When thing go wrong.

Robbo · When thing go wrong.

My hunting mate and I do a couple of packin trips a year. We decided to walkin last Thursday for four days. Leading up to the trip we had spoke of the light gathering qualities of some scopes and sitting on trails etc until dusk. We slept by the car on the Wednesday night for an early start next morning, quick breakfast and on our way. The weather was overcast and not looking good. We arrived at our site hunted around collected bits of our stash and got a camp together. We decided to have a bit of lunch then go our seperate ways for the afternoon. I was looking through my day pack checking all was in order and my mate said he would do the same. Oh, he says, I forgot my head light, no worries take my spare, on old Maglite. So about 12.30 we take off,before we left he said no need to hurry back sit out till dark and come home via the track with the torch. Now I'm not as young as I used to be, so for me it was a hunt around camp maybe a half circle of about a klm checking the usual spots a couple of wallows scrapes etc. About 4 pm I'm stuffed and it starts to drizzle,no rain coat and not many clothes, I beat a path for the tent arriving about 4.30pm. Put the kettle on for a coffee and change clothes,by now its pouring and I'm thinking the mates late. Just on dusk I'm starting to think we should have brought the hand held radios along,they're not that heavy,then I'd know where he was. Over the next 20 minutes I'm stating to think the worst, then a shot. I think to myself ,ah he's been sitting on a wallow or trail waiting for a stag to come down. On these trips it's stags only. It didn't sound far away, he'll be back soon. Another 15 minutes or so and I'm thinking shit he is slow coming back, then another shot. He must have wounded it and that was the finishing shot and it is very close, I grab the rifle just in case it is still going, and I might need to finish it off, by now it is bdooly dark. Then in the darkness I see a fading light moving around the flat like a pointer on it's quarry. Shit it must still be going and he is tracking it, I daren't yell or turn my light on in case I spook the deer and we loose it. By now pitch black and pouring rain. I can't wait any longer ,so I yell did you get it,no response so I turn on my light yelling all the time did you get it the fading torch moves toward me and the globe blows. Well I say, did you hit it. Hit what, I've been lost for 2 hours, the shots were to attract my attention. They didn't! I had assummed something else given our earlier discussion. He was almost about to give up trying to find camp, he was disoriented had crossed the river but couldn't remember. He had gone through his pack no thermal blanket nothing to start a fire let alone in the rain, no rain coat. the night was very cold he was saturated and I doubt he would have made it through the night. On reflection he agreed he had become to cocky and he couldn't get lost. He was out today buying a box of thermal blankets, torches etc.
We have been hunting together for twenty years and I guess the moral to the story, be prepared you never know when you will get a turn.

Printed else where in Australia.

mayfly

One very lucky chap, could have gone another way only for ya goin to look for him.

sarge

Keep telling myself theres no such thing as being lost. Just taking a route thats not planned! Getting lost in australia might be a bit different than getting lost here in England. Never very far from people here, even on the middle of Dartmoor. Your mate was very lucky.