A Good Effort: Kaimai Hunt

Hey everyone, I hope you're doing well! I just wanted to share a small write-up if anyone's keen to have a read.


The alarm went off at 3:30AM, and by 4:45AM, we were on the move, making our way through the Kaimai bush in the dark with head torches lighting our path. We aimed to arrive at our spot 30 minutes before sunrise so that the bush would settle down and we’d have clear visibility for hunting by the time the sun came up. After a solid trek, we made it with just enough time to spare before the first light hit.

The wind was perfect, so we settled in and waited as the sun slowly warmed the open ground in front of us.

Once the sun had fully risen and we could see the area well, we were ready to hunt. Unfortunately, after hours of sitting and watching, nothing showed up. We decided to call it, but just as I walked over to check the area where we thought they’d be, I spotted fresh sign – still lukewarm! We must’ve just missed them.

Even though we didn’t get a deer, it was a good effort. Just gotta keep at it and we’ll get there next time!

where you sitting watching in the bush or a slip/clearing?

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Originally Posted by Yesmate

where you sitting watching in the bush or a slip/clearing?

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Hey mate, was sitting at a clearing!

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Thomson track tops or wairere falls ?

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Originally Posted by TakaRat

Hey mate, was sitting at a clearing!

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on the edge of a clearing?if so that's not a very good way to hunt in the bush, if the deer aren't there on first light its doubtful they will turn up while you wait, if there is hot sign there what you want to do is go back next time and stalk through the clearing into the wind obviously.they won't be far away if there is fresh sign on the clearing.try to follow a trail into some gully heads or if the wind is no good double back and try to drop down on them from the top of the gully heads.i have always had better results coming down on top of deer as they always seem to bed up higher and look down for danger.

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Originally Posted by Friwi

Thomson track tops or wairere falls ?

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Further down south from the falls!

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Originally Posted by Yesmate

on the edge of a clearing?if so that's not a very good way to hunt in the bush, if the deer aren't there on first light its doubtful they will turn up while you wait, if there is hot sign there what you want to do is go back next time and stalk through the clearing into the wind obviously.they won't be far away if there is fresh sign on the clearing.try to follow a trail into some gully heads or if the wind is no good double back and try to drop down on them from the top of the gully heads.i have always had better results coming down on top of deer as they always seem to bed up higher and look down for danger.

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Nah we were in the middle of the clearing concealed behind some vegetation

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Originally Posted by TakaRat

Nah we were in the middle of the clearing concealed behind some vegetation

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how big was the clearing?with respect I think you were wasting your time.

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Originally Posted by Yesmate

how big was the clearing?with respect I think you were wasting your time.

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It was big

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Yeah, sitting on a clearing in the Kaimais is a long road to boredom with the occasional moment of total embarrassment haha. Usually when you turn around and there's a yearling hind standing there behind you stumped as she can smell you but as you aren't really moving and not looking or doing the usual human thing she can't work out what the hecks up and curiosity has won out! I've had that a couple of times, scares the heck out of you when there's a set of four hooves flailing about in 'get the F outta here' mode!

As the man said, get onto some fresh sign and keep the wind in your face. You can often surprise them in the flax or cutty bushes, they can break from under a meter away at times and you won't see a thing. You'll get there, can be very frustrating but thats the Kaimais.

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Originally Posted by Yesmate

on the edge of a clearing?if so that's not a very good way to hunt in the bush, if the deer aren't there on first light its doubtful they will turn up while you wait, if there is hot sign there what you want to do is go back next time and stalk through the clearing into the wind obviously.they won't be far away if there is fresh sign on the clearing.try to follow a trail into some gully heads or if the wind is no good double back and try to drop down on them from the top of the gully heads.i have always had better results coming down on top of deer as they always seem to bed up higher and look down for danger.

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Yeah for sure, my thinking was they could come out when the sun came out because it was very cold

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Maybe sit on the edge of a clearing not in the middle of it, you would of disturbed them going into the clearing. Sounds like your on the right track tho, keep at it

yes I have never had much success sitting on clearings theres just to much chance of small wind changes stuffing it up and alerting deer you are there - homework how can I approach that clearing without being seen and with the wind right to check it out- if you do decide to sit and watch then get back from it and high up - try it when its drizzling helps to muffle your sound and wind - try to come down onto it very slowly -you will of course have seen deer sign on it to make sure its worthy of your attention - nothing seen but there is a lot of fresh sign on it - try to work out how the got there - down a ridge - then circle way above it by going up an adjacent ridge and slowly stalk down the ridge they are using trying to pick them up as they move around feeding -

"Warm sign just missed em" seems to be a common theme in that part of kaimais, I was finding fresh sign on top of my own footprints from earlier in the same day!