NOT BAD FOR A FIRST
It was, however, not without some stressful and heart-racing moments.
Riley was hunting with me as soon as he turned five and has accompanied me on many excursions chasing trout, waterfowl, goats and deer. Cutting his teeth on trout and waterfowl, he naturally progressed toward medium and big game animals, securing his first goat at the age of eight and his first deer, a Sika hind, last year, aged ten. This obviously set the foundations for his next goal, which was finding a stag of six points or more. The bar had been set and the search for a stag was on.
Over the course of the next year or so we went on a few hunts together but either never saw a stag or could never quite seal the deal due to weather, range or terrain, but his determination remained strong and the search continued. Sitting at home on a miserable windy and rainy Saturday, I asked” “ was the reply, so we went to Mum for a leave pass which was approved - the first step completed. Our gear was sorted - rifle, binos, rangefinder, warm kit, rain jackets and, of course, the lollies. After a good night’s rest, I dragged a tired and weary eleven-year-old out of bed, fortified him with a cup of Milo and some breakfast, and a A final check of the gear was conducted and the two of us plus dog jumped in the truck and were on our way.
