Thread: founded fear?

Hi guys,
I might sound like a scared little girl here but I am. This year is the first year we have legally been allowed to hunt red deer in the roar which is great and all but there are a lot of weekend cowboy fuckwits from Melbourne ans closer to home that would shoot at anything that moves, makes a sound or looks like an animal deer or not.
I have blaze but are there any other safety measures I should put in place hunting public land to make sure we don't have any accidents.
believe me I've grown up with a gun in my hand and dad with his eye on safety and thats been the main thing I've had drilled into me. When I was 11 I started going on hunts with trigger our deerhound and the martini Henry .22 by myself after roos and I was scared then of not being safe enough!
I just have little faith in what I've seen of other hunters in this life so far.
So any ideas? Also I roar, hind call, rattle antlers and do other deer stuff in thick country and that's what's really scaring me of blokes getting too trigger happy when this roaring stag just won't run away as they get closer (probably from upwind knowing some ha)

BH

That is certainly a dilemma for you Jack. My advice would be to head somewhere just that little bit more difficult so that only serious hunters are likely to be there. If that isn't an option then take all precautions (wear blaze etc) to be safe. From what you are describing you are likely to smell the after shave on the weekend cowboys before they see you anyway.

Yeh I know going somewhere else would be logical but we don't have a big herd so when you find a good spot you wanna stay there sorta thing.
Ran in to one lot of Melbourne blokes a few years back and they'd shot 25 deer in the week they'd been down, most of which were hinds and they were just cutting the heads off and tying them to the bullbar and leaving the rest to rot. I'm a lover not a fighter but I couldve ripped their throats out that day.
I spose the biggest worry is that I'm taking the missus out for the first time into the bush this year and I wouldnt be able to live with myself if something happened.
but anyways ill just blaze up and take good care.

Cocks. Shoulda let all there tires down.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

I read on the forum a while back of a guy who roared stags in with a monkey sound in order to avoid hunters mistaking his calls for that of a real stag. He said the stag didnt care. May not work on Rambo but could be worth a try. Otherwise I can't think of what else (other than what Rushy said). Might be worth leaving the misses at home and taking her another time?

All the best, jack.

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk 2

What a predicament to be in. How about putting off this tempting opportunity and see what the response is like. Maybe go in after the masses have left, bypass the mounds of empty cans and takeaway wrappings and pick up the smarter ones that will still be a bit spooked? Better to live and fight another day.
Walk the ridges, stop and roar waiting 10-15min before moving on. If you get a reply, sit tight and let it come to you. That way if it is another hunter, you will spot him first

Sako I did think about tree stand hunting just to give myself s safety buffer but I would get itchy feet not stalking.
Its a good idea on the ridge thing but the country I hunt is flat as a bird with an a cup and the bush is thick thick.
There's another lo al bloke who hunts in the area I do, he's shot one stag in his 35 years of life and was lucky enough to stumble on the biggest one ever shot in Australia and that's on his wall! But anyways last year I was out in the rut (different state) and ad it turned out we were coming from opposite sides of the bush heading towards each other unknowingly. from behind me I could hear cows mooing but no stags that morning, I found out he thought the cows were stags and was stalking in straight towards me. The same bloke a few weeks ago shot a yearling in the bush 200 metres from me, nearly shit myself not kidding haha neither had any idea the other was there.
So i could probably sound like a monkey and still bring yobos in haha

Sounds like you're in a bit of a pickle.

Do you have the opportunity to hunt private land ?

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Do you have the opportunity to hunt private land ?

Yeh mate and I do as much as I can, but the hinds love the public land so thats where the big boys go in the rut

Wear as much bright blue as you can then, best of luck for the roar

I'd definitely be wearing blaze on my head (as well as a top) - your head moves the most even when you're sitting so making it conspicuous is important.

I admit I'm not looking forward to the mobs of weekend warriars with cheap guns and no brains this roar. If hunting with a buddy one of us is 'hunter spotting' whilst the other is deer spotting

Don't go into the thick stuff. Hang about on the edge of it but in full view, and don't sound to deer like. I would only be roaring if there is that many mad bastards around.
That really sounds like a deer BANG..............