Hi, need some advice. After my first serious roar in the bush in 2014 around the nelson area I had a great one. Heard stags roaring in 3 different areas, had them come in to my roars and ended with two real good stags and a couple of more just after, plus turned down shooting a couple of poor ones and dried fired on a nice 8 with safety on very successful. 2015 was a different story thou.
Had great success with the game cameras, 5 different stags in one new area with a 13 pointer and a real nice 8, plus one huge 9 pointer that in body size was just massive.
But even thou I hunted hard that roar, esp in that area, finding 4 different well used wallows I only heard one roar the entire time from march 20th right though to april 28.
It was disappointing to say the least. Did manage a 8 pointer thou and saw the big 8 that was roaring but didn't manage to get a shot away. Hunted all the places I hunted in 2014, there was stag sign in them all but nothing roared, never saw any apart from one and the one I got.
It seemed the roar was short, and around the last week of march(about the same as 2014 but went longer) in the areas I hunted.(all DOC).
This year I really want hunt down that 13 pointer, hes a real trophy animal. Clearly thou, bush stalking in the thick steep place it is its very hard to find a animal, they there, the game camera proved that, but finding any animal is a mission. Its a lot harder to hunt than other places I go but that what makes me want to go back
Now, if the stags aren't roaring, or I miss it when they do, whats the best plan??
Do I continue to bushstalk, roaring now and again and hope one does reply or comes in for a look?(didn't work last year).
Or do I set up at a wallow after a wee stalk and some roars. Take a book, food and wait with a good advantage point waiting for a stag to appear? Thought about staying over night, but as this region the roar is short lived when they actually roaring it be hard to pick the date when they do. Last year the stags went to the wallows after dark, most of the game camera pictures were that time apart from younger spikers, that turned up during the day. Plan is to start stalking hard from the 20th again right though till end of april. Fine stags at the start of roar are in prime nick, so happy shoot anything early on for the prime meat. Then after one, maybe two I only shoot something that go over 200ds if possible. I want that 13 pointer if its still there, whats the plan??
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