Saturday's Scouting Trip

[Jorge in Oz]

Well I finally got out for a wonder about two weeks ago to the regular patch in Labertouche State Forest I had been frequenting. I took out my son Jesse (7 years old) for the first time and he was amazingly quiet and listened and followed all instructions. He loved it and I was amazed at how well he did been out bush. He can't wait to get out there again. He can't carry a rifle till he's 12 years old according to our laws so he just accompanied his old man. I thoroughly enjoyed having him along, he is a wonderfully good natured fellow, a great companion and extremely fit and rugged little guy (unlike his old man ). looking forward to having more outings with him in the years to come.

Every time I have gone out to this particular spot there were fresh deer signs but the only fresh signs were wombat droppings which from a distance can be mistaken for deer droppings (only by those with poor sight like me) but their droppings are very green and of a cubic shape. There was no fresh deer tracks, rubs or droppings anywhere. So I have finally given up on this spot after having spotted deer in the past but have not had chance to take a shot. You guys not from Oz have to understand that state forests in Victoria are regularly frequented by hunters so there are slim pickings to be had.

Last Saturday I went to a new spot in Noojee State Forest. Again there is plenty of evidence of yahoos coming to either hunt or just shoot stuff up as they left all their shell casings both rifle and shotgun everywhere, along with their beer cans but there were fresh deer tracks and rubs so it looked promising. I left Jesse at home as this was my first scouting trip and I didn't know what kind of landscape awaited. Thanks goodness I did leave him at home as the track was very steep and muddy as anything. I looked like one of the dudes from KISS with 3 inch mud platforms hanging off the soles of my shoes, not easy to walk in. But once I got to the top of the ridge it was all worth the hike. Check it out.

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I had a look around and did not see any immediate tracks at the top of the ridge and I found a tree stump that made a nice seat, placed my shooting sticks down and set up the rifle and commenced to glass for action.

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Sorry about all the pics but I sat and enjoyed the scenery. Here's a few more.

This is to my left

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To my right

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This is straight ahead on the 4WD track I was sitting on the edge off on the stump.

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The fog started to move in so I decided to have a look around the ridge to my right. Here are some pics of the fog moving in.

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To be continued..........

[Jorge in Oz]

As I mentioned earlier after the clouds/fog set in I moved along a deer trail I spotted to my right. The bush is quite thick in some areas. I followed the trail till it lead me to a number of sizable granite boulders. I didn't get any pics of the boulders but they were most impressive. Anyhow there was one spot that there was a steep drop but it looked like a great vantage point to glass to towards different hill faces and gullies. I had a thought and wish I had a 300 Win Mag as that would be handy for a longer range shot but I would stick to the 30-06 effective range if the opportunity presented itself. I was up against it as the deer would have most likely have bedded by now as it was around the 9 am mark. But I know from experience you get the odd spiker that strolls back a bit later than the rest. Anyhow this was a scouting trip to check the spot out and I had achieved what I wanted to do. A deer would be a bonus. Here are the views from the new spot.

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Again sorry for the poor pics as they were taken on my crappy phone.

I was getting bored and took a selfie (I dislike selfies but I must have been bored). I apologise in advance for my mugshot.

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Anyhow the wind was straight in my face and I must have been glassing for about an hour when the wind shifted to my left and over my right shoulder and within minutes I heard a deer break through the bush to my right. I could not see but it made a heck of noise so it wasn't a small animal. I followed the trail and found where it was bedded down but the bush got thicker and thicker and it was long gone. I went around the other side of a massive boulder and back on the 4WD track which was thick with mud but could not see if it had crossed the track.

Anyway the trip convinced me that I need to return there. So no venison for the trip home but a nice spot to sit and wait. The bush is not conducive to some serious stalking due to the thickness but I will try the sit and wait with an overnight trip to take advantage of the evening and early morning. If that doesn't reap any fruit I will continue covering more territory on that same ridge. At least I know there are deer around. :)

Cheers

Jorge

[gitano]

Sorry for all the pictures????

What planet have you been on? They were great!

So happy to see someone getting out and about! And jumped a deer to boot!

Your "public land" is no different than our public land open to hunting. A lot of that behavior is what caused coining of the phrase "slob hunters". And the animals on public land are always spookier than on private land.

Beautiful country and great pictures! It's great your boy appreciated being out with dad. There should be great times to come!

Looking forward to seeing more pictures, some with dead deer!

Paul