waksupi
03-26-2012, 10:00 AM
A while back, I mentioned a friend of mine was heading to New Zealand to try for a world record stag with his flinter. He came close! Here is a short write up from Gene.
I have just returned from an exciting adventure in the great southwest! Way south and a whole bunch west, I was hunting red stag in the south island of New Zealand!! I was invited on a free hunt to try and get the largest red stag ever taken with a flintlock rifle. I didn't break the world record, but will end up in second place with a score of 301 SCI points. The current record is 308 taken with a scoped, in-line, new-fangled sort of contraption muzzleloader. It was hotly contested due to being shot just outside the high fence of a red deer game park, in an area which holds no free ranging red deer!! Our stag was shot 400 miles from the high fence area. My rifle was a 10 bore, .79 caliber Jaeger flintlock, built by me. The hunt was very exciting, I saw at least 16 stags, roaring, in the beginning of the rut. We found our quarry late in the evening of the first day afield. He was in a huge basin with three draws and 7 other stags roaring. From a mile and a half away we could see he was huge and worthy of further investigation. Dawn the following morning found him in the same area. We honed in on his location by following the roaring and grunting. First sighting was 223 yds, too far. Next we drew him in by roaring to 109 yds. All he would show was his antlers and face. We followed higher searching for his sign. Gus the guide saw him in his bed at 75 yds! Unbelievable. I sneaked up to get the barrel through the brush, cocked, set, front sight, squeeze! Gone over the saddle before I could get the shot off. Upward and onward, trying to second guess his escape. He was following two hinds (females) all morning, we searched for sign. Another half mile I was sneaking around the face of a ridge when I saw two hinds running, where was he? I searched frantically! I remembered, he was behind them, I scanned back along the face. There he was, silhouetted against a large boulder, Gus whispered "120 yds", yes! Rifle up, cock, set, front sight, smoke. Gus exuberant, all I could see was smoke, is he down?? You drilled him! Needless to say the New Zealand high country erupted with war cries that shook the hills. Another stag exited over the saddle at the excitement!
Pictures tell the rest. The whole hunt was filmed by a professional, video to follow. Number two in the world, Red stag. 120 yds., offhand, 10 bore flintlock. It is a great day for our cause, those new fangled cartridge guns are a passin' fad. They'll never catch on!
Keep yer powder dry and watch yer top knot!
Gene
Gene Gordner
Master Gunsmith
Kilimanjaro Rifles
I have just returned from an exciting adventure in the great southwest! Way south and a whole bunch west, I was hunting red stag in the south island of New Zealand!! I was invited on a free hunt to try and get the largest red stag ever taken with a flintlock rifle. I didn't break the world record, but will end up in second place with a score of 301 SCI points. The current record is 308 taken with a scoped, in-line, new-fangled sort of contraption muzzleloader. It was hotly contested due to being shot just outside the high fence of a red deer game park, in an area which holds no free ranging red deer!! Our stag was shot 400 miles from the high fence area. My rifle was a 10 bore, .79 caliber Jaeger flintlock, built by me. The hunt was very exciting, I saw at least 16 stags, roaring, in the beginning of the rut. We found our quarry late in the evening of the first day afield. He was in a huge basin with three draws and 7 other stags roaring. From a mile and a half away we could see he was huge and worthy of further investigation. Dawn the following morning found him in the same area. We honed in on his location by following the roaring and grunting. First sighting was 223 yds, too far. Next we drew him in by roaring to 109 yds. All he would show was his antlers and face. We followed higher searching for his sign. Gus the guide saw him in his bed at 75 yds! Unbelievable. I sneaked up to get the barrel through the brush, cocked, set, front sight, squeeze! Gone over the saddle before I could get the shot off. Upward and onward, trying to second guess his escape. He was following two hinds (females) all morning, we searched for sign. Another half mile I was sneaking around the face of a ridge when I saw two hinds running, where was he? I searched frantically! I remembered, he was behind them, I scanned back along the face. There he was, silhouetted against a large boulder, Gus whispered "120 yds", yes! Rifle up, cock, set, front sight, smoke. Gus exuberant, all I could see was smoke, is he down?? You drilled him! Needless to say the New Zealand high country erupted with war cries that shook the hills. Another stag exited over the saddle at the excitement!
Pictures tell the rest. The whole hunt was filmed by a professional, video to follow. Number two in the world, Red stag. 120 yds., offhand, 10 bore flintlock. It is a great day for our cause, those new fangled cartridge guns are a passin' fad. They'll never catch on!
Keep yer powder dry and watch yer top knot!
Gene
Gene Gordner
Master Gunsmith
Kilimanjaro Rifles