Awesome Finish

Day 6 was pretty much a wash. After two back to back 15 hour days we took the AM off. The afternoon was spent looking for a big fallow buck. The fallow deer are in the peak of their rut (same as the red deer). They are loud buggers -- my Kiwi guide Sam Coulter calls the buck's grunt-like mating sound a "burp" or "croak." The bucks hang on steep ridge faces in thick brush. But the "burping" can be heard from a long way off. We saw five or six bucks, but a real nice one wouldn't give us a shot staying deep in cover.

Early yesterday morning, day 7, found us on a ridge face deep in brush listening to several fallow bucks "croak." We had two bucks down the ridge and one across the creek below. It was tough going. You had to be quiet. We ran into several red deer hinds (females). Luckily, they spooked below us and away from the two bucks on our ridge. Sam decided we needed to work down to get below the bucks. Slowly, we made our way through the brush and along the steep hillside. It was tough. Climbing down a steep hill, full of dead timber and loose soil. All along the bucks kept up a chorous of "burps." They were running hot fallow does.

Finally we were able to get into position just below one buck. He kept running in circles chasing does and pushing off young, immature bucks. After about ten minutes he came down hard after a small buck, "croaking" right into my sight. I had only about a two foot opening to thread a shot. Henry, our cameraman, said he had him. No time to waste I took him through the right shoulder with the 300 win mag -- topped with a silencer. He dropped 50 feet down the hill. It was a great stalk.

Tomorrow I'll give you the low down on my 350 inch red stag -- my reward for seven hard days of hunting.