b'Trophy heads lined up for the annual NZDA scoring from left, sika, chamois, tahr, fallow and red deer.H eading out hunting in thea trophy fish, many Kiwi hunters dreamthe one that got away too, I can even bush and you hope toof shooting a 12-point red stag or 8-pointrecall such a memorable trip when on my see an animal to put onsika. These two deer species would be atvery first sika hunt.I had flown into the the deck for the freezer,the top of the list for nearly every hunter,Kawekas to stay at a remote hut in early but every hunter hopesalthough a big fallow buck or bull tahrspring with a good hunter Matt Amon they come across a bigwould also be up high on the list, as wellwho had years of experience on red deer stag, buck, or boar.It isas a 150lb+ boar for pig hunters. and was looking to get a nice sika stag.something about theirThe roar is typically the time of yearWe had just been dropped at the hut on impressive antlers or tusks that havewhen most deer hunters look to bag theira Friday around mid-morning when after been sought after by man since thetrophy of a lifetime as the stags come intoquickly unpacking and getting the rifles dawn of time.It must have been a ritethe rutting season from MarchMay andout, we shot out of the door to get out for of passage to hunt such beasts with justdrop their guard looking for hinds.Thea look around our block.a spear or bow before gun powder hadwily old stags often get caught out byWe headed off along the bottom of a been invented and this prey was veryhunters during this time, succumbing toridge walking up into some nice large much a dangerous adversary with theirtheir natural desire to mate and end upnative stands and there were small own armoury.The thrill of chasing a bigbeing shot for a wall hanger. gullies down below to our right.We boar with pig dogs and only using a knifewere keeping quiet, not talking, and slow is still very much the same adventureSIKA STAG moving and had only walked for 15-20 today as it was centuries ago. Some hunters spend many years lookingminutes when I saw the tops of a good Just as Godzone anglers considerfor a trophy animal worthy to mount forstag that we had spooked moving up a catching a 20lb snapper or 50lb kingfishtheir wall.Most would have stories ofgully only 50-60m away. /FISHINGINGODZONE93'