Thread: Identifying Animals is the Bush?

Originally Posted by Cordite

Wonder what the actual wording of the law is. I sometimes bore sight my rifle using lit windows a few km away. But I agree re bringing binoculars, no brainer really, protects from some snap decisions.

I agree and I have bore sighted like that before but the wording of the law is pretty simple "always point the Rifle in a safe direction" so pointing the rifle at another person would be deemed a completely unsafe act whether you are stalking in the bush, loaded or not.

Not to get too snooty about it, i was walking along the track one day and saw some tourists up ahead get out of their tent naked and go for a quick skinny dip - you can bet your arse I got a better view using the only optics on me at the time which was rifle scope
Nothing in the mag or chamber and she had a stunning body (and no clue I was there) so in my book no harm no foul

Let's not get too precious shall we? i know one guy who has been shot at twice in the bush - that is the real problem

Originally Posted by Nighniz

Just wondering how you guys feel about this as yesterday my mate a i had an encounter with another couple of hunters in the Pureoras

just curiops and not that it makes any difference, which general area of pureora?
i.e. piropiro, northern block, southern block etc?
have always avoided the place in the roar dont really want to become a statistic and another excuse to restrict/ban firearms

Originally Posted by 308

Not to get too snooty about it, i was walking along the track one day and saw some tourists up ahead get out of their tent naked and go for a quick skinny dip - you can bet your arse I got a better view using the only optics on me at the time which was rifle scope
Nothing in the mag or chamber and she had a stunning body (and no clue I was there) so in my book no harm no foul

Let's not get too precious shall we? i know one guy who has been shot at twice in the bush - that is the real problem

Haha yer I’m guessing i would of done exactly the same thing!
Like others have said its best to be identified the guys we met up with were good buggers!
I may take a small pair of binos next time

My experience bush hunting has always been that I've identified the deer by naked eye before bringing up the rifle to shoot it. I cant think of a deer I have shot in the bush where I had to evaluate it by scope to determine what it was before shooting. It has always gone, stalking stalking, shit there's a deer, rifle up, yup most definitely a deer, boom (as an example). I would sure as hell prefer someone to confirm me through their scope rather then just send one my way though!! Every noise, movement, roar is human until confirmed otherwise. I have lost a good mate to a hunting misidentification, if you have to spend some time evaluating what it is through optics then its probably not a safe shot! Running into other hunters often puts the shits up me in the bush now, I'm always in blaze blue for the roar.

You should be asking yourself "Is that a human" NOT "Is that a deer".
Your brain only sees what you say / think - for example if I said "DON'T think of red tomatoes" I bet you just saw red tomatoes !

@Nighniz, What colour blaze clothing were you wearing and was it the clothing that identified you as human to the other guy?

Originally Posted by Flyblown

@Nighniz, What colour blaze clothing were you wearing and was it the clothing that identified you as human to the other guy?

Hi we both had blaze orange on, my mate had the shirt and hat i had a vest. And yes he said it was the clothing that gave us away as the bush was quite dark, they had full camo on and i couldn’t see them till they stepped out 15m away all i saw first up was his head bobbing around but this was after they yelled out to us.

Quite a few years ago I was hunting fallow in the rut. I'd roared up a buck and it was about 6-10m away on the other side of a clump of manuka; but out of sight. I was 99.9% sure that it was a deer, but obviously wouldn't shoot until I'd positively identified it. But...... I knew the area was poached quite heavily because it was close to a road and I began to think.... " I know I won't shoot just at a sound or movement; but what if I've roared up another hunter? Can I be sure that he/she wouldn't?"

I was also wearing a tan and black checked bush shirt; it was before the days of camo and blaze. So that made me think "What if it is another hunter and he sees a glimpse of brown and fires?" Anyway; I put the shits up myself; started whistling (so if it was a hunter they'd know it was a human) and backed away. I didn't hear anything run away; but a buck could have sneaked away; and a poacher would have done the same.... I just figured that it was better to live another day than take a risk....

Its only a deer if it runs away, so be it

Originally Posted by R93

The old time excuse.
Has nothing to do with being in tune.
Has everything to do with learning everything you possibly can about your quarry.
Bloody glad I don't hunt up there this time of year.



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Pureora - good place to keep away from this time of year - more so the
public access points.

I be happy to even hear a Hunter roar at moment - dead as here this year - just cannot understand it.
Deer were here - not been shot or poisoned
Worst I seen in 20+ years

Perhaps they waiting for me to start it - shame I threw away the roaring horn

Originally Posted by Sarvo

Pureora - good place to keep away from this time of year - more so the
public access points.

I be happy to even hear a Hunter roar at moment - dead as here this year - just cannot understand it.
Deer were here - not been shot or poisoned
Worst I seen in 20+ years

Perhaps they waiting for me to start it - shame I threw away the roaring horn

There all waiting for the N/Islanders to arrive down there with their roaring horns.