Thread: How often are you successful?

Originally Posted by Shearer

If you haven't already, start a hunting diary. Log time, place, weather conditions, sign seen, deer seen, moon phase. The more info the better. After a few years you will start to see patterns develop as to where you see sign, in what conditions, and at what times of the day/year. If you are seeing fresh sign the deer won't be far away so persist.

This.

I started keeping a diary when I moved up north 5 years ago. I did it mostly to keep records while I was trying to find good areas to hunt. It's worked wonders for my hunting and hopefully it will make for good reading when I'm old. You can compile stats on your years hunting etc also which I quite like.

The best diary you can have is the old school photo album. Take a photo of what ever you shot, but even if you shot nothin, take a photo of the hut, or camp, or your ugly mate. Write the location, date, am or pm, and whether you saw any animals
Surprising how patterns can show up over time

Some awesome advice in this thread. All depends on outlook & what you consider success, but put the yards in, pay attention & never feel like you’ve learnt enough & you’ll find your ‘luck’ improving.

I got lucky on my first ever deer hunt. A buddy took me into a public block he’s hunted hard so knows very well. He had access through the neighbouring farm to be able to drop in at the back on the DOC block. After that I started putting in the yards in that block myself. Never been back to the area he took me as I felt like that’d be abusing his generosity a bit as I know he’s spent years learning that area. But found a new part of the block to spend my time in & started putting what I learnt off him to use in the new area. Took me quite a few trips in there & almost a year, but I finally got my second deer. Now in that area I see animals almost every trip & was recently even able to take a mate out and get him his first deer. But I still learn more every trip.

Then I just moved up to Welly from the Deep South a couple months ago & now have to put the hard yards in again to learn some new areas/country. First trip out to the Orongarongas I saw a few goats & took one. Then I’ve just done a couple of trips into a different block- saw 2 deer the first trip, & a couple of pigs the last trip in (plus I almost hit a couple of deer that ran out in front of the car on the drive in to the DOC carpark). A couple of my colleagues tried offering their condolences that I’ve been out for two hunts & haven’t come back with any meat, but I quickly informed them that both trips were successful & that it takes time to learn a new area. I was bloody happy to have even seen animals my first two trips in there as it means I’m onto the right spots.

Plus, I might not shoot (or even see) anything on every trip, but the alternative would’ve been sitting at home on my arse wasting the weekend away before dragging myself back to work the following Monday.

I found hunting the bush fringe the most productive when hunting the Kaimai's, I spent many a day slogging through the crap and learnt the deer trails and then looked for advantage points overlooking areas where deer frequented...success rate was sighting an animal around every third trip and then got a rifle that would shoot the distance as the .270 was like aiming at the sky to allow for the drop...deer are more prolific in the Kaimai's now than they ever have been for many years past. Another bonus is that at least 4 hunters I know have given up hunting the Kaimai's for various reasons (age, work commitments, injury), one has gone into only photographing animals, be worth looking over his shoulder, he showed me a photo that took two hours of waiting just so he could get all 7 deer in the one frame.

Don't keep changing area's if the deer sign is there, just get to know the area as well as the deer do and you'll be rewarded, if you have what it takes. Changing hunting locations every time you fail will let you see plenty of our country but you won't get to know it. Your beginners success is above the norm for the areas you've hunted, good luck or what ever it's put down to.

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement.
Hunting is something I was always interested in but never had the opportunity to get into whilst younger. Now that I can, I try to get out as often as I can, and look to learn more every time.
I understand the sentiment of success not requiring an animal to be harvested. I do value the time in the bush much more than a lazy day at home, we are lucky to have such a beautiful country and the ability to enjoy it freely.

1st trip : 100% overall success
2nd trip : 50% overall success
3rd trip: 66% overall success
4th trip: 50% overall success

Probably should have quit after my first outing!

Originally Posted by DavidGunn

I found hunting the bush fringe the most productive when hunting the Kaimai's, I spent many a day slogging through the crap and learnt the deer trails and then looked for advantage points overlooking areas where deer frequented...success rate was sighting an animal around every third trip and then got a rifle that would shoot the distance as the .270 was like aiming at the sky to allow for the drop...deer are more prolific in the Kaimai's now than they ever have been for many years past. Another bonus is that at least 4 hunters I know have given up hunting the Kaimai's for various reasons (age, work commitments, injury), one has gone into only photographing animals, be worth looking over his shoulder, he showed me a photo that took two hours of waiting just so he could get all 7 deer in the one frame.

You sure about that??

I thought they are a pretty flat shooting cartridge too?

I'm a 308 fanboy however lol.