One article in particular grabbed my attention. It was written by Graham Henry and it highlighted the Sika hunting opportunities in the Central North Island.
Accompanying the article was a photograph of an eight point Sika stag taken by Lance Barnard. After reading this, I contacted another keen Southern Ruahine hunter and we booked a trip for the following June.
After five days of careful bush stalking, neither my hunting companion nor I had even seen a Sika. Finally though, while I was moving through an open beech gully on a cool overcast morning, I saw a four point Sika stag standing broadside on, just 15 metres away. Raising the 270, I sent a shot echoing through the valley for the first time that week, which I followed up soon…