Thread: Bush stalking time of day

Morning, what time of day have you folks had success bush stalking? Is it the usual dawn and dusk? Is mid afternoon any good? I have a spot I've been to once and bumped into a couple of yearlings crossing a ridge track around 10am. I was too busy watching my feet crossing a boggy bit of track and looked up in time to see them bolt...

Any time of day, their routine (feeding and bedded)will change based on the moon phase....yes sounds wishy washy but having used it for 10 years now there is certainly some truth to it....i have shot them at 10am, 12, 2 and 5pm in the bush.....in fact anybtime of the day.....they are where you find them...you may catch them napping so eyes peeled....if i go bush hunting for the day im not too bothered about being up at sparrows....rather a lazy start.

Hamish

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I stick to it from first thing to mid morning and then into it again from later afternoon until dark. Mid winter, I hunt all day.

Originally Posted by Dama dama

I stick to it from first thing to mid morning and then into it again from later afternoon until dark. Mid winter, I hunt all day.

What would you call later afternoon this time of year?

I set up a game camera at my spot X on the Coast recently andI was getting photo's of animals at any given time during the day.

Hey man
I just bush hunt any time of the day as am always pretty busy with kids etc so cant always manage to get out at the "prime time" and haven't found any particular time of day better. Early morning and late evening the animals seem to be moving a bit more heading to feed areas.
During the day when finding bedded animals they will often get up and move a few meters if bumped and stop for a look, shoot quite a few this way, also if you find little side spurs etc where they bed for the day it can be really productive.

Originally Posted by Bhess

Hey man
I just bush hunt any time of the day as am always pretty busy with kids etc so cant always manage to get out at the "prime time" and haven't found any particular time of day better. Early morning and late evening the animals seem to be moving a bit more heading to feed areas.
During the day when finding bedded animals they will often get up and move a few meters if bumped and stop for a look, shoot quite a few this way, also if you find little side spurs etc where they bed for the day it can be really productive.

Thanks Bhess, Are you looking near the top of those spurs where they come off the ridge? Much animal movement during the day?

Originally Posted by Dama dama

I stick to it from first thing to mid morning and then into it again from later afternoon until dark. Mid winter, I hunt all day.

Same here. Usually main meal is lunch.
Then pa nap time.

As others mentioned, I've experienced the most activity morning and evening but I still enjoy hunting throughout the day. The exception being if it has recently stopped raining and the sun has come out - this seems to stimulate a bit of animal movement/activity no matter the time of day, in my experience. Last couple of bush hunts I have got onto deer shortly after it has stopped raining and they've been moving around on the warmer faces.

I also wonder if yearlings being given the boot affects things this time of year?

Goats, not deer, so maybe different, but I often get in to the bush too early to find animals and often bump in to them on the way out. Animals have to be somewhere and in the middle of the day, the bush would seem likely the logical place to be.

Im no bush hobbet but ive bumped a few switching spots or heading to camp for a nap from 10am - 2pm seems to get up and move between that time frame

Ive found them anytime of the day moving but more often late avo.
Poke down the side spurs as far as you need, they are where you find them, often in a small open patch in the thicker stuff or around the edges of the thick stuff.
If theres sign in the area you're hunting they'll be around it all takes time to get to know areas and their habits. Its only the last 3 years I have really made a big effort bush hunting now its 80% of my hunting. It suits me fine, very satisfying when it all comes together.
After doing it for a while it is seldom I don't come home with any meat

Originally Posted by hamishg

What would you call later afternoon this time of year?

From 5pm over the next few months. As this thread attests, there are no hard and fast rules. This time of year, at least down here, the days get really long and you need to rest (well, I do anyway), and may as well do that in the middle of the day when deer are moving a lot less. Also bear in mind that a bedded deer is an alert deer...but not an impossible deer.

Also, fallow seem to be more active during the day than reds in my experience.