hunting this time of year, kawekas, ruahines, aorangis or wapiakahi?

Hey all, Im planning on heading out for a hunt a 3 weeks, Being winter, Im assuming animals will be mainly down low where there is green growth, so I should avoid the high tops,
Also, Is it good to be out in the open watching slips in the sun morning and night, or better to go bush ?

Where would be a rewarding hut at this time of year to stay at? Sure I know i must do the Mahi.

Am thinking Longview hut or stanfield hut in the south eastern ruahines.
Mohaku saddle hut in the southern kawekas.
Alice Nash Memorial heritage hut in the south western ruahines
Or Right down lower Wairarapa into the aorangi.

Sure the weather will play a huge part in where I will be going, but putting the weather side where would you go at this time of year.

thanks all, Trying to learn more and more!

Have had success on the sunny slips in the mornings recently.

thanks mate, am guessing your meaning the ruahines being from the manawatu ? south west i presume ?

Yes and you did mention a certain hut :thumbsup:
Hard recoveries though

South east sorry

Stay low where spring flush starts, top h7nting no good until late nov

I don't know about all the places mentioned but red stags were at 250 metres ASL on cold southern face yesterday morning in the Kaimai's, one is now in an even colder place, butchers chiller.

do you want to hunt bush or slips, That will narrow your search down.

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Originally Posted by HNTMAD

do you want to hunt bush or slips, That will narrow your search down.

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He wants to hunt where the deer are most likely to be....
:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by craigc

He wants to hunt where the deer are most likely to be....
[emoji106]

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Best he try Wainui and Stokes valley then at this time of year

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Now now boys. Ha ha.In all seriousness though. September is one of the hardest months to hunt. Think winter still unless you are hunting coastal farm country. If you are an open country hunter then glass sunny slips and scrub regen faces as noted. If a bush hobbit hunt as per winter. Too easy. Plenty deer in all areas mentioned.

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Originally Posted by DavidGunn

I don't know about all the places mentioned but red stags were at 250 metres ASL on cold southern face yesterday morning in the Kaimai's, one is now in an even colder place, butchers chiller.

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Hey @DavidGunn how was the animals condition?
I found most at this time to be skinny depending on where I got them. Those that came out on the farms seemed in better health. Well till they meet me:ORLY:

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Hey @DavidGunn how was the animals condition?
I found most at this time to be skinny depending on where I got them. Those that came out on the farms seemed in better health. Well till they meet me:ORLY:

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Definitely not skinny, but not an ounce of fat on it...I reckon another month would be ideal.

There's a few skinny deer around at the moment.
@craigc shot this with me last week and you can see how thin it was. Quite an old buck though so he was obviously struggling getting condition back on post roar. The Reds are only just holding their own at the moment too.

Attachment 120125

In terms of finding deer at the moment they are where the sun is. They herd a bit so if you can find where they are there will likely be more than one. Warmth seems to be more important than feed because they don't move around very much - conserving energy. For them, it will be a few weeks yet before they think it's spring. Daffodils mean nothing to deer.

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Originally Posted by Tahr

There's a few skinny deer around at the moment.
@craigc shot this with me last week and you can see how thin it was. Quite an old buck though so he was obviously struggling getting condition back on post roar. The Reds are only just holding their own at the moment too.

Attachment 120125

In terms of finding deer at the moment they are where the sun is. They herd a bit so if you can find where they are there will likely be more than one. Warmth seems to be more important than feed because they don't move around very much - conserving energy. For them, it will be a few weeks yet before they think it's spring. Daffodils mean nothing to deer.

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And yet I shot a red hind the other day and she was mud fat. Maybe she is eating first and not leaving anything for the rest.... and all 9 fallow we shot last week were in gd condition.

Spring is starting to show in the native as the jelly ferns are sprouting....well at leatbthenone I saw in the Kaimanawa last weekend were

Hamishhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...426ba884bb.jpg

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Originally Posted by HNTMAD

And yet I shot a red hind the other day and she was mud fat. Maybe she is eating first and not leaving anything for the rest.... and all 9 fallow we shot last week were in gd condition.

Spring is starting to show in the native as the jelly ferns are sprouting....well at leatbthenone I saw in the Kaimanawa last weekend were

Hamishhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...426ba884bb.jpg

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Its probably different down on the rhubarb flats where you hunt :) :)

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Originally Posted by Tahr

Its probably different down on the rhubarb flats where you hunt :) :)

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Crack up

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All depends on tucker really. Also as a whole, stags at this time of year are much worse than hinds. Hinds weaned their fawns off the back of summer while stags lose their condition in the roar and then only have a very short time to make it back before winter hits and their metabolism slows down. Case in point is that I shot a stag in the bush a couple weeks back that was skin and bone and in my opinion barely surviving, then three days later shot a crop raiding hind that had fat over her rump. The stag with her was not fat but not dying either. September as a whole in my opinion is the worst time of year to shoot venison. Most deer are in the worst condition you will see them in unless artificially supported. The fact is that many areas of bush country now do not have the high nutrition species pf palatables present to sustain the deer population within at peak condition at all times of the year. This is especially evident in areas of contiguous bush cover where people have to actually hunt in the bush to get the deer and not trim them around the edges when they come out. I am seeing deer in the kind of condition that I never saw back in the eighties and early 90's. What does Cam Speedy say? Shoot the doe and let him grow. I reckon we should do that more. I might do a wee poem about it.

Get back and go hunt in the bush
And give your WSM and dial up the push
Give the open the once over, then go hunt the cover
Don't be so bloody lazy - get off your tush!

Put your big boots back in to the sack
Dust off your bullers and get right 'out back'
Back where the deer cant be seen
Cut your barrel to fifteen
And add a can on to take out the 'whack'

Get rid of your big noisy jacket
Put on wool and fleece and stop making a racket
It is only rain. No gain without pain
And the deer will go down by the packet!

Sneak up small covered creeks in the dawn
Where deer graze unhindered, stag, hind and fawn
Where bellbirds still sing
And the forest is king
And there's not a trace of someones front lawn

Its there you will find out your metal
As a hunter you should never settle
For cheating with big toys
And reducing the joy
By not playing fair on the level

So go forth and join the bush hunting few
And more hinds and less stags please do slew
Do your bit for the flora
And be an explorer
And your enjoyment you'll surely renew

^ Awesome!

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

All depends on tucker really. Also as a whole, stags at this time of year are much worse than hinds. Hinds weaned their fawns off the back of summer while stags lose their condition in the roar and then only have a very short time to make it back before winter hits and their metabolism slows down. Case in point is that I shot a stag in the bush a couple weeks back that was skin and bone and in my opinion barely surviving, then three days later shot a crop raiding hind that had fat over her rump. The stag with her was not fat but not dying either. September as a whole in my opinion is the worst time of year to shoot venison. Most deer are in the worst condition you will see them in unless artificially supported. The fact is that many areas of bush country now do not have the high nutrition species pf palatables present to sustain the deer population within at peak condition at all times of the year. This is especially evident in areas of contiguous bush cover where people have to actually hunt in the bush to get the deer and not trim them around the edges when they come out. I am seeing deer in the kind of condition that I never saw back in the eighties and early 90's. What does Cam Speedy say? Shoot the doe and let him grow. I reckon we should do that more. I might do a wee poem about it.

Get back and go hunt in the bush
And give your WSM and dial up the push
Give the open the once over, then go hunt the cover
Don't be so bloody lazy - get off your tush!

Put your big boots back in to the sack
Dust off your bullers and get right 'out back'
Back where the deer cant be seen
Cut your barrel to fifteen
And add a can on to take out the 'whack'

Get rid of your big noisy jacket
Put on wool and fleece and stop making a racket
It is only rain. No gain without pain
And the deer will go down by the packet!

Sneak up small covered creeks in the dawn
Where deer graze unhindered, stag, hind and fawn
Where bellbirds still sing
And the forest is king
And there's not a trace of someones front lawn

Its there you will find out your metal
As a hunter you should never settle
For cheating with big toys
And reducing the joy
By not playing fair on the level

So go forth and join the bush hunting few
And more hinds and less stags please do slew
Do your bit for the flora
And be an explorer
And your enjoyment you'll surely renew

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Hinds will be booting there last years fawns off in the coming weeks as they get ready to drop their this year fawn.....currently in the warm belly

Hamish

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

All depends on tucker really. Also as a whole, stags at this time of year are much worse than hinds. Hinds weaned their fawns off the back of summer while stags lose their condition in the roar and then only have a very short time to make it back before winter hits and their metabolism slows down. Case in point is that I shot a stag in the bush a couple weeks back that was skin and bone and in my opinion barely surviving, then three days later shot a crop raiding hind that had fat over her rump. The stag with her was not fat but not dying either. September as a whole in my opinion is the worst time of year to shoot venison. Most deer are in the worst condition you will see them in unless artificially supported. The fact is that many areas of bush country now do not have the high nutrition species pf palatables present to sustain the deer population within at peak condition at all times of the year. This is especially evident in areas of contiguous bush cover where people have to actually hunt in the bush to get the deer and not trim them around the edges when they come out. I am seeing deer in the kind of condition that I never saw back in the eighties and early 90's. What does Cam Speedy say? Shoot the doe and let him grow. I reckon we should do that more. I might do a wee poem about it.

Get back and go hunt in the bush
And give your WSM and dial up the push
Give the open the once over, then go hunt the cover
Don't be so bloody lazy - get off your tush!

Put your big boots back in to the sack
Dust off your bullers and get right 'out back'
Back where the deer cant be seen
Cut your barrel to fifteen
And add a can on to take out the 'whack'

Get rid of your big noisy jacket
Put on wool and fleece and stop making a racket
It is only rain. No gain without pain
And the deer will go down by the packet!

Sneak up small covered creeks in the dawn
Where deer graze unhindered, stag, hind and fawn
Where bellbirds still sing
And the forest is king
And there's not a trace of someones front lawn

Its there you will find out your metal
As a hunter you should never settle
For cheating with big toys
And reducing the joy
By not playing fair on the level

So go forth and join the bush hunting few
And more hinds and less stags please do slew
Do your bit for the flora
And be an explorer
And your enjoyment you'll surely renew

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Get yourself a beer mate, cracker poem!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HNTMAD

Hinds will be booting there last years fawns off in the coming weeks as they get ready to drop their this year fawn.....currently in the warm belly

Hamish

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Yep. I was referring more to how much milk they are putting in to the fawn rather than whether it stays around. The fawns are very much enjoying harder tucker as well as milk by late summer/ autumn. Hence less pressure on the hind at that stage. So the hind is feeding the fawn on milk mainly over the good growing months when she can access the high yield tucker to make in to milk. Smart wee critter, nature ay.

Bloody good poem!! Enjoyed that!

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Thanks. Had a bored moment and one too many coffees :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

Yep. I was referring more to how much milk they are putting in to the fawn rather than whether it stays around. The fawns are very much enjoying harder tucker as well as milk by late summer/ autumn. Hence less pressure on the hind at that stage. So the hind is feeding the fawn on milk mainly over the good growing months when she can access the high yield tucker to make in to milk. Smart wee critter, nature ay.

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Good poem , end of April / start of may is fawn hunting season on my calendar, just off mums tit , not in fawn great time to target them.

@Hiawatha I’d hate to see you off The decaf and into the full strength caffeinated :XD: wait that was decaf?:o

Top poem and I fully agree to its underlying theam:)