After sighting in during spring and detailed testing with various loads at different distances with my caliber 6.5x55 R93, I had gathered enough experience and confidence with the dS and was ready for the start of the chamois hunting season.
Before this, on several occasions I had confirmed a middle-aged non-leading doe that I had come to recognize over the last year. Once again, she had no fawns with her. But she was standing next to a very overgrown mountainside that only allowed glimpses of the chamois roaming there in a few clearings.
Challenges in chamois hunting
Hunting here is always a great challenge.Steep terrain above the treeline, sudden changes in the weather, and natural hazards make hunting in alpine terrain a difficult undertaking. Stalking is both mentally and physically demanding. Training is absolutely vital for this type of hunting – and this applies to shooting skills too. Nerves also need to be factored in. A lot of elements therefore need to come together for successful hunting .
The season starts
The eagerly anticipated moment finally arrived. As I watched from a fixed hide, the chamois suddenly came into view at 370 m (405 yds) and made their way quickly down the mountain. I needed to prepare fast without letting the animals out of my sight. This already showed the great confidence the dS gave me, as I could continuously calculate the correct aiming point without taking my eyes off the target. After a few seconds, they had already descended to 320 m (350 yds). The group kept disappearing out of sight into undergrowth and trees, so there was no chance to even think about firing a shot. They then suddenly emerged into a clearing where they immediately started to settle.
Waiting for
the right moment
It was just a question of waiting now. The time felt endless to me. My senses were on heightened alert to make sure I didn’t miss the moment when it all kicked off. Around 25 minutes later, I noticed that the group was getting restless. It was time. A quick press on the dS and the right aiming point captured the chamois. At the same moment, I pressed the trigger. The chamois collapsed and fell to the ground.
Finally, the first hunting success with the new dS at a range of 327 m (358 yds) with a gradient of 35°.
After the successful start to the chamois hunting season, I had two more bucks on my shooting plan, but I wanted to wait until fall, before and during the rut, to harvest them.
To be
continued…
When the chamois rutting season reached its height, I wanted to harvest my second buck.
A few days after a snowfall, I headed back out into the valley. On the sunny side, the fine weather meant that the snow had already melted in some areas. After just a few hundred yards, we spotted a small group of does with their fawns and a yearling, but no buck. At this time, this could not possibly be the case. The boss was probably just busy with something else. So we decided to set up and wait to see which buck was the leader of this little group.
Through my binoculars, I was able to see a stronger middle-aged buck putting a younger one in its place. The young buck leapt over a meter-high (3 ft) rock face toward a small cluster of pines. The winner of this showdown remained standing at the escarpment, clearly savoring his victory before heading back up the mountain toward his herd.
Finally:
the right buck.
After sighting through the spotting scope, the combative animal turned out to be a suitable middle-aged buck. When my companion sighted him, I had already captured him. Just before he seemed to disappear behind a cliff edge, he paused for a last moment. My companion released him, and I quickly pressed the measurement button on the dS .
The bullet immediately stopped the buck in his tracks. He fell over the cliff edge and rolled down toward the valley. Once again, the dS had proven its precision and reliability. I accepted the congratulations of my hunting comrades. This shot also marked the end of my chamois hunting for this year.
The dS on a chamois hunt
An initial uncertainty as to whether everything would go as well on the hunt as with the test shots on the game targetwas dispelled by confident, intuitive hunting with the new dS.
The unwavering precision and fast and easy operation of the dS have convinced me time and again on all my hunts. When I’m out hunting in the mountains, it’s now one of my constant companions. I’m excited to see what other hunting successes lie ahead.
About
Thomas Hofer
hunter and Project Manager Thomas Hofer was born in 1979 and originally comes from Italy. His interests revolve around hunting, nature, and cooking. After a hard day at work, he loves nothing more than getting out into nature with his dog. He became acquainted with SWAROVSKI OPTIK as a child through his father and grandfather, who were both hunters. On mountain hunts, he particularly values the combination of the NL Pure 32 with the dS GEN. II.
