Thread: Do you have much success with winter Deer hunting ? Or am I just doing it wrong ?

Hi lads and ladies,

Im not having much success during winter, have done ok in spring and summer concentrating hunting along river and on open flats with plenty of grass.

In winter i try and hunt a bit higher, sunny north facing slopes etc...With no luck.

Should I revert back and hunt how I do in summer for winter?

Or is it just always harder in winter due to the metabolisim of deer slowing down, and dont eat or move around as much?

Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Dont know if its just luck but the last 3 trips I have been on with a mate have resulted in 8 deer between us. Quite a bit of snow round too... Stick to the warm spots with plenty of feed around...

Cheers buddy. And well done hope you have a huge freezer or plenty of friends. So you were hunting the tops ?

2 bush, 1 tops. And it has been a bloody cold June down here this year. Deer dont disappear they just shift habitat and habits. Its up to you to figure that out:-) Good luck...

Your right there Wildman, snowing on Northern Birch in the Kawekas this morning and theres still deer out looking for nibbles, but they are not far from cover, they love those collapsed beech areas where I can look in and see them from above.

I have done plenty of bush hunts since summer disappeared but the LR hunting is still very effective, perhaps even more so. They are just not on the tops is all.

Myself and a couple of mates went out yesterday in the Southern Ruhanies.

Bloody freezing just as the sun came up, was ice everywhere.

Found a nice bush spot that was like a highway, Ground was a mess torn up as.

Cant wait to get back up there sit and wait for them, problem is the great spot covers a lot of ground on two side of a ridge.

Look for greens in the bush / Fusha, patches , grass etc . They feed here morning / evenings then travel up the ridges to sleep or for the rest of the day . half way to 3/4s to the top .
Good Luck.

Cheers thanks Greyghost for the tips.

Originally Posted by Mohawk660

Cheers thanks Greyghost for the tips.

if we can get up behind the farm in the weekend i will show you a few things to look for, might even be keen to have a look at tarawera see whats about

My take on winter hunting - my sucess rate is double for winter hunting. The upside is you can sleep in till 7:30 or so and still get deer in places they shouldn't be in the late morning, the meat keeps for ever, no flies, no other hunters, no flies ( I hate flies), you can hear deer before you see them cause there are no flies ( did I mention I hate flies?), the deer are mobbed up so you can get two or three in one spot in the bush, no sign = go fast, sign = you are about to shoot one ( or more). The down side is after eight hours sleep it's still 3:00 am and you are wide awake with five hours to ponder why you are hunting in the winter.......

The deer are definately higher up during the colder months. Something to do with cold air sinking into the valley bottoms. The sun hits the higher north eastern slips first, the tucker is crap so the they don't browse much, company lessens misery, snow falling from foliage makes as much noise as a clumsy hunter, most of the flies are dead, less energy from crap tucker = less movement = see one today = will be there abouts tomorrow......

Thats my reason (s) for hunting in the winter, plus there are no flies.......

Pnumatix that is a great promotion for winter hunting. Of course there is also the reason that I go winter hunting and that is that I just love the hell out of being in the bush any time of year. To use a cliche' the most miserable day in the bush makes me happier than the best day at work.

Originally Posted by Pnumatix

My take on winter hunting - my sucess rate is double for winter hunting. The upside is you can sleep in till 7:30 or so and still get deer in places they shouldn't be in the late morning, the meat keeps for ever, no flies, no other hunters, no flies ( I hate flies), you can hear deer before you see them cause there are no flies ( did I mention I hate flies?), the deer are mobbed up so you can get two or three in one spot in the bush, no sign = go fast, sign = you are about to shoot one ( or more). The down side is after eight hours sleep it's still 3:00 am and you are wide awake with five hours to ponder why you are hunting in the winter.......

The deer are definately higher up during the colder months. Something to do with cold air sinking into the valley bottoms. The sun hits the higher north eastern slips first, the tucker is crap so the they don't browse much, company lessens misery, snow falling from foliage makes as much noise as a clumsy hunter, most of the flies are dead, less energy from crap tucker = less movement = see one today = will be there abouts tomorrow......

Thats my reason (s) for hunting in the winter, plus there are no flies.......

So PNUMATIX I take it you dont like flies then ? Thanks for your tips and take on winter hunting ...

You will find deer in a different spot. They will forsake the frozen clearings and river flats. Generally they will be up the side of the hill above the cold air and hoping to catch some sun in the afternoon, without being so high they get in the colder air further up there. They are also not so dependant on good feed and dont get around for it like they do in Spring for example. You will have to scout around up the side of the ridge to find what level they are living at. THe good news is once you find their wintering area they will all be there; and will be there next year too.
AS someone said above, the major disadvantage to winter hunting is the long boring nights. It's dark at five down here and doesnt get light till eight.

You are bang on there Carlsen. I usually bush hunt ridges that run north south and top out at around 800m. Reds seem to prefer to yard up on less steep areas near to the top. I'm guessing it allows them to cross from east to west to catch the sun without expending much energy. Also in the Ruahines lower down in wide valleys that don't funnel the prevailing southwest winds on the western side seem to produce good results. I often come across areas completely grazed and browsed out that hold many small groups of hinds and yearlings in relatively compact areas. Once located it is not unusual to pick up ones and twos daily for three or four days before they get the message and bugger off. I have nabbed my fair share on river flats during the depths of winter if recent snow has forced them down and then a fine spell has melted off frost and snow on the flats. They are not feeding though, just standing around catching rays. A few years back when the helicopter recovery from the Ruahines has more tightly controlled, the area around lake Colenso was one of the best winter spots around. One four day trip resulting in seven deer. Like Rushy said above, better to be cold and hunting than warm and working!