth our first baby. Unfortunately she missed our son coming into the world by a month.
My wife was away with friends so my son and i sat down and shared his first taste of venison (which he loved!) Shot with the rifle created by one of the greatest women i shall ever know. The symbolism again did not escape me and i couldn't help but smile and think just how proud she'd be.
Thought I'd share a quick story about my new rifle's first outing. I apologise as it's more matter of fact rather than story telling I'm just strapped for time at the moment.
Last year my nan, who helped raise me and was the main mother figure in my life passed away suddenly. She didn't have a lot to give and like me valued kindess and doing the right thing over money but left a few hundred dollars to me. I decided to put it towards something to remember her for a lifetime. I sold my 270, a few other bits of gear and eventually had enough money to build my "dream calibre" in 275 rigby. I grew up reading a lot about hunting and conservation and my greatest idol in that respect is Jim Corbett who used the 275 to hunt maneating tigers and leopards (highly recommended his books). I found a donor rifle and a gunsmith and after about 5 months it turned up at my door. I've been moving away from technology a bit in my hunting in recent times, not at all out of any sense of superiority just personal interest so this rifle is based as an open sight rifle.
It arrived during summer which is bad for hunting for two reasons, one most deer are growing antlers or carrying young and also snakes. People joke and exaggerate about Australia being dangerous but snakes are something that genuinely does limit your movements in thick bush over warm months.
Finally feb came around which is still warm but with a cold snap and some rain it was likely to be a good stalking day.
I headed out with my gsp with plenty of time up my sleeve and arrived in the bush while still dark. I was hunting public land with the aim of catching deer coming off the private after a nights feed. We slowly made our way toward the edge of the private to a good glassing vantage point. We had probably 300m to go and just as the grey light of the morning started to show my gsp began indicating deer in some thick prickly tea tree, moments later a stick snapped. In good daylight that tangled mass enabled you to see a few yards at best, in this light it was inches. The deer was heading toward a section of unhuntable public ground the whole trail to which it would be protected so begrudgingly i moved on.
I eventually reached my glassing spot and swept the leica's across the private looking into every nook and cranny the sum of which resulted in a few kangaroos and nothing more. I was quite surprised but pressure from legal and illegal hunting in this area had increased in recent years so i thought maybe they're just pushing back in to the bush early.
All that was left was to stalk the bush so off we pressed my pooch leading the way. I decided to contour along parallel to the private a couple hundred yards into the bush thinking most deer coming off early would be dawdling along picking some feed as they moved to bed. This worked well for me but was robbing my gsp of her senses as this put us at a cross wind. We'd moved along a little further when we came to a prominent game trail, i strained in the poor light to make out fresh tracks but the hard ground wasn't giving up her recent guests. I pressed on detouring to a patch of trees that deer in the area are quite partial to. As i gazed along under the foliage which on these trees reached down to the neck of a red deer sized animal i caught sight of some vertical posts. In nature straight lines with few excepctions don't exist (at least in this part of the world) and are generally a good sign of something living or man made, in this instance the four legs of a deer. Against the dark mess of trees and with the sun still yet to awaken i was robbed of my vision as i raised the open sights level to deer, without optics it was simply too dark. He was around 50m away and at about this stage my dog who'd seen me raise my rifle and then noticed the deer followed by silence let out an involuntary whine. At this the deer trotted out and at around 80m stopped broadside in some more open bush. 10m either side would see him in thick cover again so i wasted no time. I took a knee leveled the sights behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I do enjoy following blood trails and reading sign of animals under all conditions is a passion of mine. In this instance though it was not needed as he was down where he stood and did not so much as quiver thereafter.
I was overcome with great joy and great sadness, the rifle which already means so much to me making it's first kill. It was somewhat surreal, a moment of reflection for the loss of my grandmother, me still hunting as I've always done with life continuing on as it does whenever anyone leaves this world deer or human. Yet despite this, the feeling that she will live on through those of us left behind who have been touched by her and the rifle achieving some symbolism to bring it all together.
That night i cooked up some of the eye fillet/tenderloin and thought about the last time i saw her the day before she passed. She told me the last thing she wanted in life was to see my wife give birth our first baby. Unfortunately she missed our son coming into the world by a month.
My wife was away with friends so my son and i sat down and shared his first taste of venison (which he loved!) Shot with the rifle created by one of the greatest women i shall ever know. The symbolism again did not escape me and i couldn't help but smile and think just how proud she'd be.
