A prize for perseverance

Over 15 years I’d made reconnaissance trips to a state forest north-west of the big smoke. I’d seen rub trees, found many hoof prints, and even had a couple of fleeting glimpses. Once I was startled when one honked at me, but I had never yet grassed a sambar.

I HAD also learnt heaps about the habits of sambar from hunting around Dartmouth with some very experienced hunters.

Now, with a day trip into the forest planned, the chance came to put it all together.

I had a particular creek system in mind, because it was always pretty wet and adjoined open pasture properties on the eastern boundary of the forest. The drought of 2019 had pushed the deer out of many ephemeral creeks, but this one I thought would have kept a few deer in it. I also figured the