Thread: Kaimanawa Sika August

Hi guys
I might have a weekend available in August and would like to have a go at chasing Sika again.

What are my chances to catch them in the sun up on the tops near the bush edges? Or will is be better off bush hunting and hunting river flats this time if the year?

I would think up on the tops in the sun would be the go but i dont know much about Sika as i always chase reds and fallow

Thinking to head up the Urchin porpably, maybe further in, or Kawekas somewhere maybe.

Cheers

Depending on what growth is coming through and what the ground temp is like and if the tot is poking its noise out, if all is then yes clay pans should be productive otherwise north faces and bush hunting it would be.

Originally Posted by NewbieZAR

Hi guys
I might have a weekend available in August and would like to have a go at chasing Sika again.

What are my chances to catch them in the sun up on the tops near the bush edges? Or will is be better off bush hunting and hunting river flats this time if the year?

I would think up on the tops in the sun would be the go but i dont know much about Sika as i always chase reds and fallow

Thinking to head up the Urchin porpably, maybe further in, or Kawekas somewhere maybe.

Cheers

I trade hunted the Urchin in the winter a lot. I will PM you (might take a while, busy all this week). If I don't, remind me.

Thank you Tahr, will do

This time of year is hard to hunt Sika.

IMO, they will be in the bush probably mid level on northern facing slopes. Bush stalk slowly until you come across sign etc.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I trade hunted the Urchin in the winter a lot. I will PM you (might take a while, busy all this week). If I don't, remind me.

How are your knees, then?

Me and a mate were in the kaweka's over the weekend,plenty of sign on the river terraces not a lot of sign higher up the faces though,seem to be holding up in the thick stuff,makes for hard stalking

Sent from my ALE-L02 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Maxx

How are your knees, then?

As you would imagine.

There are definitely some around the 850m level. But nowhere to be seen on the sunny faces when the cold westerly was blasting through Saturday :-(

Originally Posted by Friwi

There are definitely some around the 850m level. But nowhere to be seen on the sunny faces when the cold westerly was blasting through Saturday :-(

Sika are funny like that. I've had a couple of winter days wherespent hours cruising through sunny sheltered guts only to find the deer mobbed up in a shitty cold southern facing gully in the shade.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Sika are funny like that. I've had a couple of winter days wherespent hours cruising through sunny sheltered guts only to find the deer mobbed up in a shitty cold southern facing gully in the shade.

They will go anywhere to escape a cold wind.

Originally Posted by Tahr

They will go anywhere to escape a cold wind.

I second that. They don't like wind as with most species of deer.

I have noticed that with fallows as well.

Hunt those warm sunny faces during winter Sika are suckers for the sun. The deer head for the tops as the spring growth starts to show. I would bush hunt those sunny faces during this time of year, spring doesn't really start in the high country till about late November early December.

Just got out of the otupua. Deer were all in the native around the 800m mark so the info above is bang on. We managed to knock a couple over so cheers to @dogmatix and @blake for the info they gave me