Thread: First Deer - Meat hunt

Hey folks,

Is there anyone out there that is willing to give me a hand to catch my first deer ?
I've been hunting for a couple of years, have been going out every weekend for the last 2 months going on solo mission in Tauranga/BOP area but no success so far.
I might be doing something wrong as I see signs, spooked a deer other day but still never shot one. :cave

I would really appreciate if someone could help me out.

Thank you in advance.

Vin

when you hit fresh sign or a likely looking area ,slow down untill you think you are going too slow,then slow down some more. keep the wind in your face,cotton 10" long draped from end of barrel or ciggy lighter in pocket will help with this....

consider sitting at both ends of day and just watching a likely looking bush edge,youve spooked one so can do it again,and again,and again...sooner or later you will get it right and get the drop on one before it bolts.

Slow down,hunt into the wind ,follow the sun ,be in the areas you want to hunt at dusk and dawn.

At the moment the deer are looking for feed, as soon as winter hits( cant be far away ) warm faces. I find it does get harder from now on, then come november, december where there is spring growth, little pockets of clearings,slip faces there will be deer,river beds with grass
If you are walking hours with no sign you are in the wrong areas.
Stick with it mate once you get your first it will all fall into place.

all my easy public land deer have been spring to new year river flats. Look for a spiker, yearling with mum before she drops. They will make good eating and not be so large you can't carry out a decent portion.
Never shot a deer doing pure bush stalking, have spooked a few so I tend to look for grassy clearings and sunny faces that I can stop and look into.
Pick an area look for grassy clearings and animal sign and the just keep going back timing you arrival for that dawn dusk window.
Nb on those overcast, foggy, drizzly days they can stay out well into the day. 11am, learnt this that hard way, lost 2 deer as my rifle was not loaded.
Z

@Vin send me a PM, I hunt a lot in the Kaimais etc, should be able to put you straight.

Good advice above, they are after any green tucker right now. I like to find places ( bush edges ) with a lot of sign about especially the ones that catch morning or afternoon sun or both and glass till your shooting light has gone. You need the wind right or its a waste of time, sometimes it may take several visits but one day you will get it right. Another good time to be watch said areas is prior to a bad weather front coming in , deer and other animals can sense the bad weather and quite often feed earlier before the rain comes. Keep at it you will win in the end and it is a great sense of achievement to do it all yourself.

Your close mate,keep at it by yourself the reward and knowledge is going to be massive,something that won’t be as supreme if someone else puts you onto your first kill.as said above at all times keep wind,sign and stealth at the for front of your stalking.

Getting the first deer can either be easy or hard, or somewhere in between.

I didn't start deer hunting until my mid 20s and have learnt from my mistakes over time.

The biggest lesson for me is that I don't judge my hunts on whether or not I got a deer. If it's all about the venison then I may as well pay to shoot one in a holding paddock.

Don't yet me wrong, I like venison. But to me it's about getting into the Bush with the dog and some friends. I spend the day/ night enjoying being outdoors, with good company and scenery.

The hard part is when others judge the hunt based on if you come back with venison.

Make life easier on yourself, and simply go out for walk in the hills with your rifle. enjoy the experience, and if you get that deer, then even better

Wise words my friend. I will keep that in mind from now on. Thanks

@Vin hunt smarter not harder , try & change tactics , forget bush hunting or at least focus more on bush edge & slips find a slip or bushline first thing in the morning or evening try just sitting there watching from a distance & waiting when you think about that its actually pretty simple , for a start the odds are now in your favour , your in the rite area at the rite time , your not crashing about in the bush , If you stick to that plan you will see animals , try it , if you have somewhere like that & you don't see anything go for a wander and see if there is any fresh sign there if not, try the same tactics but a different spot.
Give it a whirl .