Saturday Night Shenanigans - by Courtney Todd

On a clear Saturday night with the ute jam-packed full of hay, we decided it was a perfect time to head out for a shoot. So off we went out to the back of the farm, thankful for our trusty 4WD, as it isn’t exactly paved concrete out there. With headtorches on, rifles were pulled from gun bags, suppressors were screwed on, magazines were loaded, spare ammo was shoved into pockets and off we set into the night. We stalked our way along with only a red beamed torch to guide us and obviously so we could spot any potential deer (deer are blind to the colour red btw, hence why we use a red torch to spot them at night) but the only glowing red eyes were from the hundred-plus fluffy bunnies eating away at the grass. Crawling over a hill, the unmistaken glow of a set of deer eyes were picked up with the torch, perhaps seventyish metres away, With the wind in my face, it was completely oblivious to any action happening above, so a round was loaded into the chamber. Now, the adrenaline rush from hunting/shooting is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life, so my heart was pounding a mile a minute and I was hyped. Hunting however is a very unpredictable sport and it can turn skyward within a matter of seconds. Luckily Mr deer felt quite at ease.  BOOMMM!!!!. One clean shot, and a whole lotta venison. Covered in blood and with the deer gutted, we piggybacked it up the hill to the ute, only to realize the minor problem that the back of it was full of hay and an 80kg deer would not fit. So, we proceeded to hoist the deer into the back seat.  Only place for it really. Then with the deer safely secure, we drove to the front of the farm for some much needed pest control. Only at night with torches or thermal imaging is it possible to see the sheer number of rabbits, hares, deer and possums that live on farmland or in the bush. So, without further ado the 22. (Small calibre gun only used for small animals) was loaded and rabbits were spotlighted and dispatched. I spotted a very high set of possum eyes in a distant pine tree,  “If you shoot that first go, I’ll give you 20 bucks.” I said. “Deal.”. One shot was fired, and I was stunned. It was a hit. Back legs swaying, he was only just holding on. “Quick give him another!” “No!! he’ll come down.” And sure enough, THUD!. Lesson learnt… the old girl still had the knack and could be a ripper shot when it mattered. Worst twenty bucks ever betted. So, with a deer in the back seat, a bonnet piled high with small game and a loss of 20 bucks, it was time to call it a night at 2am.  And it had sure as hell been a bloody good night.