First Blood

[Von Gruff]

It was a 4am start to yesterday as I headed up to a favourite property in Central Otago for my usual two part hunt with rabbits in the low country and up high for goats with the added incentive that I hoped to blood my 6.5 GM on the goats. First up though was about 4 hours on the rabbit face and although there were 36 kills I only dressed out 28 to bring home. They are washed and soaked in salt water overnight before being free flow frozen for later use



Usually I get them in two's and three's but these 8 I got in one small patch. Always pleased with the performance of my 20 VarTarg.

[Von Gruff]

Then it was away up into the real hills to look for a goat or two and had to gain over 3500ft in elevation to get there. The rabbit hills are only just above the lake level in the back ground.

The track up to here is fairly tough in places with washouts and is very steep in places with much of it being in the 1-2 mile mph speeds. A couple of places it may take a try or two to get past but I did and got round to the far side of a big basin I usually hunt.
There were three or four little mobs of about 6-10 animals and with winds about to 20-30 mph it made for a miss or two especially when shooting over a gully where the wind direction changed between me and the goats. I got 4 from 187 yds out to 225 but couldn't recover any of them with one cartwheeling away downhill for at least 75yds and droping into a mataghouri patch. It was hard getting a steady shot with the slopes requiring trying to hold onto various rocks with foot slipage making it more difficult to make accurate called shots. The wind was enough that it took my hat of a couple of times and the tussock was about lying flat with the gusts. I did climd down into where I thought one or two had dropped into but could't locate them so headed back out and over onto to a face into the wind as having the rifle supressed was confident any in that direction would not be disturbed. This turned out to be the case with and another 5 fell with one little group that was in a slightly more sheltered part of the face having 3 all in a 20 yd patch. This is them carried out which did take a bit but my hock straps allow two to be carried at once after the first climb out withthe rifle and one animal.


You can see the face I usually hunt on the right of the creek from about the visible rock and round the bluffs above the creek. where I am is on the far side of the at least 2000 yd basin that cant be got across because of the mataghouri chocked gullies.



This is the fourth and last animal I recovered and you can see the hock straps still in place. This allows the strap to go over a shoulder and the goat to hang under the arm something like a woman carrying a handbag - but a heck of a lot more practical

[Michael]

Well done sir. Beautiful hunting ground.

[Von Gruff]

This is a hock strap and I made a few that I carry on the hill. Simple strap with square D rings


This is mataghouri with the pic taken on an earlier trip. It gets head high at times

There is also quite a bit of what we call spaniard that catches the unwary and hurts like the devil when you walk into it.Often hides in the tussock where it is not as visable

[Von Gruff]

Recovered this from the liver of the single animal posted above. Fairly spectacular kills for the A Max

[LRRPF52]

That is some wild country sir. Nice pics with beautiful scenery. What you call Spaniards looks like Yucca Plant to me, which is indigenous to the Mojave Desert in the Western United States, and not fun to catch in your shins.

Did you get your 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook, by the way?

[Taylormade]

Very cool, looks like a ton of fun.

[Von Gruff]

That is some wild country sir. Nice pics with beautiful scenery. What you call Spaniards looks like Yucca Plant to me, which is indigenous to the Mojave Desert in the Western United States, and not fun to catch in your shins.

Did you get your 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook, by the way?

If it is the same plant you will know what I mean about the spikes and no, the handloading book hasn't turned up as yet. 10 days seems to be about the going rate to get something from your side of the pond.

[Variable]

Wow! Thanks for sharing Von Gruff! That is beautiful country. Challenging, but rewarding as you have proven with your pics!

[stokesrj]

We have the same plant, we call them spanish daggers or shin daggers, as a slang name. The Javalina (Collared Peccary) in Arizona like to get into them and eat the new shoots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collared_peccary
Bob

[12-99]

Very cool! Look forward to your posts in the future.

[eljefe]

Good show there,Von G
Looking at the country-Oh my aching knees!
Been years since I've been a flatlander and ...
So, the6.5 GrendelMax is all that it was planned to be. New perspective about hunting with silencers
Bon Appetit

[PA_Allen]

Excellent story and pictures. Looks like you worked hard!
Thanks for sharing.
Best,
PA

[sneaky one]

Von, nice scenery. Nice to see the G.M. get game.
How much do those goats weigh?

[Von Gruff]

Von,
How much do those goats weigh?

Depends how tired I am.

Actually the younger ones and the nannies that I target are not bad for weight with two gutted and headed being carryable at a time for short distances before rests are needed but that is as much the nature of the ground and my fitness level as anything. Probably in the 35-50lb region field dressed as I bring them out would be about average with the larger ones getting into the 75lb +

Am going to have a re think on the A Max as a bullet choice as there was quite a bit of wastage with bruising etc with both in and out being effected. It seems that as much as I would like to think the 4-500yd shots to be on the cards that the wind conditions that are often at play and the inability to get into steady and stable shooting positions, the longer range is just beyond most outings in this area so a different aproach to the bullet choice may be in order. May be why my 7x57 is so effective with the cast bullet or the core loct and the GS Custom bullet.
So light and fast or heavier and slower for the wind is one part of the decision and maybe even a conventional lead tip for slower opening expansion would not loose as much meat. The goat, while it is not a big animal dose have a certain toughness to it and a fringe shot will almost always fail to anchor the animal and may not even slow it down. Maybe the thread on the Barnes proposed bullet that LRRPF52 has iniated may bear some further thought ( http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...Projectile ) So some me serious thinking to do on that score but the rifle and GM case has really lived up to what I intended.

[sneaky one]

Hmmm, Von- I want to send you a small bunch of GMX's- say 95-105 gr.
How do I get around -or help from-the customs gang?
must be a way- help ? I only wish to help upon research ongoing across the planet-per continent, has to be a way. Has to be a shipping method-?
Those lil goats look to be tasty-roasted.
Way glad the GM is so bad boy awesome- as far as Ballistic' s are concerned.
We Badd----------- We're Nationwide, !

[Von Gruff]

As I have said before there is no problem with these coming into NZ and we have had a parcel of 20 cal's sent from your side of the pond before so I understood it was just comercial enterprises that had paperwork hassles to deal with. I would think a simple flat rate box as other toy related imports come to me would work and be okay paperwork wise.

[sneaky one]

I'll pm you tommorrow. sleep time now, tired from shoveling-snoblowing sno this aft.noon. Plus time spent working on Shorty.,=My new take on a .30 Grrr . =At least a replicant of the old idea.
Let me know your thoughts as to a shooter unit- that I could send along to you, that you could send thru the mountanous ranges there-to get game. I-bonds? etc. -zzzzz....