A TROPHY FOR THE AGES
From witnessing first-hand how devastating venison recovery can be on a West Coast trip to watching a magnificent, thick-timbered 12 pointer get shot in the guts from 540 yards by another hunter. Not to mention walking seven hard hours into a hunting block, only to find two hunters who had been flown in there.
It’s fair to say that hunting truly tests your strength of character, your resilience, dedication and persistence. Throughout this tough period, I never once thought of throwing in the towel; rather I knew more persistence was needed, so I kept charging. Weekend after weekend, I was putting in six-hour walks in an effort to get away from other hunters. However, my efforts did not translate into success and nor did I see the animals I wanted to see. Every Sunday was a case of déjà vu: get home, refurb the gear, reassess and scrutinise the topographic maps on where to go next.
The Easter holiday period was drawing closer and I had to pick a spot really carefully due to the huge influx of hunters over that time. I finally chose an area that had multiple options – there’s nothing worse than walking in to a block with limited possibilities and
