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Text & Photography by Errol Mason
This story was published in the Convention 2004 edition of Big Game Adventures www.BGAMAG.com
INTRODUCTION
Watervalley or Ninga Ninga (as this area was known to the aborigines) is a privately owned Game Ranch comprising more than 300,000 acres. The size of this ranch is continually increasing as adjoining bush land is acquired and the perimeter fence extended. In fact it is so vast that at times a GPS must be used to ensure that one does not become temporarily misplaced when darkness falls. To gain some indication of the vastness of Watervalley, consider that at the time of writing it is 65 kilometres around the Rusa enclosure which increases in size annually. It is no exaggeration to say that hunting at Watervalley is virtually free-ranging.
Twenty years ago Elk, Fallow, Red, Chital, Rusa and Sambar deer were released onto the Serengeti for Deer Hunters" and is without question one of the world's premier destinations for deer and deer hunting.
With the exception of Elk, all the deer species available at Watervalley were introduced during the 1800's to various parts of Australia for recreational hunting. Today six species, Fallow, Red, Rusa, Sambar, Hog and Chital can be hunted as genuine free-ranging wild populations in various part of eastern Australia . The catch however is that Australia is a very large continent comparable in size with the USA, and only three species are available in any one geographic area and travel to where the other species may be hunted involves several days driving. For example road travel time between free-range fallow, hog and sambar deer hunting in Victoria and chital hunting in Queensland is three days. Even air travel which could require up to four internal flights would only reduce this to 1.5 or 2 days. At Watervalley however you can hunt five of these species (hog deer excluded) plus Elk and Asiatic Water Buffalo within a fifty kilometre radius of the homestead. And the number of deer available and the standard of trophies is second to none with the exception of sambar.
Victoria's free-ranging sambar are without question much more challenging to hunt and the trophies available are much superior to what Watervalley can offer. Nevertheless, my two recent German clients Ralf Kober and Willy Daum were quite happy with both the standard of the hunting and the quality of the sambar stags they took at Watervalley. In fact after arriving at "Australia's Serengetti for Deerhunters" they were so impressed by the experience that they decided to spend their entire hunt there, rather than spend the last seven days of their Shikar hunting for free-ranging sambar in Victoria which is what they had originally planned.
As many hunters are not familiar with Sambar, Rusa and Chital I have included a short summary about each of these species.
Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor)
Sambar are the third largest of all deer species behind moose and wapiti. They are extremely wary and have a well-earned reputation as one of the hardest to hunt of the world's game animals. A native of India and Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ), sambar evolved through the millennium as prey of the tiger, leopard and dhole (wild dog) - a process which is undoubtedly responsible for developing its qualities of intelligence, elusiveness and tenacity for which this specie is revered. They are strong and tough with a thick hide and coarse hair of a uniform brown colour. A mature stag can stand up to 150cm at the shoulder and weigh over 300kg. Sambar have thrived in Victoria since being released here in the 1860s and now occupy most of the forested mountains and foothills of eastern Victoria . There is also a small population on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory . Victoria has the best sambar hunting in Australia and the best time is from April to November when the weather is cooler and the majority of stags are in hard antler. The antlers of sambar are a simple classical design with just three points on each side. The longest officially taken in Victoria measured 34 3 / 4 inches (89cm), but anything from 24 inches (61cm) upwards is considered a good trophy.
Chital or Indian Spotted Deer (Axis axis)
Chital deer are the most beautiful of all the deer species being reddish to chestnut brown with white spots and a striking white upper throat patch. A mature stag may weigh about 80kg and stand about 86cm at the shoulder. They are a herd animal and can be seen in quite large mobs moving through open bush land. The antlers of chital are slender and usually of three points as in sambar, rusa and hog deer. In Australia the longest chital antlers are around 33inches in length and anything longer than 30 inches is considered a good trophy. Chital are natives of India and Sri Lanka where they comprise a major part of the tiger's prey. They were introduced to Australia between 1800 and 1803 where they are now distributed throughout northern Queensland . Chital can be hunted all year round.
Rusa Deer (Cervus timorensis)
Rusa is the Malay word for deer and they are medium sized, rough-coated deer which are biologically allied to the sambar. There are two subspecies established in the wild in Australia and the Javan rusa (Cervus timorensis rusa) is the larger. Stags stand up to 110cm at the shoulder and may weigh around 136kg. A rusa's antlers are quite large in comparison with its body size, and very distinctive with a typical lyre shape. A mature stag may grow antlers up to and sometimes exceeding 34 inches in length but anything over 30 inches is considered an excellent trophy.
At Watervalley the deer and water buffalo roam freely with the kangaroos, wallabies and emus and are virtually free-ranging for they are not at all contained or restricted by internal cattle and sheep fencing. Just as importantly the popularity of Watervalley as an international hunting destination has conditioned the deer to be wild and elusive and bringing them to bag requires hunting in the true sense of the word.
The ranch encompasses a variety of topography. Some areas consist of rolling undulating hills and valleys covered with a mosaic of eucalypt scrub and grasslands. Other parts are vast swamplands covered by heath and surrounded by eucalypt scrub interspersed with grasslands. Overall the impression is one of wildness and the mosaic of scrub, swamps, pasture and rolling hills combine to provide perfect vantage points for observing unalarmed deer. Good quality binoculars of 8 to 10 magnification are essential to gain the most from this experience and long shots are common so a flat-shooting rifle with a 3 to 9 or 2.5 to 10 or similar scope is best.
TROPHY QUALITY
The Game Ranch is located on the Limestone Coast which is famous for its limestone rich soil which no doubt has contributed to the many Gold Medal stags which have been harvested there. For example Red stags with more than 31 long points and some scoring in excess of 400 Douglas points have been taken. Fallow Bucks scoring in excess of 240 Douglas points are regularly taken and thirty inch Gold Medal class Sambar are occasionally harvested from the more remote corners of the ranch. Chital Stags measuring more than 32 inches are seen but are difficult to bag and Rusa Stags up to 36 inches have been taken. Asiatic Water Buffalo scoring over 90SCI points have also been taken but these solitary bulls can take some finding. However usually these older males of each specie are very cagey and sit and wait ambush at dusk or dawn is sometimes required to bring them to bag.
RALF & WILLY'S HUNT
As a young man I cut my teeth hunting free ranging sambar deer and in more recent times have specialized in guiding for sambar which is my real passion. Until recently I had never considered hunting at a Game Ranch. At least not until our devastating bush fires in January this year after which I suggested to Ralf Kober, a German client who had booked initially for free-ranging sambar, that he consider the Game Ranch as an option for Sambar, Rusa, Chital, Red, Fallow, Elk and Asiatic Water Buffalo. The ability to take all these species at one location excited Ralf and his friend Willy Daum so they elected to hunt at the Game Ranch for the first 7 days and then hunt for free-ranging sambar in the Lakes & Wilderness Region for the remainder of their 14 day hunt.
It was 7.30 am and a wet and windy Melbourne morning when I met Ralf & Willy at Melbourne airport on their incoming flight from Frankfurt . Within 30minutes we were in my Nissan Patrol wagon and heading towards the Game Ranch which is located 7 hours drive west of Melbourne . We arrived at 4pm that afternoon and after storing our gear in the three bedroom cottage which was our accommodation for the next ten days, we headed for the rifle range. Ralf & Willy fired the .375 H&H, 9.3 x 62 and 30/06 bolt action rifles I provided to get accustomed to the scopes, triggers and recoil and check the point of impact at various distances in readiness for a dawn start the next day. The Winchester M70 synthetic stainless fitted with a 2.5 to 10 x 56 Swarovski scope was their preferred rifle as Asiatic Water Buffalo was high on Willy's shopping list and they also preferred the greater authority of the .375 for sambar.
First light on day one saw us gaining an introduction to the sights and sounds of the ranch. Many deer and some buffalo were seen and a feel was obtained for the standard of trophies and style of hunting that lay ahead. We adopted a hunting style similar to that used for African plains game and continued throughout the day with lunch and refreshments being carried in the 4WD wagon. Bush tracks were driven and game spotted using binoculars and trophy quality assessed before stalking on foot. As already indicated, sit and wait ambushing at dusk and dawn is sometimes necessary to bag the more elusive but equally more desirable trophies but the easy going, undulating country ensures that stalking is not too demanding for physically challenged hunters.
Ralf and Willy were both pleasantly surprised by the whole experience at the Game Ranch. They were simply amazed by the number of deer seen each day and the quality and diversity of trophies. They were also fortunate enough to be treated to insights into deer behaviour rarely seen in free-ranging populations. For example we watched as two testosterone charged Rusa stags battled for dominance in a secluded gully bottom. After several minutes of combat they finally realized they had company, disengaged and raced for cover. Instantly Ralf noticed one was a non-typical with massive antlers and took it as it made for the safety of nearby scrub. Ralf was not disappointed with this very heavy non-typical trophy.
Twice we saw 250 kilogram sambar stags scrape and preach at the forest edge at first light, something I have only seen twice before in twenty five years of hunting free-ranging sambar. Both stags were about four year old with antlers around 23 inches in length, short enough to ensure they were not taken. They treated us to quite a spectacle as they stood vertically, balancing effortlessly on massive rear haunches as they wiped scent from their preorbital glands onto foliage three metres above the scrape. After days of searching for an older sambar we spied one when we were least expecting it as it lay in shade just inside the bush line. Careful glassing confirmed that this was indeed a nice trophy and Ralf decided he wanted him. After crawling on his belly to a high point , Ralf took the stag with a 200 metre shot from the .375.
We saw many red stags including a few 14 pointers with antlers well over a metre but they were not on Ralf and Willy's list for they were able to shoot several red stags each year in Germany .
Magnificently adorned fallow bucks were a common sight but their rapid departure made it clear that they knew full well that their headwear was in strong demand. The antler quality of the fallow was outstanding in 2003 which was surprising considering the area was in the grip of a prolonged drought. However antler quality is just one of the strengths of Watervalley's fallow. Another is the diverse colour range available. You could harvest a black, a menial, a red and various tones in between. But they were safe for the moment for Ralf already had an excellent fallow in his collection. On day nine, using his 8 x 56 Zeiss Ralf spotted a very interesting non-typical and after another belly crawl Ralf took it with the 30/06 as it grazed in a secluded glade. Being non-typical proved to be a very dangerous affliction for a stag to have at Watervalley in August 2003.
Just on dark on day four we encountered one of the most unusual non-typical specimens Ralf had ever seen. The chestnut coloured stag was a rusa/sambar hybrid. Some call these Rubars, but Ralf said it should be called a Ninga Deer. When we first saw it darkness was upon us so we were unable to see well enough to be certain about its special qualities so we left him but Ralf vowed to return at first light to harvest what he thought was a most fascinating trophy. Ralf was clearly highly excited by this animal, in fact more than any other we had seen so far. Dawn found us glassing the area where we had seen the Ninga Deer the previous evening but neither hide nor hair could we find. Over the next three days we returned time and again to that spot but to no avail. It seemed that the Ninga Deer had vanished. Ralf's disappointment was clear but easily understood for even though it was almost dark when we first saw him, my Swarovski 8 x 56 binos had enabled me to see that it was an extremely unusual trophy. Like many hunters we were interested in optical performance and typically compared the brightness of my new Swarovski SL's with their older series double trumpet shaped, West German Zeiss 8 x 56 binos. All agreed that both were outstanding in low light and if one was superior to the other none of us could see it. To me that's the real test for a binocular. A salesman is wasting his time telling me that one brand is brighter than another when I cannot see any difference while comparing them by peering into the same dimly lit area.
The unsurpassed beauty of chital makes them highly desirable so it should have been no surprise that they were extremely wary. As a result at first light the only insight we could glean into the lives of cagey old chital stags was glimpses of long gracefully curved antlers and beautiful spotted chestnut coats as they passed momentarily through openings in dense eucalypt scrub on their way to daytime bedding areas. But this was enough to prove to us that Watervalley was home to some outstanding trophy chital which we would have to hunt with skill and persistence if we were to bring them to bag. In fact I know of one guide who is a trophy hunter in his own right who returns to the Game Ranch time and again in pursuit of elusive monster chital. After days of just seeing glimpses of chital stags finally Ralf bagged a nice example as it grazed at the forest edge.
Willy Daum was keen to bag a buffalo but despite several days of searching and looking over small mobs a good bull eluded us until the third day when finally we spotted a nice bull as it lay sunning itself amidst eucalyptus scrub. After a short stalk Willy took it with a single 270gn Barnes X bullet from a .375 H & H. The perfectly placed projectile which was recovered under the skin on the opposite shoulder mushroomed in text-book fashion killing the buffalo within seconds.
On day nine Ralf remained doggedly determined to bag the Ninga Deer we had seen earlier so at dawn we were back in his domain glassing the edge of eucalypt scrub hoping to catch him out. Suddenly he appeared running from a small patch of scrub towards a much larger tract of bush, perhaps due to our scent having spooked him. Then he stopped and looked around as though confused giving us enough time to properly assess his trophy quality. "Errol, I want him", Ralf whispered as he grabbed the rifle and crawled behind the only cover between him and the Ninga Deer. For a few minutes Willy and I lost sight of Ralf and his quarry until the dawn silence was shattered by the .375. Within minutes we were all admiring Ralf's trophy, a ten point non-typical rusa/sambar hybrid. It had massive 28 inch beams both of which were adorned with red deer-like crowns of three points. Immediately below the tops and above the bases the beams were so thick that my hand could not encircle them. This was indeed a rare and highly prized trophy.
Perhaps the most challenging stalk on this Shikar was for Willy Daum's Rusa stag. By glassing a patch of light scrub interspersed with grassy areas from a considerable distance we spotted a twenty or so Rusa, a small herd of chital and a mob of kangaroos. This mob was about four hundred metres from us and bedded in their centre was a nice Rusa stag with very long ivory tips. Willy said, "Errol I like this one. I would like to try and take him." That was enough for me and the next minute Willy and I were circling downwind of this mob which were either bedded or grazing peacefully completely oblivious to our presence. Initially we approached at a stoop but after crossing a small ridge we were forced to crawl. Out circuitous approach placed intervening gum trees and low scrub between us and the big stag, causing us to lose sight of him. We were forced to lie for a considerable period as we were almost amongst them and any further approach would surely spook the kangaroos or the Rusa does and younger stags that surrounded the big boy. Our only option was to wait until the mob got up to feed and hope that this would present an opportunity. As we lay watching and waiting a small group of chital crossed a ridge and wound their way through scrub down the face towards us. We watched with anticipation but no stag accompanied them. After lying in wait for an hour or so darkness was fast approaching when the Rusa suddenly began to move and string out in single file but they were moving away from us. Next moment the big stag came into view and my rangefinder said 300 yards. I beckoned Willy to sneak up to me and shoot prone off my daypack. The light was fading quickly and the stag was moving away again as Willy wound the Swarovski up to 10X. The stag stood broadside again but this time it was 330 yards when the .375 woke the echoes. The stag bolted at the shot and ran frantically before dying fifty metres from where he was hit. The Barnes X had penetrated the neck missing the spine but cutting the artery. The setting sun in the western sky presented the perfect backdrop for a photo of Willy with his fine Rusa.
Conclusion
As the sun vanished below the horizon enveloping us in darkness my mind turned to the ethics and enjoyment of hunting at Watervalley. I concluded that if it was possible to have a more ethical, more challenging and more enjoyable stalk for free-ranging Rusa than the hunt we had just completed then I would like to experience that. Watervalley really is virtual free-range hunting and there really is no difference from an ethical or an enjoyment point of view. This is a very serious confession for a hunter whose passion is guiding for genuine free-ranging sambar deer. Yes, I can honestly tell you that this Game Ranch is a real blue chip deer hunting experience and my two German clients Ralf and Willy also thought so. I think at the end of the day it is what the client thinks that really counts. And two of their German friends have already booked for a 14 day Shikar to Watervalley in 2004. There can be no better recommendation for game ranch hunting than that.
Prologue
Ralf's friends Karl & Bent Ziegler did indeed hunt with Errol in July 2004. See photos of their trophies in the Game Ranch Photo Gallery and read Bent's reference under Referees. Feel free to email Ralf or Bent for further info about their hunt.
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