Thread: Sika - Mid April or Early May?

With the way the Climate/Weather is, Has anyone found Sika Roaring later?
Is early May a good time now?

Thoughts

Originally Posted by Snag

With the way the Climate/Weather is, Has anyone found Sika Roaring later?
Is early May a good time now?

Thoughts

May has always been a good time.... bush is empty too as everyone is duck shooting... the good conditioned yearlings usually cycle through May and into June.

It's triggered by light dark ratio.
So might fire up when daylight saving finishes next week.
I heard quite a few last Friday, Sunday so it's happening now.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

It's triggered by light dark ratio.
So might fire up when daylight saving finishes next week.
I heard quite a few last Friday, Sunday so it's happening now.

Not sure if you're serious or joking about daylight savings changing the daylight hours?
Late April/May always used to be good for Sika roar in my experience.

The night must be longer when you get up an hour later if you do not know how to adjust your watch haha

Sika are roaring today on northern birch and ferny ridge in the eastern Kaweka front country

They are 10 days early this year in this spot, not to say they are this early elsewhere

Originally Posted by RUMPY

Not sure if you're serious or joking about daylight savings changing the daylight hours?
Late April/May always used to be good for Sika roar in my experience.

Haha.
But you might be surprised the number of people who agree.

Hi all, the research shows the April 19th as the peak of the first cycle, and 22/23 days later (11-12th May) would be the peak of the second cycle. May certainly is a good time to target stags. My experience is that they don't seem to be quite so vocal in the second round, however still come in especially when using the "mew". These dates are averages so around that time the probability is higher of roaring action. Hot barrels!

Sika stags in the kawekas today are about 400 yards from the hinds

Hinds cant be smelling nice yet but wont be far away from having stags following them around like a semi trailer

This is a good question that myself and others have been considering. For the last four or five years it has seemed very late. My early trip from 5th to 11 used to have a fair bit of roaring and some single calling. Not so in recent years.
It seemed to happen after that terrible summer drought. We wonder if hinds struggled to cycle due to lack of food as the next few years we've seen fawns everywhere drinking from the teat etc. In fact the year ofter the drought on the first night there were 16 hinds and fawns out in a clearing and all of the fawns were super young. That was not normal.

Sika still Hee Hawing on Ferny ridge this morning

If you want a Sika it’s time to get a wriggle on

Last year 2nd week of April we were at Manson hut hunting the surrounding areas, it was pretty slow going and the end of our week it starting picking up noise wise.
We are @ Otutu first week of May this year, obviously there are a few parties in April before us but i'm picking we will still be in the thick of it.