The productive Roar of ’24
No trophy but Joseph Nugent did some good work
Like the majority of red deer hunters my preparation for the 2024 season started well before any roars were to be heard echoing through the hills. Lessons learnt from seasons past allowed my father and I to carefully invest our time into strategically improving our property with the aim of making it more attractive to deer. This generally involved maintaining and enlarging the tracks and meadows we’ve purposely littered throughout the otherwise overgrown and lantana-choked landscape of our block, along with monitoring a number of trail cameras positioned over potentially high traffic spots and areas of particular interest.
During this time we also took the opportunity to speak to the owners of neighbouring properties in order to confirm boundaries and, where applicable, reaffirm our pre-existing hunting access. Often our neighbours would provide a valuable perspective into the area’s deer activities. Many of them live there permanently and provide information and share experiences which help inform our understanding of deer numbers and movements.
After several scouting trips checking trail cameras and walking areas which have historically been very productive, we’d actually seen very few animals and limited sign. There’d been no change in hunting pressure in recent years, it just seemed the deer were simply concentrated somewhere else this year. Undeterred, we ventured to the property towards the end of March for a quick overnight hunt.
The goal was to find a suitable animal to fill the freezer before the roar really kicked off and thankfully luck was on our side. On the first afternoon as I was exiting a thick section of lantana alongside a creek line, I happened to disturb a group of three with a six-point stag, a doe and a yearling. With fresh venison the goal I naturally selected the yearling and, with the freezer now full and pressure off, the rest of the roar could be spent being selective in pursuit of a true trophy-class stag.
In search of stags
With temperatures unusually high this year, we delayed our main hunt until mid-April to allow the rut to reach full swing. We’d timed it well as throughout the first night and into the morning we could hear stags roaring in every direction. During the next two days, dad and I employed a variety of tactics by hunting together and alone, in stands and actively stalking. We both had several close encounters though neither of us fired a shot. Often the stags we saw were too immature, most being six or eight-pointers with nice symmetrical antlers and plenty of trophy potential if left for another few years.
On some occasions our efforts were undone before the stalk had truly begun. Due to a combination of being spotted by satellite does, busted by a slight shift in wind or simply outsmarted by a crafty old-timer there were several very vocal stags we never laid eyes on. It’s a fact of hunting that it’s the ‘one that got away’ which entices us back for more, though overall it was a great trip.
During this time we noticed the neighbouring cattle property had conducted an extensive poisoning operation in preparation to clear a large section of their property and in doing so had killed a significant number of gum trees. One of the consequences was many resident koalas needed to relocate to other properties with suitable habitat and ours became a safe haven for them.
Last chance
Fast-forward to the last weekend in April and the roar was drawing to a close, as was my chance of a trophy stag. By now the roaring had dropped off to a few distant moans in the early hours. With previous experiences in mind, first thing in the morning we set off towards one of our neighbouring properties, a hotspot for rutting activity on our earlier trip. Although there was no roaring that morning, we decided to traverse the full length of the ridge system from boundary to boundary, hoping to spot something on the flats below or bump a stag among the timber.
It wasn’t long before we spotted our first group of deer, a young 4×3 stag and four does. Although the stag was far too young to shoot, it gave us a chance to stalk a little closer and have time to sit and watch the deer go about their business. Swirling winds eventually gave our position away as I felt a gentle breeze on my back and looked up to see one of the does intently peering our way. A few seconds passed before she sounded the alarm, prompting the group to trot off into the timber. Not wanting to unnecessarily pressure the group, we pushed to the top of the ridge and navigated around the trees they’d fled to.
After picking a point along the ridge to drop back down and continue along the valley, I caught the unmistakable sight of a deer’s rear end and through the foliage a set of thick dark antlers. At first glance it looked to be a quality stag but after some quick glassing I determined he was only 4×4. Genetically sound and showing signs of continued growth, this fellow would grow into a truly magnificent specimen in coming years.
Again this provided an opportunity to practice my stalking skills as he didn’t satisfy my ‘trophy’ criteria. I got to within 50m of him before I lost sight as he moved into the basin below. I continued moving slowly before some movement caught my eye and there he was emerging from the lantana and eyeballing me from 30m.
The basin suddenly erupted with movement as four does bolted across my front before crossing to the adjacent ridge face. In typical red deer fashion, all four and the stag stopped on the opposite face to look back at me. While it was an exciting interaction the morning was still young, so we decided to push on hoping for another opportunity.
We continued to work our way through the valley system until reaching the boundary fence where a quick glance revealed yet another group of deer, an eight-point stag holding nine does. Much like the last stag, this one also had thick dark antlers and was solid in the body. He’d an obvious aura of authority over his harem, keeping them tightly grouped together on the opposite ridge face. Occasionally he’d utter a quiet roar so I decided to call back. Although he’d promptly respond and the noise caught the attention of his does, they refused to move closer and, being over the fence, they were off limits anyway.
Unexpected howl
The morning was slipping away from us so we began to circle back round and head for camp. Having moved no more than 200m, we were surprised to hear a wild dog howl very close by across the creek line. After giving a brief howl in response we moved into a more concealed ambush position and waited for several minutes, noticing cattle in the adjoining paddock had mobbed up and become restless.
After several minutes with no more howls or sign of the dogs we decided to move on. As we approached the fence line I spotted a flash of brown followed by two darker shapes negotiating the bush about 200m away, a group of three wild dogs coming across the paddock. Dad and I quickly moved into position and used the wooden fence posts to steady our shots, a quick decoy howl resulting in the two lead dogs stopping to assess us.
The 130gr projectile from my .270 and 150gr Core-Lokt from dad’s .308 had the desired effect as the pair fell where they stood. The other dog bolted up the ridge line before aggressively howling in an attempt to draw its mates back. Mimicking the howls I successfully began to coax the dog closer as after about a minute the howls came closer, more urgent and challenging. By now I was lying prone under a tree using my bipod for a stable shooting platform, waiting for the dog to present itself. At 180m I spotted it atop of a rocky outcrop, howling back at me one last time as I sent a shot away to drop him too.
Upon inspection this group looked to be a breeding pack. The first two taken were mature females, the third and most vocal a very solid male weighing close to 25kg. Although wild dogs weren’t the target of our hunt, we take every opportunity to manage them as at that time of year in particular, mature breeding animals are a priority for removal.
This not only protects the agricultural interests of the property owner who was chuffed to hear the news (further solidifying our relationship and sealing future hunting access), it also preserves the koalas. Their sudden prevalence moving between properties made them extremely vulnerable and an easy target for predatory wild dogs.
I didn’t take my trophy stag this year but did enjoy some exciting close-up experiences with deer and removed some wild canine threats as well. So I’ll be back without doubt and hopefully the restraint I showed over the roar in allowing immature and promising stags to ‘live another day’ will translate into that trophy on the deck in 2025.