Thread: How's the recon going for the roar?

Originally Posted by Sideshow

How did the recon go @Carbine?

Clouded,rained out on the forecast so will wait until a high is pushing in might have to wait a week as have an infusion in hospital on Monday

Have been doing recon for the last 4 months, plus knocking hind populations in my spots down to a 3rd of their numbers, atleast trying to. Hopefully the stags will compete hard if their are fewer hinds to go round. Have 3 mature stags on my watch list, was going to get out after one of them this weekend except for catching bloody covid! Checked out a completely new spot a few weeks back that I e scouted with google earth and nz topo maps, a few animals around and a half decent stag which is my best so far so I couldn’t help but shoot him. The fat on the bugger was out of this world, over an inch on his rump!

Originally Posted by Jus

Have been doing recon for the last 4 months, plus knocking hind populations in my spots down to a 3rd of their numbers, atleast trying to. Hopefully the stags will compete hard if their are fewer hinds to go round. Have 3 mature stags on my watch list, was going to get out after one of them this weekend except for catching bloody covid! Checked out a completely new spot a few weeks back that I e scouted with google earth and nz topo maps, a few animals around and a half decent stag which is my best so far so I couldn’t help but shoot him. The fat on the bugger was out of this world, over an inch on his rump! Attachment 191767

massive animal. Hope you had some help getting that off the hill.

Dam Hope that goes okay

Really great recon in the Ruapehu area last weekend @mickey Duck with over a hundred animals seen. Red's, Sika and Fallow all looking in great nick this year after we've had a bit more consistent rain and plenty of feed around as a result. Although this was on Private land it relies upon animals getting drawn out of the adjoining DOC land.

The Stags and Bucks were already starting to get a wriggle on. Saw some massive absolutely massive Buck heads already in hard Antler and in one shot the week before we got there had inches of fat on him.
the Red Hinds were making good good recovery and I ended up taking two younger 2yr old's of these (missed a sitter of a neck shot at 300 on a Sika which I'm still not happy about). A couple in our party took Fallow hinds and these had 15-20mm of back fat on them so also in really good nick.

So overall have filled the freezer, and those heads are looking really good this year. So warm barrels everyone -enjoy!!

Carpe Diem..

Nice @Carpe Diem when do you think you will head back in to have a crack at the real thing....ie when do you think the roar will kick off in that region?

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Nice @Carpe Diem when do you think you will head back in to have a crack at the real thing....ie when do you think the roar will kick off in that region?

Given the numbers we saw I don't think it's kicking off yet and is most likely still a ways off. Some animals were stripping velvet or had done already. We saw or heard no roaring and apart from a few Fallow family groups with smaller bucks and spikers in tow the bigger headed animals were all in boy groups of up to 5 or 6 animals, and a few solitary animals (1 Huge Sika Stag and a Couple of Bucks) just wandering around like they didn't have a care in the world.

Given last week consistently got up to about 28 degrees in temp following Dovi- apart from a few showers it's still far too hot and the overnights mild for things to kick off early.

I think we're still a ways off...

CD.

I put a game camera out on Sunday and there was no sign of the usual wallows having been used yet. I saw 3 yearlings and put up a couple of hinds in the area so hopeful for the roar. I should have taken my bow as I played with one yearling for about 10 minutes as it tried to work out if I was a threat or not. Got to withing about 10m of it before it fled. I did get a few photos on my phone but they were pretty crappy.

Great, snuck into a place to check it out and on the way out... right on dusk this fella popped out. All hard antler 1x side was pretty stripped, other was just starting.

Let's say, I need to start looking at a new spot .

Went for a walk this afternoon soon as it got dark the the deer at the deer farm next to the bush block I was in were going off

The stags on the deer farm up the road were roaring yesterday afternoon, first time I’ve heard them this year.

I saw a wallow that had been opened up about a week or so ago. Then a stag I shot in the area 2 days ago had been wallowing quite heavily. Muddy legs and belly.

He shook himself just before I shot him and a shower of water came off him.

I went looking for stags last weekend and they seem to be hunkered down as expected. But I hear a few half ass roars. Public land.

big boys on deer farms were going off last Sunday morning in the misty rain...the majority werent yet in dopey mode.say a few in hard antler stripped off but not coloured up properly yet.....
still only first weekend of autumn..... no frost yet..... hopefully the big fellas can get end away a few times before being shot.should be a really good year for antler growth down here as weather has been absolutely fanfarkintastic for vegetation growth..terrible for grain crops but the maize is 10 feet tall.

First hunts for awhile in the last two weeks. Saw a good rut pad in one area and sign of a ok stag so might go back for a look later.
Today hunted 6 hours in a new block, couple of deer marks but not much.
Managed to find a good wallow that been used by a hind couple days ago but no sign of a stag. still, put up a game camera to see whats going to come there.
near the end of the hunt oi found a ridge quite a distance away that had sign of a stag so maybe he end up at the wallow as only wallow i found all day.

Been surfcasting rather than hunting this year but i start to get out abit now