Winter Gamble

The chance to stalk a trophy Red Stag and a slowly diminishing freezer stock of venison had me keen to get back out again before the close of our unofficial deer season.

My success in the Roar had me well and truly hooked and while there was a good chance the Deer may be anywhere but on our hunting block I decided to take the punt and head up the Brisbane Valley.

After a couple of phone conversations to confirm each others availability Paul and I decided on a Saturday hunt. So on the Friday beforehand I left work a little early, got home in double quick time, loaded the car and said my goodbyes.

I certainly wasn’t looking forward to the afternoon traffic so I decided on a longer, though ultimately quicker trip and headed Northwest through Mt Mee, Woodford, Kilcoy and finally Moore.

It was already cooling down when I stopped for a quick bite to eat at Kilcoy and later at the hunting block gate it felt like the temperature was really dropping. It was going to be a cold start in the morning and I was glad I packed my warm hunting gear.

Paul had beaten me up by about an hour and a half and had stopped in for a chat with the property owner. Unpacking my gear our conversation quickly turned to the number of Deer he had spotted on the way in.

While it was exciting to hear about any Deer we were both well aware that it was quite dry and we may have difficulty locating any Stags suitable for the taking. This was all part of the winter gamble and no matter the outcome we were looking forward to a day in the field.

Sitting inside the small hunt and drinking some medicinal Rum I handed Paul a newly purchased English hunting magazine. If you want to see a very different approach to the sporting life, try the English publications. It seems that ties, tweed and Wellington boots are all part of the scene in the UK; and while they do look sharp - I’m not sure it will catch on here.

Next morning at around 5:45am we headed out into the light frost and heavy fog covering most of the valley. Sticking to our plan we had formulated the night before Paul aimed the Prado straight up to get us above the fog so that we might beat the Deer as they moved from their beds to bask in the first sun of the day.

Finally pulling up in a small saddle and with the sun still below the horizon we headed off in a Southerly direction below the skyline. Our intention was to head South until we intersected with an East/West running ridgeline. We would then stay in the shadows and check out the sunlit aspects for any movement.

On the way we found some very fresh sign along a well worn game trail. Unfortunately we couldn’t tell which way the Deer were moving so after some whispered discussion we decided to push on. Soon we were in position for some serious observation. In front of us was a valley with numerous gullies, scrubby patches of cover and occasional heavy timber.

Since my last trip I had invested in a pair of Leupold Mojave binoculars. The difference between my new purchase and my previous pair of binoculars was immediately apparent. Their clarity, especially in low light was spectacular. It’s amazing what a difference a good pair of binoculars can make.

My other upgrade was ammo. My Tikka T3 was now loaded with Barnes Triple Shocks in 165gr. After my last hunt I had been a little disappointed with the performance of the 150gr Accubonds and so had decided to go for a slightly heavier and hopefully more reliable projectile.

We stayed in position for about 20 minutes and after investigating plenty of rocks, branches and other antler like shapes we decided to move up the valley. This move of course led to two Deer, a Hind and Calf breaking cover directly below us and bolting up the very slope we had just been checking out.

We actually first heard, rather than saw the Deer. Once I had spotted them I tracked them up the slope and tried to predict when they would pull up.

Unfortunately the Hind showed no intention of stopping and would only slow momentarily for the Calf before moving off again. The Hind was a large and very healthy animal while the Calf was about 8 months old by Paul’s estimation.

Both had well flared fur on their rumps, which I have been told is a fright response -so our presence had obviously startled them. Very quickly they were over a kilometre away and showed no sign of stopping.

At about the ½ kilometre mark I shouldered my rifle and tracked them up the opposite slope. I did it just for the practise as they were well out of range for any reasonable shot, or reasonable for my skills anyway.


Though that doesn’t mean I would have taken a shot if they hadn’t moved off so quickly. At present on the properties managed by the Brisbane Branch of the Queensland Deer Management Group (QDMG) we don’t take Hinds - especially those with a Calf that one day might become a Trophy Stag.

While for some this may be a contentious practise and I readily acknowledge that successful game management means controlling total populations we believe the Hind population isn’t there yet.

The concepts of game management and the reasons behind it have been one of the many things I have learnt since joining the Australian Deer Association (ADA) and the QDMG. I believe it has helped me become a more considered hunter as well as given me a greater understanding and appreciation of Game.

However with the classification of Deer as pests in Queensland it’s hard to say what will happen to the Deer population, though I hope there is a place for ethical hunting practices in the future.

So we looked on the Hind and Calf as a good omen and continued moving up the valley until it finally rose to meet a low saddle. The sun was now up and while plenty of fog was still about it was slowly building to a fantastic winter’s day.

At around 9am we reached a small plateau that marked the Southern boundary of the property. A little breakfast was in order so after unloading my pack I passed Paul a trail bar. Immediately we realised that while the day was getting on any warmth generated from our walking quickly dissipated into the still chilly air.

Paul best summed up breakfast by saying that the dark chocolate trail bar was pretty much chocolate flavoured nothing. Working my jaw I just looked at him, gave a slight nod and thought about lunch.

So with nothing further to say we got ourselves ready and decided to head East - which would take us in the direction of the Deer we spotted earlier.

Working our way down into the tree line we spotted some older rubs and what looked like a Deer bed though unfortunately no one was home.

We continued on for about an hour until we reached an imposing gully. At this point we decided on an about face and started on a long counter-clockwise loop into the wind and eventually back to the Prado.

Our intention was to check out the gullies and other likely resting places and hopefully uncover a Stag. During our loop we again saw plenty of Deer sign, though nothing was very fresh and so we decided to pull the pin and head back. Reaching the Prado around midday, while a little leg weary we felt pretty good about the mornings hunt.

Back at the hut it was lunch time - which now a days can be quite the gourmet affair. As an avid hiker I got used to meals based purely on weight - taste being an unexpected and uncommon bonus. Now with a small Honda AWD as pack horse and a huge esky to keep everything fresh I can go all out.

After a real antipasto style lunch I turned to a bit of reading and got to thinking about a short afternoon hunt as we still hadn’t taken a Stag for the freezer.

Time ticked on and around 2:30pm we were back in the Prado heading in a Westerly direction to the start of another valley. As water was quite scarce we decided to stay closer to the creeks and water courses with the intention of knocking over any unwary Stag looking for a drink before dusk.

While not a huge property I’m always surprised by the differences in terrain. While the morning hunt was through bright, dry, woody and scrub covered country the area we were now hunting obviously didn’t get a lot of direct sunlight.

There were larger patches of bush grass, the ground itself was softer and some places even held a little ground water. There were also Bunya and Norfolk Pines mixed in with the Bloodwoods, with the Bunya branches covered in moss.

Staying in the shadows and occasionally crossing over an old vehicle track we came to what looked like a disused wallow. While still holding water the Deer tracks looked at least a week old, though a fresh dog print was present.

Earlier in the day we had met up with a neighbouring property owner and during our conversation he spoke of the wild dogs and their ill effects on the Deer and livestock population - so we decided to keep our eyes open. Though loaded with 165gr Barnes in .30-06 calibre I was possibly a little over gunned.

After checking out plenty of sign, the odd rub and a potential Deer bed we decided that while it was good Deer country today wasn’t our day. On the way back out we turned directly into the creek and rock hopped for about 500 metres.

In the creek we found sign that made us think Deer; rather than simply crossing the creek had been using it as a trail, so we took note and marked it down for future investigation.

Back at the car at 5pm we realised that we had been walking for around 8 hours and while we didn’t end up with any more meat for the freezer we were certainly happy for the day in the field and the chance to stalk a Stag.