Thread: Sambar Block

Hi guys,

I've drawn the permit for the Tawhirihoe block out towards Tangimoana later in the month. As the saying goes I've got "all the gear and no idea" for Sambar. I've hunted Reds, Sika and fallow but haven't even seen a Sambar so any advice on the block and how to hunt them would be greatly appreciated. I have a 375H&H I'll take and also have a 16" barrel 308 with an Aimpoint to use if that would work better - although I'd very much like to use the H&H.

I shoot a lot of Sambar being local to the area. I wouldn't worry about the gun size I shoot all mine with a 243. they are big but don't have the fistyness of a red and seem to give up easy most of the time with a well place shot anyway.
They are sneky krafty buggers and for there size can hind behind a blade of grass. They will some times drop to the ground if spooked and slowly crawl away so watch that!
They are dumb as shit under a spot light but clever during the day.
Move quietly and slow as they are very onto it. I find where I live they seem to be very nocturnal and during the day I find them in bushy fringes and shrubby patches just in the sunlight enough to get warm but not be seen.

Not sure if this helps much

Good luck and I hope you like sausages because they are shit eating

There great made into corned veni

go into the thickest nastiest blackberry riddled piece or crap you can find, thats where they seemed to be when i hunted them out that way. i did see a couple but they were gone too fast for a shot.

Yea so people say but I never really got into it, awesome bacon and pastrami. I guess the up side to the fence destroying bastards is you can make bulk anything from them and the dogs get a feed too

Thank you very much for all the advice, a ton of biltong would be the way is go should I manage to bowl one. Is there any eticate in regards to shooting hinds and young stags(like leaving a young red stag to grow out properly, I'd rather see one and give up the opportunity at a shot if the large majority of people want to see larger stags)? Also I've heard they can breed all year round so is it better to leave hinds?

Sambar can make Sika look silly. Hunting slow is the way to go. You can shoot what ever you want just not your mate.

oh and take a spare set of shoulders cos they weigh a ton

I found in the block that i hunted that gaining some height is where its at, they are sneaky and will soak up the lead

Hamish

In that block, dog 'em. Electric dog or four legged dog. Your choice

On a serious note, as mentioned above sambar make sika look dumb. Personally stalking has been least profitable for me, I prefer to put a bit of time into finding where they are feeding through the night, and where they are bedded in the day and sit and wait. They are creatures of habit and will return to the same beds during particular seasons. Look for 3 foot high holes into scrub and blackberry, I have seen sambar get on bended knee and belly drag themselves into holes in scrub to their beds.They will duck when they have a visual on you as opposed to other species of deer which run, and when they bolt in cover they run zigzags as opposed to lines. Hope this helps

All good info for you. I find the easiest way to carry them out is with the old mans tractor
The first time you spook one you'll prob shit yourself, when spooked they honk like a freight train.
Fair shit myself on near dark when one honked behind me

Meat is ok, there is better venison out there i.e. fallow, and yep there is plenty of it. hang it for a good week and its not bad.