STAG PARTY

FEATURE Odin Hubner

Chris and I were buzzing with excitement as we prepared for our upcoming four-day guided red hunt with Aaron Grant. Weeks of anticipation had built up, and we were eager to hit the road from Newcastle to Brisbane, ready to immerse ourselves in the thrill of the hunt. Due to work commitments, we couldn't start our journey until 6.00pm. In my eagerness, I managed to forget a crucial item, which added an unexpected three hours to our trip once I realised the oversight. Despite this setback, our spirits remained high, fuelled by the promise of adventure and the experiences that awaited us.

During the long drive, Chris and I had to decide who would be the first shooter on this hunt. It was agreed that I would take the first shot, influenced by my status as the prevailing bridesmaid, having obtained a sambar with 28-inch antlers in the Alpine National Park in 2023, only to be outdone at the ADA Hunter Valley annual awards by Chris, who secured one with 29 inch antlers.

Arriving the following afternoon, Chris and I joined Aaron, Bert, and James (affectionately known as Cactus) at camp. Aaron had already spotted a promising 12-point stag earlier in the day, positioned in the western front of the property. This majestic creature was about 2km away as the crow flies, but reaching it required navigating through winding valleys while keeping the wind in mind. We circled around several groups of hinds to get back to a vantage point where the stag was last seen. Alas, upon arrival, the stag had vanished, replaced by a smaller 8-point stag. We retraced our steps back to camp and decided to drive to the northern end of the property to explore a few gullies.

Upon arrival, we encountered a robust 10-point stag with a striking blond hide, surrounded by about 20 hinds. We managed to stalk within 50m of his location. As we approached, he was roaring at a satellite 9-point stag encroaching on his territory. A third, smaller 6-point stag watched the spectacle from a distance. The rolling hills made it difficult to see the target stag without cresting the current hill we were on a little further. As we moved, a hind spotted us, locking onto our position. We froze, listening to the reds roaring at each other. After a few minutes, the hind bolted, taking the stag and the other hinds to the opposing hill face, which we were able to glass onto once we crested the current hill. They were now at a distance of around 280m. Not being an experienced shooter, I hesitated to take a shot at this range with my .308, as my local range only extends to 180m. As we were planning our next approach, the satellite 9-point stag encroached on the target stag and they exchanged blows. We were able to film this entire sequence with the target stag emerging victorious.

The satellite stag was now coming towards our direction with the target stag going in the opposite direction. I was the designated first shooter but decided to let the satellite stag go in pursuit of the other. I offered Chris the opportunity to take the shot, and he obliged, firing a 130-grain projectile from his .270 at a distance of 100m. It was a broadside shot that took out the vitals and both shoulders. The target stag ran over the ridge with his hinds, heading in the direction of our vehicle. As the sun began to set, we snapped a few photos. Aaron and I left Chris with his stag while we went to retrieve the vehicle, half hoping to encounter the stag I was after. Not far from the vehicle, we spotted the target stag at 180m. Unfortunately, the sun had set, making it unsafe to take the shot. We spooked the group further into the property. After harvesting Chris' stag and returning to camp, spirits were high, having nearly secured two stags on the first afternoon of our four-day hunt! We gathered around the fire, recounting the day's adventure while listening to the reds roar around us.

We awoke before sunrise to the sound of reds kicking off once more. Our plan was to return to the gullies on the north side of the property with the hope of finding the target stag. As we traversed hills above a creek system, we spotted a stag staring up at us from a few hundred metres below. We dropped into the grass, catching only a brief glimpse of him before he went down along the creek bed.

We stalked in, using the landscape to conceal our approach. As we contoured around a hill, we saw a fair amount of hinds (15-20) being held in the creek bed at around 80m. They were alert and looking in our direction. I set up with a shooting tripod, trying to locate the stag. The deer sensed something was amiss and bolted up the creek bed to the opposing hill face. While glassing the various hinds we spotted a glimpse of the stag walking amongst the trees. He paused between two trees and behind a cross branch, I could only see the stag's broadside vitals. He ranged at 200m, a distance my .308 should handle with precision. I would have to thread the needle to make this shot, but considering the vital area was the only thing showing, I would either nail him or hit a tree. I took the shot, and the stag ran towards us, heading back to the creek. Aaron assured me the shot looked and sounded good, though I wasn’t confident due to my limited vision. Upon reaching the creek, we found the stag had only made it 40m from the shot location. The 150-grain Remington Core-Lokt had taken out both lungs and exited the opposite side.

This was the furthest shot I had taken on an animal, and I was beyond ecstatic. The stag was an old 10-point brute, showing signs of wear and looking a little mangy in the back end in the final stages of the roar. While breaking him down, we discovered a puncture wound in his rump and bruised backstraps from fighting. His bottom teeth were worn flat, with low set coronets. He wasn’t the target stag, but his character made up for what he lacked in size. Aaron guided me through the process of skinning out a deer to make a rug and taught me the ‘no gut tenderloin method, which I had never managed successfully before.

We returned to camp by 10:00am for breakfast, just as the rain set in. It continued heavily throughout the day, not letting up by the time we went to bed.

The next morning greeted us with more roaring and rain, though both were beginning to ease. Aaron was eager to get me back onto the blond stag I had initially stalked on the first day, so we set out on foot due to the roads being too wet to drive. We encountered several mobs of hinds and a few held by younger stags. We also saw younger stags starting to bachelor back together. Eventually, we found a promising 11-point stag, as the blond stag seemed to have left the area. We played cat and mouse with this stag for some hours from valley to valley, avoiding multiple things which would ruin the stalk. We had a satellite stag come into one valley roaring, multiple cattle, kangaroos, birds, and random pairs of red hinds hiding in long grass. Several times we considered setting up for a shot, but nothing aligned, and we continued creeping from valley to valley.

After navigating the backside of a valley through shoulder-high grassy shrubs to avoid detection, we thought we had lost him. We spent time glassing the next valley when Chris spotted a single tree branch moving near a creek system. Watching through binoculars, it was clear a stag was thrashing the branch. This creek was in the direction of the last place we saw the 5x6. As we moved along the creek, we spotted the stag at 260m. I wanted to get closer, but as we moved in, we spooked a group of eight hinds bedded in the grass, which alerted our stag. He moved his hinds further away. We managed to reposition further down the creek when he presented a shot at 160m. I aimed at his shoulder but shot high and missed. The stag bolted up the hill another 40m and stopped, presenting a broadside shot. He seemed to be unsure of where the shot direction had come from. I moved 3m to my right to get a better shooting window at his new location. I chambered another round and aimed at his shoulder again. I paused and tried to slow my breathing, not wanting to rush the shot and miss again. As I did this, the stag looked up the hill away from our direction and began to turn and walk. I squeezed the trigger, and he dropped on the spot. Due to his elevation, the bullet entered his right shoulder on an upward angle into his spine. We ranged the distance to be another 200m shot.

Thanks to the hands-on training from the previous day, Chris and I skinned the stag to make another rug and harvested the meat, including the tenderloins via the no gut method, while Aaron left to retrieve the vehicle, as the area had dried out enough to drive.

By noon we were back at camp for a late breakfast, complemented by freshly harvested venison heart. We spent the rest of the day and afternoon processing the three deer we had harvested. On day one, Bert had ingeniously crafted the best bush meat safe I had ever seen, using a gazebo fully enclosed with an internal fly net cover to store all the harvested game. However, due to high humidity and rain, we decided to forgo ageing time to prevent spoilage.

Our last half-day of hunting arrived, marking the end of an exhilarating adventure. While Chris’s story isn’t mine to tell, I can share that he secured the blond stag I had hoped to acquire since our first morning. We all had a good laugh at the fact that I’ll forever be the bridesmaid to Chris. However, if being his bridesmaid means I can continue producing high-quality animals, I'm happy to keep it this way. After all, if it’s not broken, don't fix it.

This successful hunt resulted in Chris obtaining the two stags we had watched fighting on the first day. Both stags are going to be shoulder-mounted, and remarkably they were shot within 300m of each other.

Reflecting on the experience, Chris and I are immensely grateful to Aaron, Bert and Cactus for their guidance and expertise. The hunt was not just about the thrill of the chase but also about the camaraderie and the invaluable lessons learned in all the hours spent talking with each other over the four days. We returned home with memories that would last a lifetime, eager for the next adventure. If you’re interested in viewing any more photos of this hunt or the videos of each shot taken, follow the ADA Hunter Valley Branch Facebook page. If you would like to contact Aaron to experience one of his guided hunts, he can be reached at aaron.grant.sharyn@bigpond.com.

In the end, while Chris took home the stag, I've got the perfect excuse to keep chasing my 'best man' title!