My younger son (Tom) and I started a tradition last year when we hunted Cape York for Bulls and Boars. This year we went to Niall Station with Dan Smith (Master Bowhunter) to hunt our first Chital Deer.
Tom (32) is the younger of my 2 boys and we enjoy participating in the monthly shoot at the Big Game Rifle Club at SSAA Belmont. On the Saturday before we drove to Townsville to begin this adventure, Tom won the Group 1 match with his 338WM, a Sako Model 75, that is his favourite and that he chose to hunt and shoot his first ever deer, of any species. The rifle has recently had the plastic factory stock replaced with a beautiful piece of American Walnut and altough it is a lot of gun for Chital, it is the rifle that Tom is most confident to shoot. I shot my first trophy Red deer on Tom’s 10th birthday, but until this trip I had never had an opportunity to hunt Chital Deer. I was taking my MkV Weatherby in 240WBY, with McMillan Edge stock, loaded with 95gr Hornady SSTs. And I took along my new Bergara single shot in 45-70 to blood it on pigs if the opportunity presented itself.
After work on Wednesday 28th SEP 2022 Tom and I drove the Amarok from Brisbane, through the night, arriving in Townsville at 09:00 on Thursday. Because we had time and I had never been there, we caught the ferry over to Magnetic Island, had a beer and lunch at the Horseshoe Bay Hotel and then walked the 4+ kilometre track to see the forts and gun emplacements that were built during WWII. Tom cunningly devised this test of my new hip (4 months old) to see if I could walk a reasonable distance and check whether he would be carrying me at any time during our hunt (LOL). I was happy to wake up on Friday with no pain and ready and rearing to go.
At 10:00 we arrived at Dan and Helen Smith’s home on the western outskirts of Townsville to sign the necessary paperwork and admire Dan and Helen’s numerous (massive) bowhunting trophies throughout their home. The formalities out of the way, we followed Dan for the 2-hour trip out to Niall Station (Helen was scheduled to come out on Sunday).
We quickly moved our gear into our allocated rooms and Dan suggested we go for a drive in the buggy to get the lay of the property. We had just driven out of the house yard heading south towards the neighbouring Maryvale Station when I spotted a stag and 2 hinds under a tree maybe 100m from the road. They stood up and started walking slowly west towards some high weeds in the gut between 2 minor hills. Dan had a look through his Leica’s and pronounced it a shooter. Tom was first up and baled out with his 338WM, took a quick rest and pronounced the 180m shot good. The stag hunched and ran up the hill beside the main homestead, stopped and looked our way, and turned away from us with his wobbly boots on. A short search and Tom’s first ever deer of any species was found expired – setting the record for the fastest hunt guided by Dan Smith, and prior to the hunt formally commencing. It turned out to be a beautifully formed 28.5” model that any hunter would be proud to put on the wall. The stag was quartering away when the 225gr North Fork entered behind the ribs on the right-hand side and exited through the left shoulder. The carcass was taken back to camp and hung on a new pulley system devised by Dan. While skinning and butchering the deer, Chris arrived, a Bowhunting mate of Dan’s who was to be Dan’s assistant during our stay and was surprised to see a stag already on the ground. We enjoyed a celebratory nip of a very nice 25YO Scotch and informed Tom of the hunter’s tradition to eat the testicles of his first stag (he wasn't convinced).
Dan used a knife made by a mate of mine, the scales made from the off-cuts of the American Walnut used in the stock of his 338WM, to skin the stag. The head was fully prepared and the skin clean and salted for us to take with us at the end of the hunt.
I'll tell the rest of this story as I get time - next installment will be Day 1 of our 4-Day hunt.
Tom (32) is the younger of my 2 boys and we enjoy participating in the monthly shoot at the Big Game Rifle Club at SSAA Belmont. On the Saturday before we drove to Townsville to begin this adventure, Tom won the Group 1 match with his 338WM, a Sako Model 75, that is his favourite and that he chose to hunt and shoot his first ever deer, of any species. The rifle has recently had the plastic factory stock replaced with a beautiful piece of American Walnut and altough it is a lot of gun for Chital, it is the rifle that Tom is most confident to shoot. I shot my first trophy Red deer on Tom’s 10th birthday, but until this trip I had never had an opportunity to hunt Chital Deer. I was taking my MkV Weatherby in 240WBY, with McMillan Edge stock, loaded with 95gr Hornady SSTs. And I took along my new Bergara single shot in 45-70 to blood it on pigs if the opportunity presented itself.
After work on Wednesday 28th SEP 2022 Tom and I drove the Amarok from Brisbane, through the night, arriving in Townsville at 09:00 on Thursday. Because we had time and I had never been there, we caught the ferry over to Magnetic Island, had a beer and lunch at the Horseshoe Bay Hotel and then walked the 4+ kilometre track to see the forts and gun emplacements that were built during WWII. Tom cunningly devised this test of my new hip (4 months old) to see if I could walk a reasonable distance and check whether he would be carrying me at any time during our hunt (LOL). I was happy to wake up on Friday with no pain and ready and rearing to go.
At 10:00 we arrived at Dan and Helen Smith’s home on the western outskirts of Townsville to sign the necessary paperwork and admire Dan and Helen’s numerous (massive) bowhunting trophies throughout their home. The formalities out of the way, we followed Dan for the 2-hour trip out to Niall Station (Helen was scheduled to come out on Sunday).
We quickly moved our gear into our allocated rooms and Dan suggested we go for a drive in the buggy to get the lay of the property. We had just driven out of the house yard heading south towards the neighbouring Maryvale Station when I spotted a stag and 2 hinds under a tree maybe 100m from the road. They stood up and started walking slowly west towards some high weeds in the gut between 2 minor hills. Dan had a look through his Leica’s and pronounced it a shooter. Tom was first up and baled out with his 338WM, took a quick rest and pronounced the 180m shot good. The stag hunched and ran up the hill beside the main homestead, stopped and looked our way, and turned away from us with his wobbly boots on. A short search and Tom’s first ever deer of any species was found expired – setting the record for the fastest hunt guided by Dan Smith, and prior to the hunt formally commencing. It turned out to be a beautifully formed 28.5” model that any hunter would be proud to put on the wall. The stag was quartering away when the 225gr North Fork entered behind the ribs on the right-hand side and exited through the left shoulder. The carcass was taken back to camp and hung on a new pulley system devised by Dan. While skinning and butchering the deer, Chris arrived, a Bowhunting mate of Dan’s who was to be Dan’s assistant during our stay and was surprised to see a stag already on the ground. We enjoyed a celebratory nip of a very nice 25YO Scotch and informed Tom of the hunter’s tradition to eat the testicles of his first stag (he wasn't convinced).
Dan used a knife made by a mate of mine, the scales made from the off-cuts of the American Walnut used in the stock of his 338WM, to skin the stag. The head was fully prepared and the skin clean and salted for us to take with us at the end of the hunt.
I'll tell the rest of this story as I get time - next installment will be Day 1 of our 4-Day hunt.
Last edited:
