The gift of knowledge passed down - by Stephen Tilley

The skills of a hunter who knows his prey well can take a lifetime of hunting to acquire, so when my two young boys Jacob and Luke asked to become hunters like their father, it gave me great pleasure to be able to do so.

I am eager to teach my sons what I have learned from more than 28 years of hunting. Like most children their age, Jacob and Luke like computer games and it is through the hunting games that they understand the importance of wind direction, camouflage and equipment, as well as the requirement of game licences and game tags. But they were about to find out that nothing compares to the real thing.

First came the study for the shooters licence and then the Waterfowl Identification Test (WIT). Then the game licence and authority to hunt were obtained. Having a father with an assortment of firearms made it easier for them to get out to practise shooting and get used to recoil and bullet placement.

The start of the duck season came and saw both Jacob and Luke out shooting with success in achieving their bag each time we ventured out. It wasn’t that far into duck season when the boys asked about hog deer season which was fast approaching. They wanted to go out with me for pre-season searching for animals and learning about their habits, their likes and dislikes about food, water, location and weather preferences such as the sun, wind and rain.

Mid-March found us out and about scouting. I was full of pride as my boys eagerly listened and hung on to every word. I showed them everything from game trails, rub trees, bedding pads, feeding lanes and watering spots. I taught them how to tell if a track was fresh or not. We even saw a few deer, which made them keener to watch and listen.

I explained that to be successful you had to use the environment around you and to plan and adapt to changes, such as masking your own scent with the foliage in the area in case the wind changes direction on you. The boys learnt about not spooking other animals such as birds, foxes, kangaroos, emus and even domestic stock such as cattle and sheep, which can give your location away as you approach your game. If you move too fast and don’t use the lie of land to help conceal you and your movements, the hunt is over before you start.

April and the hunt is on
I tossed a coin to see which of my sons was to hunt with me first. Heads up saw Jacob with me and Luke staying home with his mum for the weekend. One junior on a hunt at a time is enough, because of the noise, movement and scent.

Jacob was amazed at the stealth needed and how we moved among kangaroos, foxes and livestock. At times, we were only five yards from them, but we remained undetected. He also learnt how good an emu’s eyesight is and how they can detect movement from a great distance away, even with all of our camo gear on from head to toe. We constantly checked wind direction with a powder puffer, as scent can give you away and if an animal spooks and runs, so will anything else in the area.

It wasn’t long before we approached an area where I knew our chances would be good at this time of day. We approached a small opening and I spotted a hind. We then went into a crouching position and scanned with binoculars to see if there were any other animals present and there he was on the opposite side to the hind. He had a dark golden and very nice solid body. He lifted his head up - he would later measure 12.5" - and I knew that he was the one for Jacob. I indicated to Jacob to take the shot with my .300WSM Tikka rather than the Tikka .243 that he was carrying. He changed guns, although a little reluctant of the recoil.

At this stage, Jacob had not yet seen the stag’s antlers because it was feeding. Jacob put the .300WSM up and had a look through the Leupold 4-12 scope. I remember the look on his face as he brought the gun down and turned to me and whispered “He’s huge!” This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen; now he was looking at the antlers and I knew that buck fever would set in, being so close to the deer. I said, “Yes, he’s not bad. Take the shot when he moves side-on.”

I watched through my Leupold binoculars. The shot rang out and we saw the stag stumble and fall into the surrounding scrub. I turned to Jacob and said, “You got him, son.” As we approached the stag the smile on Jacob’s face went from ear to ear. “Thanks, Dad!” he exclaimed. We then tagged the stag and took a heap of trophy photos.

We rang Mum and Luke to tell them the news and then it was time for the hard work of field dressing and off to the checking station. After checking his deer and taking all the measurements, it was time to cape out the stag and take care of the meat by hanging it in a cool room.

We slept well that night after a late dinner and a few drinks with the property owner. Jacob told him all about the hunt, step by step. The next thing it was cracking dawn and we were out and about again. We detected movement in the distance near some ’roos and spotted a spiky and hind, but as we closed the distance, they vanished into thin air.

As we made our way back for some lunch our luck changed and a hind presented herself. With her side-on, Jacob took the shot with the .243. She reared up and vanished into the nearby surrounding thicket. I looked at Jacob and said, “She won’t go far, but we will wait for a while before following her up.” I explained that rather than chase in after her and have the adrenalin keep her going and risk losing her in the thicket, that shock and time would help us. I asked him to replay the shot in his head and tell me where she was hit. “In the front shoulders,” he answered. After a couple of minutes, which really seemed like two hours to Jacob, we walked into where she disappeared and there she was.

It was all smiles for the pictures and more work ahead of us. A sense of pride came over me that I now had an heir to follow in my footsteps as a hunter.

Arriving back home and watching Luke hang onto every detail that Jacob relayed about the weekend of hunting made me eager to do it again. The next few days took a turn for the worse as the weather became colder and wet. I explained once again to Luke and Jacob that little hog deer don’t like the wind and rain, but love the warmth of the sun and the stillness and quiet, so they can hear any movement that might mean danger.

Friday came and there was no change in the weather at all, so we called to confirm the weather at our hunting area. They reported pouring rain and wind. Luke’s face became long as I explained to him that it was a waste of time to go while the weather was bad and that he might have to wait until next week if the weather didn’t improve.

Saturday dawned and there was still no change in the weather, but by late afternoon things began to improve. We loaded up the 4WD and off we went to our hunting ground. By the time we arrived it was dark, late and raining again, so it wasn’t looking good at all.

Dawn came all too fast, but we were dressed for the occasion. After eating breakfast we headed off hunting. While the wind and rain had abated, the day was overcast and cold. Every now and then the wind would pick up and change direction. This alerted some kangaroos of our presence and proved devastating for Luke. We tried to get to several different locations on the property that were sheltered areas and just might hold that stag or hind trying to keep warm after several days of cold wet weather. It was looking as though Luke was going to miss out.

Disheartened and cold, we were on our way back for an afternoon snack and a cuppa when a break in the weather came with a few patches of sun breaking through the clouds. It was at this stage that we spotted a small hind that didn’t look to be in young. Luke chambered a round, the .243 sounded and the hind dropped in her tracks as she fed. As Luke lowered the .243, a young spiky darted from the underbrush and paused to look at the hind. I said, “Quick, shoot him too.” Luke didn’t need to be told twice. He chambered another round and the report was the sound of a good, hard hit. The spiky was hit with a Remington Core-Lokt 100-grain projectile. He took four steps and was out for the count.

Luke’s hog deer season was over with two deer in two shots in less than two minutes. Not many hunters could lay claim to that, especially at only 12 years of age and in his first ever hog deer season. Persistence, patience and a good amount of luck had prevailed.

But now the hard work was to begin for Luke. After I got the smile off his face, he tagged his deer and took some happy snaps. Then the deer were field-dressed and taken to the checking station. At the station the deer were weighed, measured and dejawed and more photos were taken.

Arriving home, I couldn’t help feeling proud of both of my boys as they swapped details of their hunts and told their mum all the fine details of what happened and how we did it that way because of wind, rain and the surroundings. My wife looked at me and gave me a wink and said, “Now I have three hunters in the family.”

The next few months saw the boys and me preparing and eating our venison. The hunts were relived time and time again as each told their story to mates and family members who were invited for a meal of their prized venison. Both boys can now be heard asking to go for a hunt or a practice shot.

I would like to thank other people behind the story for allowing my sons and I to take part in the hunting season and allowing me to turn my boys into avid hunters.