Am I hunting in the right locations?

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Originally Posted by duckndeer

Ya gotta head out before it’s light (lazy hunters don’t get the deer) get in a downwind position of where they are and wait for it to get light, if none appear cover some ground, always hunt into wind, do the same at night don’t leave before it’s dark, prime time(as the light changes) is you best bet, be patient, invest in good gear, invest in an accurate rifle do plenty of range time in a variety of positions, make sure you have a quality scope (Swaro, leupold ect), get someone that knows what they are doing to check your scope screws and alignment, be persistant, stay motivated! I’ve been where you are keep plugging, hunt the roar hard you’ll find them then!

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Thanks for the good tips I know I've been missing out by now catching first/last light so I'll go catch both tomorrow/sunday.
This clearing I'm looking at has good high ground all around it so I'll go get a downwind perch somewhere with a good view before sunrise and hope something comes out
have done plenty of range time in all positions feel pretty comfortable with my rifle , just need to find a deer!

In ambush,cover your face and yr hands.Deer can see your face and the back of yr hands in half light while you are under cover waiting.They got xray eyes so please keep still.your movenent will be spotted by them.

I'm happy to help, send me a PM if you're keen and we can have a yak.

Have you thought about doing a hunts course & when you get a deer do you know how to cut it up to bring it out off the bush I get have a very high kill rate on doc land but I spend alot off my time walking in dark & in morning if I'm heading to a look out when I get close I turn light off & walk the last bit in the dark slowly so my light doesn't spook anything. The other thing I look for when bush hunting in the day after you done clearings in the morning is if it calm look for lower branches on feed trees moving I have shot quite a few deer by seeing a branch moving and them seeing the deer feeding away on the branch.

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Originally Posted by hunt08

Have you thought about doing a hunts course & when you get a deer do you know how to cut it up to bring it out off the bush I get have a very high kill rate on doc land but I spend alot off my time walking in dark & in morning if I'm heading to a look out when I get close I turn light off & walk the last bit in the dark slowly so my light doesn't spook anything. The other thing I look for when bush hunting in the day after you done clearings in the morning is if it calm look for lower branches on feed trees moving I have shot quite a few deer by seeing a branch moving and them seeing the deer feeding away on the branch.

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Yeah the times I've gone to book it, it has already been booked out unfortunately. But I have done a lot of research I just need to put it into use. I've got a pretty good idea on what to cut off and have the right knife n bag etc. That's a good tip, I get distracted trying to look for things deer shaped and soon every ponga looks like one in the corner of my eye

Went out yesterday arvo-late morning today. Perched up by a big clearing by the river till dark saw nothing but good sign around. Pretty sure I heard some deer around during the night but unsure.

Watched the same spot for 30mins at change of light and nothing so stalked up the river for a bit then back up the hill where I think they were bedded but no luck still. I didn't make it super far through the hill I think they were up on so I'll head back and spend a whole day up in there stalking around, by the looks of the forest and all the fresh scat, tracks etc where I was they're definitely there that hill looks real promising so I'm itching to get back in there

Patience is your friend, took me 2 years to get my first deer, that was nearly a year ago and I might get a second one this year.

Your first deer is the hardest deer you’ll ever shoot, each one from then on gets easier.
It’s almost impossible to learn to hunt from forums and YouTube, you need time in the bush and animals under your belt. You need to think like a deer and have a bit of luck as well. You need to ‘change the angles’ but not move too much as movement can spook deer. When you’re not seeing deer it’s tempting to cover move territory but in reality, once you have the right area, it’s a matter of moving very little and waiting for the deer to reveal themselves. We spend most of our time sitting down watching and it’s amazing how many deer you see when you stay still.
You’re in the right place, there’s plenty of deer on that side of the Tararuas.
I know someone else has offered you this already but you’re welcome to phone me on 0274339294 and I’ll offer you some tips.
We can even talk specific areas on that side of the Tararuas.

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Originally Posted by craigc

Your first deer is the hardest deer you’ll ever shoot, each one from then on gets easier.
It’s almost impossible to learn to hunt from forums and YouTube, you need time in the bush and animals under your belt. You need to think like a deer and have a bit of luck as well. You need to ‘change the angles’ but not move too much as movement can spook deer. When you’re not seeing deer it’s tempting to cover move territory but in reality, once you have the right area, it’s a matter of moving very little and waiting for the deer to reveal themselves. We spend most of our time sitting down watching and it’s amazing how many deer you see when you stay still.
You’re in the right place, there’s plenty of deer on that side of the Tararuas.
I know someone else has offered you this already but you’re welcome to phone me on 0274339294 and I’ll offer you some tips.
We can even talk specific areas on that side of the Tararuas.

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Yep I can imagine it feels like a mission right now, but I'm loving being out there nonetheless.
Good point I'll try that next time I'm out, The spot I've been hunting lately has all the right signs so I'll go perch up there for the weekend soon and quietly shift around where it seems like they all hangout
Yeah I've come to realize I need to be a lot more stealthy and patient, I'll try that out next time I'm in there
Yep seems like the area I'm around is a good spot, only a matter of time I reckon!
Appreciate the offer, might give yah a bell later this week