It all started at 5:30 am. I’m up and ready to get my first Stag. I slip my camo gear on. Dad makes sure the guns, camping gear and knife is packed into the ute. My dad, the neighbour and I head out at 6:00am to Ngaroma Road.

We start our journey by looking up and down the paddock, then the bush line. We carry on up the race. We are looking around to find where we are going to stay a couple of nights. 10 minutes later we find a clearing in the middle of the dense bush. I grab some gear and start to push through the dense bush.

Half an hour later, all of the gear is in the opening. We start to put up our tents.  Once we are finished we stay at camp for an hour or two to get prepared for the afternoon hunt. Let’s go, get that stag.

On our way out a few fallows run and jump though the blackberry.  We head up the hill to get a better view of the terrain and to have a look for any deer.

“There dad, I see something over there! Let’s go.”

We head down the hill, binos out, seeing if it’s the stag we want to get. “Darn just hinds, it’s alright just keep looking ok. Let’s head to the gully shall we?”

“OK Dad. I’ll sneak up ahead and look over in the gully. Bring me the binos I think I can hear a stag rubbing on the tree.”

“How many points son?”

“Ten pointer. There is big rack on him! I say.

“Do you what to shoot or me?” I ask dad.

“I will bud.”

Dad shoots.

“Are you serious you missed it! That thing was big.  Oh well we might see him later.”

We need to get some sleep for tomorrow so we decide to start our big walk back to camp.

The next morning we eat some breakfast before we are on our way to get a big stag.  Following on from yesterday’s tracks, we look over the edge of the gully. “There I think it’s the same one.  Dad, I think it’s my turn this time.”

Boom.

Sliding down the edge of the gully, I grab the deer and bring it back up – along with its blood and my sweat.

Its lunch by the time we get back to the ute. We lift the stag onto the back and go to start packing up camp.

After pulling down my tent and packing my clothes, I start my way through the dense bush and put my gear in the ute.

When we were all in the ute I said to my dad: “thank you for the stag I’d dreamed of.”

Have your kids got a great hunting or fishing story they’d love to see published? Send it and a photo to us at mail@rodandrifle.co.nz and we may just upload it here for everyone to read.