The first happened in the last week of March. I was hunting some tenure review country in Canterbury. That's Public Conservation Land (DOC land) previously leased for grazing and which has since been returned to the Crown.
I walked up an easement, gaining about 1000 vertical metres in the process, and ended up camping on a ridge which marked the boundary of the PCL and private land. It's worth noting that this boundary is marked only by the remnants of the old high-country fence, dilapidated to the point where a lazy merino wouldn't even acknowledge its existence. The sheep have long gone from this country but the deer move freely across the boundary.
I had every intention of hunting the public land but couldn't help noticing a stag answering my roars over on the private side. Not thinking much of it, I started glassing and picked up what seemed to be a solid stag cresting a spur about a kilometre away. The spotting scope revealed a very special deer, 17 solid points with good weight and length. A pleasure to see but still very much off limits.
