After taking 2 nice stags this year off new country I wanted to spend some time with the camera and start taking culls from the new areas if I was lucky enough to find one. I had identified a couple of culls that showed up on game camera but actually getting to hunt one is a totally different thing, they roam so far especially the young ones and often I never see them again after a quick wallow visit.
With a quiet roar I hit the bush and tried stalking a few in the dry stuff. I had mixed results mainly due to swirling wind but a few hunts went to plan where I managed to trail hinds for big distances which I hoped would yield a travelling stag.
I stuck with this plan and ended up deep in a thick scrubby system, I managed a few shots of the girls and then I heard some deep roars from the guts of the valley floor. In a short time the roars were closer and then like a bolt of lightning some bushes parted in front of me.
A mature hind trying to escape the stags testosterone charge met me face to face out of some wattle, we both were startled at the close contact and I would have paid anything to have a go pro on. The stag kept on her tail like nothing was a miss when I pulled him up with an OI. I tried to snap a pic at this stage but in a nut shell stuffed the filming and photo up.
The camera went down and the rifle went up, I shot him unaware and quartering away as he tried to get back on her tail. He went straight down without a kick and was a big boy to try and maneuver for a photo. He was a good cull and a cull that was actively breeding. He was a big bodied stag probably 4 years old with weak to no bey tines. His tops were also weak for the age. In saying that he will still have a spot in my trophy room as he gave a memorable hunt.
There is something about being that close to these majestic animals especially in the roar, its like a drug and when you catch them out. The look you get is priceless when you get discovered just meters from them. I hate culling but know if I want to keep my areas good I have to leave the young, shoot the culls and wait for them to reach their age and hopefully find one to hunt well down the track.
I got to give the new XTR Xtreme Hunter jacket and Blaze ascend top a test run, both were perfect for the job at hand. The new XTR Xtreme hunter in colour high country was initially designed for the open South Island high country but has proven to be successful in most environments including the Australian scrub, Its neutral color went undetected as I stalked the thick stuff.
The new blaze ascend top helped the owner spot me from over 1km away as I walked out with my trophy. The blaze is very bright and the camera had trouble setting exposure on it when I was taking photos.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGnRIGNrvDA[/youtube]
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JACKET AND SHIRT SIZE
Place the tape measure around the large part of your chest, usually just below the arm pits. Don't stretch the tape too tight. Align this measurement with the table below to help select your size. The sizes below are not the sizes of the garments, but the size size of the persons chest as certain layers are made larger to fit base and/or mid layers underneath.
BASE/MID LAYER
SIZE
|
CHEST CM | CHEST INCHES |
XXS | 85-90 | 33-35 |
XS | 90-95 | 35-37 |
S | 95-100 | 37-39 |
M | 100-105 | 39-41 |
L | 105-110 | 41-43 |
XL | 110-115 | 43-45 |
2XL | 115-120 | 45-47 |
3XL | 120-125 | 47-49 |
4XL | 125-130 | 49-51 |
5XL | 130-135 | 51-53 |
OUTER LAYER
SIZE
|
CHEST CM | CHEST INCHES |
XXS | 90-95 | 35-37 |
XS | 95-100 | 37-39 |
S | 100-105 | 39-41 |
M | 105-110 | 41-43 |
L | 110-115 | 43-45 |
XL | 115-120 | 45-47 |
2XL | 120-125 | 47-49 |
3XL | 125-130 | 49-51 |
4XL | 130-135 | 51-53 |
5XL | 135-140 | 53-55 |
TROUSER SIZE
WAIST: Place the tape measure around your waist, just above where your trousers would normally naturally rest. Don't pull the tape tight, but make sure it is snug. Align this measurement with the table below to help select your size.
INSEAM: This is the measurement from the center of the crotch on our trousers, to the base of the inner leg.
SIZE
|
WAIST CM | WAIST INCHES | INSEAM CM |
XXS | 71-74 | 28-29 | 78 |
XS | 75-79 | 30-31 | 79 |
S | 80-84 | 32-33 | 80 |
M | 85-89 | 34-35 | 81 |
L | 90-94 | 36-37 | 82 |
XL | 95-99 | 38-39 | 83 |
2XL | 100-104 | 40-41 | 84 |
3XL | 105-109 | 42-43 | 84 |
4XL | 110-114 | 44-45 | 85 |
5XL | 115-120 | 46-47 | 85 |
OUTER LAYER TROUSER SIZE
Our outer layer trousers are designed to be worn over the top of your regular trousers. The sizing is therefore larger than our regular trousers. Below are the dimensions of the outer layer trousers.
SIZE
|
WAIST CM | WAIST INCHES | INSEAM CM |
XS | 83-86 | 33-34 | 79 |
S | 87-90 | 34-35 | 80 |
M | 91-94 | 36-37 | 81 |
L | 95-98 | 37-38 | 82 |
XL | 99-102 | 39-40 | 83 |
2XL | 103-106 | 41-42 | 84 |
3XL | 107-110 | 42-43 | 84 |
4XL | 111-114 | 44-45 | 85 |
WOMEN'S SIZE (CM / INCH)
This is the measurements of the person, not the garments.
SIZE | CHEST | WAIST | HIPS |
8 | 84cm / 33" | 74cm / 29.1" | 106cm / 41.7" |
10 | 89cm / 35" | 78cm / 30.7" | 110cm / 43.3" |
12 | 94cm / 37" | 82cm / 32.3" | 114cm / 44.9" |
14 | 99cm / 39" | 86cm / 33.9" | 118cm / 46.4" |
16 | 104cm / 41" | 90cm / 35.4" | 122cm / 48" |
18 | 109cm / 43" | 94cm / 37" | 126cm / 49.6" |
20 | 114cm / 45" | 98cm / 38.6" |
130cm / 51.2" |
BOOTS SIZE
All sizes are US men's sizing. Measure from the from the back of your heel to the end of your longest toe.
US | FOOT LENGTH (approximate) |
6 | 9.3 in / 23.6 cm |
7 | 9.6 in / 24.4 cm |
8 | 9.9 in / 25.2 cm |
9 | 10.25 in / 26 cm |
10 | 10.6 in / 26.8 cm |
11 | 10.9 in / 27.8 cm |
12 | 11.25 in / 28.6 cm |
13 | 11.6 in / 29.4 cm |
GAITER SIZE
Measure the circumference of calves at the thickest point. The size on the chart is the largest measurement that will fit in the gaiter. Gaiters can be tightened, but cannot be stretched to fit legs larger than the measurements shown on the chart.
SIZE
|
CALF SIZE |
S
|
380mm |
M
|
410mm |
L
|
440mm |
XL
|
470mm |
2XL
|
500mm |
SIZE
|
LENGTH CM | WIDTH CM |
S | 18 | 9 |
M | 19 | 9.5 |
L | 20 | 10 |
XL | 21 | 10.5 |
KIDS SIZES (CM)
This is the measurements of the person, not the garments.
SIZE | CHEST | WAIST | HIPS |
4 | 60 | 56 | 62 |
6 | 64 | 58 | 66 |
8 | 68 | 60 | 71 |
10 | 72 | 64 | 76 |
12 | 76 | 68 | 80 |
14 | 80 | 72 | 84 |