Bush Stalking Advice

Hey all

I am relatively new to hunting and want some advice.

Went for a wander the other day in an area well-known for deer and the sign I saw proved it.

A couple of questions:

1. While wandering slowly and quietly along the track I heard a deer run away in front of me about 20m away I think. I stopped and listened. It moved again and was running down into a gully off the side of the track and barked at me. Bush was quite thick so couldn't see much. Should you try and follow?? Find a better spot to see more or give up as the deer spooked and ran away? I think I gave up to early and wandered on.

2. On the same walk found an awesome area of open beech with heaps of fresh sign. Do you sit in one spot and watch the area or wander very slowly through the area hoping to bump into something?

Keen to learn - thanks.

I will see if can find my post on this....never had luck following an already spooked deer,I do know of fellas who will just move off 50 yards downwind and sit and wait for deer to come back...Im far too impatient for that.
biggest two tips
keep wind in your face
slow down

After having a great week stalking recently it occurred to me that the method I used/use may be of interest to others and if I can convey it correctly a learning aid for new hunters...a big ask but here goes anyway.

first up you cant drink whiskey from bottle of wine
if there is no deer in an area you are wasting your time and energy doing a full on stalk of barren ground,find an area where you have fresh sign eg poohs on the ground,foot prints/spoor,tree rubbing or evidence of grazing and THEN get into mouse mode

WIND is vital or fatal depending on your ability to read it,a red deer has been said to smell you from over a mile away,so hunting with a breeze blowing up ya jacksee is not going to be very productive (besides which those baked bean farts will linger longer) there are different ways to find/check the wind,wet your finger and hold it up to find which side gets cold,shave hair from behind your ears to feel breeze,powder puff pottle,piece of cotton tied to your barrel (Suz??? was this why your lot added feather to bow???) a quick flick of the trusty Bic flick..cigarette lighter to you non down unders, drop handfull of leaves or dust.
which ever method you use hunting into the wind is best as it keeps your scent away from quarry,you CAN hunt across the wind eg sidle around contour of land with a breeze blowing uphill(thermal breeze on sunny day will do this) but you will be scenting up area above you so eyes need to cover area infront and above you well,main area to find game will be below you,which leads nicely onto how to see game

I put up a poll on another forum recently to see how other people got a 100% positive ID of an animal (due to recent hunting accidents)
biggest % of guys use 3 or more things to do this.
personally I normally spot colour Im looking for/movement/horizontal solid line or something just "out of place"
which then gets double checked..and triple checked if ticking boxes at that stage
seeing head and neck of live animal doing LIVE animal things is MY PERSONAL final box to tick off.
with modern electronic callers getting better and good old cow horn magic in right hands sound is OUT as an ID factor...other than to start process of checking something out,that includes roaring/croaking/bugling and general moving around noises like brushes rustling ,foot falls or antler rattling
they are great to get your attention and focus it but not enough to tell what it is you are hearing...it could be a human..infact it is a human untill you can 100% tell otherwise..right thats enough on that one FOR NOW.

ok so we are walking along with wind right and some fresh deer sign on ground...but HOW are you walking????a heavy booted plod just wont do old chap...wont do at all
take a break from keyboard,go outside in bare feet and walk across ashfelt/tarseal/stoney road, you will find that you cant walk heel toe heel toe any more as it hurts Sad
so you will by default start to place your foot flat..well sort of flat,outside of foot touches first then rolls down till big toe hits,your foot is down then your weight goes to that foot and then and only then will back foot move and repeat sequence. same goe for crossing a river,each foot goes down and solidly grounded BEFORE other one moves
when Im in hot sign its 3 steps then stop and look..another 3 and look again etc etc etc if you in really hot sign and think you going too slow well Mates SLOW DOWN SOME MORE and then you are still going too fast.
deer live there all the time,if you sitting in lazy boy chair in your lounge reading a book or eating a han n cheese sammie and some one walzed into your house you would know it straight away wouldnt you????? same goes for a deer except they know if they not really alert they will get one way trip on back of ute.

k so we have
wind
walk slow
find area of sign

feeding area,sleeping/bedding area or moving between the two are main places to find your quarry
food is where you find it
bedding will be warm with light breeze to carry scent to bedded deer and be close to heavy cover...usually

down here downunder we have warm faces on North side of ridges being best bets as warmer = more plant growth and better bedding areas.


that will do for now...have a read and feel free to ask questions
and Ill have a think on what Ive missed
clothing and footwear come to mind.

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Elvis
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Joined: Jul 27, 2008
Posts: 9027
Location: south island New Zealand
PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: How to bush stalk KIWI style. Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster
clothing,well if you have the $$$$$$ Swazi is really good stuff,made by a hunting man for hunters,tested and it works and lasts but as said it costs
me Im a cheap bugga and have a real mix n match wardrobe of polar fleece garments from all over the place,normally bought cheap by SWMBO on trade me auction site.
in warm weather its polyprop short tights (think above the knee long Johns) with rugby shorts over top..to protect/preserve modesty.
and usually a polyprop top or fleece Tshirt.
in colder weater we "layer up" eg keep adding layers till we warm enough and top it with a shell layer
if in the bush quietness is paramount so fleece is king.
back in the day it was the good old Swanni or Lambi woolen coat but now fleece wins out as its so much lighter and dries quicker.
a hat of some sort ,fleece gloves and a fleece neck warmer top off my list of cloths
boots are a personal thing,lace up rubber gumboots win hands down for me.
after years of sore red feet from hunting in leather boots my Brother got me onto Bullers and I havent looked back since,Ive got a reasonable pair of leather hunting boots and they do the odd day trip in hot weather but gummies are the shite in the bush,really easy to step quietly and they grip well so you dont spend half the day falling on ya bum and other half picking ya self up again.

on last trip I would find area with sign and follow any spoor present if wind was right or just wander along SLOWLY in direction of travel taking path of least resistance picking deer trail where possible.

rifles are again personal choice but for my money big n slow beats light and fast projectile wise (that said Ive hunted successfully with .223)
a good old .308 is still hard to beat.
but scopes are a different matter
your 4x16 ziess or 8x24 might be the ducks nuts out in open country where long shots from rest are the norm but in the scrub the lower the magnification the better wiht 4x being MOST you want and lower still is better.mine wear vari powers with 3x as lowest and other rifle a fixed 4x
tried mates smit n bender and it was plurry hopeless, even on lowest power the field of view was like peering down a drain pipe!!!!

Get a dog.

Good wee read while im in (C19) Jail.Im sorting and cleaning gear waitning to get out of here.Hot sun burning weather down here.

Last hour of light,sit down wind from a nice clearing,riddled with sign,and green spring grass.Deer will always return to the feed sometime.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Get a dog.

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Strongly believe you need hunting experience before a dog becomes part of the team.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trout

Last hour of light,sit down wind from a nice clearing,riddled with sign,and green spring grass.Deer will always return to the feed sometime.

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with wind coming off clearing towards you....NOT with your farts drifting across clearing warning all deerzies in area you have been on dehy for days.

this might be useful -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsleDZLbJcY

@louiannz try hunting river flats or grassy slips/clearings this time off year. Get to your prime spots before light if you can or sit back and wait or on evening and sit off the clearings Hi pressure hunting spots deer might not come out till the last ten minutes.
I prefer my evening hunts myself once it gets dark the blow flys stop flying. Also if you have to drive couple hours in the morning,then walk 30mins before getting into hunt mode it makes for very early start this time off year.

Wind coming down to yr face.99% of the wind is NW is always coming down the valley towards me.lols:thumbsup:

bush stalking is the hardest discipline to master, it takes a really long time and a shit load of concentration to get right, I have been doing it for years and years and still spook more deer than i shoot. the biggest problem i have is after a while my mind starts to wander and its allways at this time i spook one. its just like anything the more you do it, the better you train your mind to focus for longer and the more sucusseful you become. Bush stalking is too hard for a lot of people,

@Alex_Z read this post it might help you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigbear

@Alex_Z read this post it might help you

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Thanks :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by huntdeepsouth

bush stalking is the hardest discipline to master, it takes a really long time and a shit load of concentration to get right, I have been doing it for years and years and still spook more deer than i shoot. the biggest problem i have is after a while my mind starts to wander and its all ways at this time i spook one. its just like anything the more you do it, the better you train your mind to focus for longer and the more succussful you become. Bush stalking is too hard for a lot of people,

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That has been my experience also. The successful blokes don't generally talk about the many hours that were not successful. You need to be very dedicated and have plenty of time to spare.

I don't go too well but till nice to be out though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oldbloke

That has been my experience also. The successful blokes don't generally talk about the many hours that were not successful. You need to be very dedicated and have plenty of time to spare.

I don't go too well but till nice to be out though.

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I agree, bush stalking takes alot of time to be successful on a regular basics. Only time and experence in the bush will make you a good bush stalker.
Took me along time to master it and get good results but you still learning things every trip.
Its very hard to give top advice to newbys and think they going to have a animal down on the next couple of trips, ...prob not happening unless its pure luck.

Best advice, first, hunt areas where theres sign...equals deer are there.
Second, when first starting off avoid the thick bush, hunt areas with more open areas wheres theres sign. Less noise and better to see movement etc.
Always try hunt with the wind in your favour, and start early as possible.
Deer head high and bed up as the day goes on. Unlikely you going to find the deer handy at 9am, best be in the bush at 530am.

Dont always hunt the easy flat country, deer will head up ridges and hang out in terreces and heads of creeks, hunt those areas and do some hard yards .
Move slow and stop and look often when coming across fresh sign.
Off course you have to know its fresh sign, seen many ive taken seen sign and think its fresh but its not.
Experence will get you there or learning and hunting with someone that can point out these handy hints. You wont get one on the couch so get out there and do it.


In the end you be doing this .


Attachment 213372

Change the way you think about unsuccessful hunts.
Every time your out there is a learning opportunity.
Every time you spook a deer is a learning opportunity.
Think about what you did when following sign or spooked deer and what you could have done differently next time you go out.

Bush stalking is a art and time in the hills is your best teacher

Ok the way I see it- yes stalking is a a huge skill to learn, it also is far easier to park the car and start hunting versus park the car- walk uphill 1 to 4 hours- make camp- and glass for hours- shoot a deer at 300+ meters and then go get it. The finding of the deer-knowing where to look and their habits transfers between the two disciplines mostly, personally I find stalking a fair bit easier to undertake than tops or slip hunting.

In answer- follow the spooked deer as much/ad far as you can untill its not worth it.
At the least you spooked deer so were doing something correct so we'll done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deer243

I agree, bush stalking takes alot of time to be successful on a regular basics. Only time and experence in the bush will make you a good bush stalker.
Took me along time to master it and get good results but you still learning things every trip.
Its very hard to give top advice to newbys and think they going to have a animal down on the next couple of trips, ...prob not happening unless its pure luck.

Best advice, first, hunt areas where theres sign...equals deer are there.
Second, when first starting off avoid the thick bush, hunt areas with more open areas wheres theres sign. Less noise and better to see movement etc.
Always try hunt with the wind in your favour, and start early as possible.
Deer head high and bed up as the day goes on. Unlikely you going to find the deer handy at 9am, best be in the bush at 530am.

Dont always hunt the easy flat country, deer will head up ridges and hang out in terreces and heads of creeks, hunt those areas and do some hard yards .
Move slow and stop and look often when coming across fresh sign.
Off course you have to know its fresh sign, seen many ive taken seen sign and think its fresh but its not.
Experence will get you there or learning and hunting with someone that can point out these handy hints. You wont get one on the couch so get out there and do it.


In the end you be doing this .


Attachment 213372

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IMO that's good advice.

sight your rifle in PROPERLY ..inch high at hundred is pretty good for bush ranges.....says useless hua who MISSED AGAIN today...one good thing,will be the last deer I miss this year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by louiannz

Hey all

I am relatively new to hunting and want some advice.

Went for a wander the other day in an area well-known for deer and the sign I saw proved it.

A couple of questions:

1. While wandering slowly and quietly along the track I heard a deer run away in front of me about 20m away I think. I stopped and listened. It moved again and was running down into a gully off the side of the track and barked at me. Bush was quite thick so couldn't see much. Should you try and follow?? Find a better spot to see more or give up as the deer spooked and ran away? I think I gave up to early and wandered on.

2. On the same walk found an awesome area of open beech with heaps of fresh sign. Do you sit in one spot and watch the area or wander very slowly through the area hoping to bump into something?

Keen to learn - thanks.

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1. If the winds good and you can hear the animal its worth a sneak in, I've shot both reds and sika after an initial spook this way. Sometimes if they aren't sure what you are they'll run a bit then try suss you out. Especially sika. Their cleverness can be their downfall.

Open beach will typically be feeding area. Was their broadleaf trees scattered underneath? I hunt these areas early and late day as the deer use them to feed back to bedding area where they spend more time during the day. Typically they aren't going to be out cruising open beach in the middle of the day. If I hit. A real hot-spot for sign, it's always worth having a sit down for a while, especially early and late afternoon. I've shot a bunch of deer this way, get to a spot that just screams deer, but can't see one so sit down, have a drink or a feed and wait.

Morning and evening think food, during the day think shelter.

I hunt riverbeds, slips, clearings and bush edge morning and evening then focus on sidling through gully heads, around High terraces and off the side of big saddles during the day.

Getting in the right spots to increase your chances of seeing a deer but there's no replacement for time in the Bush. Pay attention to your surrounding and where, when and what the deer you bump are doing and you start to build a picture of what you need to find. After a while it becomes almost a bit of an instinct.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KiwiinSeattle

this might be useful -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsleDZLbJcY

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Wondered if that bloke was gonna carry out his deer barefoot - and I wondered that because I ran a tourist boat for a few years and being in and out of the water I just didn't bother with shoes. My feet got as hard as buggery, then one day an old bloke and his 8 year old grandson were late on a walk over Mt Tarawera - so I set off with a torch to look for them. Found them forty minutes up the hill, the old fella carrying the younger one who had clapped out. I took over the carrying duties and by the time I got back to the boat my feet were in poor shape.
Next day I couldn't put weight on them - and they took a while to heal.

And that's why I was curious, but I see he had boots for the carry and that made me wonder how he learned that lesson ?

Oh - and I see somewhere 'what do yer do if a deers barking at you ?'

That deer's barking because she knows your there - and she knows exactly where you are. Mostly you can kiss those deer goodbye, but if the country permits it - then go like the clappers towards those deer (run) - they aren't expecting it and I've got a few doing that. I caught one standing there so shocked I felt guilty shooting it - but I did.

I also had a stag grunting at me as I was hammering in a possum trap ...................
"Gonna get yourself shot doing that you silly bugger."
"Grunt ........ grunt."

So I looked up and there he was off to the side of me, his head almost to the ground so he could have a good look. So we 'talked' some more before he quietly wandered up the hill and I went and laid more traps.

It's pretty hard to tell exactly where you're gonna find deer - I move up and down the hill depending on the time of day and I just see them when I see them. Often they've seen me first, so I used to do a lot of practice snap shooting out my bedroom window at the chimneys in the neighbourhood and got pretty good at getting away a quick shot.
My longest ever shot at a deer was in the pissing rain and I aimed over it's back and smacked it thrpough the boiler room. That was across a big gully and I reckon it was over 300 yards - maybe closer to 400 yards.
The next longest shot at a deer was maybe 80 yards ......... and all the rest from about 2 yards to 30.

I hunted one place for over twenty years, it was tight as buggery and I never saw another person in there - but the deer were there and I took quite a few out of there. So my advice is find a place and learn all you can about it. There'll be places you will hardly ever see a deer, so you scoot through those places to get where you've learned the deer will be ..... then you start looking in earnest.

:)

Been thinking on this a bit - when I started hunting I had no one to show me the ropes and there weren't no internet, so I spent a good couple or three years stumbling around for not a lot of result. Then I got taken out by a family my mum knew and they took me to a place where there were deer - a lot of them. We got a pig and three deer that trip and it opened my eyes a bit to the type of country I should ought to be hunting.
So I got some maps and looked in the Tararua's and found that bringing a deer home on a motorbike was a bit uncomfortable, so I cadged the old family car off my dad and tried all different places until I found a few spots I just kept going back too.

Doing all that taught you what was useful to carry in the way of food and gear - and what wasn't. I was never a fan of carrying more than I needed as I had to carry it all back out with what I shot. A thirty pound pack with a 140 pound deer and 9 pound rifle is a load you don't look forward to, so I carried a poxing great plastic drum with a sealable lid in and buried it in my favourite spot - and I kept wet weather gear, fly and non spoilable foods in there. That was a three hour walk in and having that drum there saved me a lot of carrying - be still there too, haven't been back to that place for over forty years.

One thing I will not go without is a survival blanket - they will keep you alive.
And another thing is beware of rivers, I got stuck behind a river for two days before I could cross it - and I really, really should have waited three days. That was the Waiohine, but smaller rivers can come up too. I fished my brother in law out of one of them - it was in flood and I'd already found the spot and crossed and It took me a while to realise he was drowning. Frightened us both a bit that one, so be aware lots of things can happen in the bush - so sometimes it just pays to think before you do as you could be down for a few days before someone comes looking.
Unless of course you have a phone or something ....

Anyway - I've been hunting sixty years and I'm still here.

I mostly hunted on my own and it was all bush hunting - you get to know where to look, where you're likely to find them.
The most useful tools you have are your fitness, eyes, ears and nose - and that last isn't something you hear about much, but I've often smelled deer - stag, hind in milk.

Others have talked about moving in on a noise .......... do you, don't you - or should you wait for it to reveal itself.
If I hear it, it's close - I'm deaf in one ear. For me, it's sometimes not too easy to locate just where that noise is coming from, but once I have - I'll always move in. Don't always get that animal, often they'll hear me and are full alert or they move off, but I've got so close to a couple I was tempted to just grab them. One was a sika I didn't see until I got to four feet from and another was a red stag hard in behind a tree I walked around. Didn't get either of those - I knew they were close, but not that close.

Another tool I always carry is binoculars - my current pair are 6X Nikon Travelites that weigh bugger all and live around my neck on a short cord. They're usually tucked under my bush shirt and it's just a one handed grab to fish them out for a quick look, then shove them back.
Usually all you're gonna seen is a flash of movement, an ear flick or a hoof movement I though was a blackbird and turned out to be the best sika stag I ever saw - let him go too, dunno why ?
So that's what you're looking for - bit's of a deer as its not often you're gonna see the whole thing, and binos help you identify what you're looking at.

And another thing I learned is white hair sticks out like ducks balls. I watched a white goose floating along an airfield in the Kaimanawa's - and thought that's odd. Was still watching when it turned into my brother in laws head. So if you have white hair - cover it up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SF90

Wondered if that bloke was gonna carry out his deer barefoot - and I wondered that because I ran a tourist boat for a few years and being in and out of the water I just didn't bother with shoes. My feet got as hard as buggery, then one day an old bloke and his 8 year old grandson were late on a walk over Mt Tarawera - so I set off with a torch to look for them. Found them forty minutes up the hill, the old fella carrying the younger one who had clapped out. I took over the carrying duties and by the time I got back to the boat my feet were in poor shape.
Next day I couldn't put weight on them - and they took a while to heal.

And that's why I was curious, but I see he had boots for the carry and that made me wonder how he learned that lesson ?

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Shay is a legend in our house. Great bush craft, has been possum trapping for over a decade and successful with bow, rifle and gathering bush tucker.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

Yeah - I got the feeling he knew his shit :)

Bingo @WaikatoBushman

has anyone heard from @SF90 since the big floods???? I for one miss his in put.

If you are spooking them, you are getting close. You are in the right areas, and you just need to slow down.

In a good area I just take my time, take one step, have a good look around, plan your next quiet step. Go from tree to tree so you are making the most of the cover. Have your rifle in your hands, not on your shoulder. Force yourself to think - if there was a deer 50m away how quiet and stealthy do I have to be? Probably quieter than you were going.

It's easy to start walking, and put your rifle on your shoulder. The focus required to bush hunt is quite intense. So I take breaks, and walk through low sign or difficult areas, accepting that I may spook some. Then I hunt.

Any good area with good viz is worth a wait for a few minutes - or longer. I get bored sitting around, but sometimes it's a case of "wow theres a deer there that wasn't a few minutes ago, where the hell did that come from?" They seem to pop out of nothing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by louiannz

Hey all

I am relatively new to hunting and want some advice.

Went for a wander the other day in an area well-known for deer and the sign I saw proved it.

A couple of questions:

1. While wandering slowly and quietly along the track I heard a deer run away in front of me about 20m away I think. I stopped and listened. It moved again and was running down into a gully off the side of the track and barked at me. Bush was quite thick so couldn't see much. Should you try and follow?? Find a better spot to see more or give up as the deer spooked and ran away? I think I gave up to early and wandered on.

2. On the same walk found an awesome area of open beech with heaps of fresh sign. Do you sit in one spot and watch the area or wander very slowly through the area hoping to bump into something?

Keen to learn - thanks.

---

A couple of weeks ago I was bush hunting with a challenging wind. Spooked a few due wind. One I spooked I heard me as was keeping just out of sight barking at me. I stalked through towards it giving the odd hind call. It moved off a short distance 3 different times until I finally spotted it moving off again pulled it up with a fawn call and shot it at 15m. I think it all depends on how badly spooked they are. This area holds a lot of deer for public land. Have taken 20 animals from the same 1km square area since Feb

Another thing I have had happen quite a bit is if you can smell deer especially through winter as the seem to smell more stop and scan heaps they will be very close. Have had quite a few encounters like this recently

Quote:

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Originally Posted by louiannz

Hey all

I am relatively new to hunting and want some advice.

Went for a wander the other day in an area well-known for deer and the sign I saw proved it.

A couple of questions:

1. While wandering slowly and quietly along the track I heard a deer run away in front of me about 20m away I think. I stopped and listened. It moved again and was running down into a gully off the side of the track and barked at me. Bush was quite thick so couldn't see much. Should you try and follow?? Find a better spot to see more or give up as the deer spooked and ran away? I think I gave up to early and wandered on.

2. On the same walk found an awesome area of open beech with heaps of fresh sign. Do you sit in one spot and watch the area or wander very slowly through the area hoping to bump into something?

Keen to learn - thanks.

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I used to give those deer that ran of and barked a go by taking of up ridge quickly - give it about 500-600 yards and sit tight in an area with good view back down gully - sometimes would get lucky - they just not spooked that much and about 10 mins later here's the old girl coming up quietly looking back to see if she can pick up what spooked her - does not work all the time but when it does most satisfying

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I used to give those deer that ran of and barked a go by taking of up ridge quickly - give it about 500-600 yards and sit tight in an area with good view back down gully - sometimes would get lucky - they just not spooked that much and about 10 mins later here's the old girl coming up quietly looking back to see if she can pick up what spooked her - does not work all the time but when it does most satisfying

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That sounds like a useful ploy, thanks.