Made a last minute decision saturday night to go for a hunt sparrows fart sunday morning, rang the farmer got the thumbs up and she was all go, no time to organize mates i headed out alone!!

My goat spots been quite for a while now but got the heads up from the farmer a couple of weeks back saying  that they were back, keen to get some more meat in the freezer for me curries i was keen to nail one..

Arrived at 7.00am and the fog had closed in big time and no wind, was far from ideal for spotting a few goats..

I walked up in the thick fog to the bushline and followed the fence line down to where i knew they had been crossing over, i sat  undercover in the manuka waiting for about an hour with no sign of them, you can normally hear them making there way outa the bush and into the clearings in the morning to soak up the sun and grab a feed..

Fog was keeping them at bay and wasn't looking like it was gona lift, so pissed off i made my way back up the ridge to shoot me some turkeys, as i reached the top of the ridge it suddenly began to clear and the sun poked its nose through.

Now out in the open i looked back to where id come from and right on que out came the goats.

I ducked for cover and moved back inside the bushline, these guys been shot at a fair bit and are a bit weary.

A mob of about 7 goats were standing round a single gorse bush feeding on it  like baby calfs, above them i scoped a single white nanny with its kid moving up a slip track around 500 meters away.

To get to them i had to drop down a steep gully cross the creek and make my way up through the bush to get to them, i took a compass bearing on the white nanny so i knew where to head once i got down into the native.

Reaching the other side and breaking outa the native there was no sign of the larger mob, i thought i musta spooked them, i had two paradise ducks above me telling every bloody living thing my position, i focused on where id seen the nanny and pushed up a steep hill and through some scrub, my breathing was outa control, i was just about to give up and thought to myself if shes close shes gona hear me breathing , couple more steps forward round a manuka tree and some gorse and there she was with her back to me and the kid beside her, 20 meters away.

Kid looked old enuff to fend for himself so i decided to take her, the kid was onto me stairing straight at me, F### hes gona blow it, i closed the bolt and put the crosshairs on the back of her head, i was above her, got my breathing under control and unleashed the 22-250, BOOMMM the shot rang out, she dropped on the spot, stone cold dead!!

I gutted her and carried her back to the car, managed a couple of quick lie downs along the way just to get the breathing under control ..

Choice day, cool way to end the weekend!!

Curry time!!

snapper14 wrote:   Good on ya for getting out and amongst it tugboat! Can't beat a good curry. I think there was a good goat recipie in the back of an NZ Hunter mag a couple of months back too if you are looking for some variety

I do a mean curry bud, im famous for em!!

Bushpig wrote: Nice one Tug. I went for one last Pheasant hunt on Saturday, flushed a couple and a covey of quail. Wicked weather for a walk even if I didn't get a result.  Looks like you did a lot better than me, well done. Looks like it was a fair walk as well

Yeah was a good walk alright bushy, put a gun in my hand and i dont mind walking though aye bud, good just getting out there and doing it.

Skidder wrote: Well done Tug....there are easier ways to get a goat...you walked some miles

Normally not that hard where i go skidder but it has been for a while, although it is only a 45min drive from my place in west auckland, mate if you got easy goat spots you wana share feel free to pm me, im keen to fill me freezer wif em.