Thread: Strange spring stag behaviour. Any help?

I was out hunting today in the North Island and its early spring. A good spot with moderate deer numbers and very low if not no hunting pressure in this block. There are reds and fallow in the area. This is a full public hunting spot but most the public are miles up the mountain from my location.

I bumped a deer today, and he moved about 50m up from me. He then spent the next 5 minutes maybe even 10 minutes groaning at me above — like like the early stage of a full roar in that big deep voice, sharp/loud/deep/angry. And running left and right making tons of noise and groans. I really must of pissed him off! The wind was perfectly on my side so he couldn't smell me and the deer just wasn't in a position to get down wind of me.

I tried sneaking up the ridge to get a vantage but got stoped by supplejack and had to trun around. Wasting valuable time. So I tried to sneak up the gut which has perfect access and by the time I was in position he groaned his way outta there. I just saw moving. I presume he was a big red stag and only left from being tired of my silent response. I dont think he ever saw me, smelt me and probably hardly heard me.

So here's the thing, obviously I should have snuck up the gut first and I would have got him. But my questions are:

1: Is this aggressive territorial behaviour? As in, does this Red think im an intruder and trying to challenge me in spring??! There is a decent wallow 200metres away. But its a long 200m which took me an hour to get to from this spot.
2: Would I have been better trying to charge up on him like in the rut? Instead of sneaking my way in. Normally you wouldn't get a full 10mins to plan an approached on a bumped deer and getting there quick is much better.
3: Should I have challened him with a call back? Or could I have? And with what call? Would a spring deer try and challenged me with no antlers and for what cause?
4: WTF was going on!

I've shot tons of deer but mostly in high country and only a few in the bush. So I am not very bush experienced. However, never have any deer responded like this. And its not the first deer I've seen in this spot doing strange things. Last week I had a deer literally stalk me! He heard me and followed parellel to my location with me until coming in plain site for a clear shot. I thought maybe..maybe he was trying to get down wind of me. But if it was a stage to what purpose? Maybe this is normal deer stalking I dont know. It is throwing all my expectionals of what they will do out the window.

Any help would be great.

I was talking to a guy the other day, they had a wild stag on there place go nuts for 2-3 hours the other morning

Must be global warming

Hamish

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kehua,,hunting is the unexpected

Sometimes deer just do strange things, which is part and parcel of what makes them interesting. They can be super ninjas to the point theyre just damn frustrating to find, and then they can once in a blue moon do something strange, just to keep you on your toes.
I had a red stag in velvet run across the road in front of me the other evening, he went up a bank and over the fence and disapeared from sight, I stopped my truck and gave a half hearted whistle... and the silly bugger actually came back and popped his head over the bank and looked at me for a good minute or so from about 10 metres away! took a video of him and a few photos, the wind was swirling round a bit, he didnt mind looking at me, but as soon as he got a sniff he snorted and was off like a shot! Never had one that keen before. We also had a red hind come onto our place a couple months back and try make off with one of our calves, soon as she saw us coming she tried to herd the calf away towards cover but she had to jump a fence to get to said cover and the calf couldnt get through the fence, she visually was torn between her desire to keep the calf, and her instinct to run and hide from a human, she ran up a bank into some scrub and proceeded to let her displeasure at having her calf stolen off her known by barking and coming into the open and stamping her feet and carrying on. Strange behaviour!!

He was just trying to figure out what you where . The stag was trying to get some sort of reaction / response in order that you would reveal " what " you where .

Here's the silly bugger from the other day.. I have a video of him too, just stood there and watched me for a good minute or so



Then he finally got a whiff of me and he was see ya layer mate!!


I bought some "Joop" a while ago, reminds me of when I was a young fella, but the mrs hates it with a passion. When I showed her the video she said "told ya! Even the poor deer was offended by that Joop shit you had on!"

Im picking he has heard you or seen movement but hasnt picked up what you are.
He is not full rutting behavior just curious what you are and didnt want to give up what he thought was a "safe " position to go investigate.
If he smelt you he would have been gone.

Know you know where he is fattening up and growing antler.

I have heard them "roaring" in November before.Its not hard out cos they aint quite ready, but from what I understand it has something to do with the hormones / pheromones the hinds give off when they drop their fawns in spring being the same they give off in the roar. This teases the stags a bit and they get horny but are not ready ....

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Im picking he has heard you or seen movement but hasnt picked up what you are.
He is not full rutting behavior just curious what you are and didnt want to give up what he thought was a "safe " position to go investigate.
If he smelt you he would have been gone.

Yep, I agree 100%.

And as asked by @7mmwsm - are you sure it was a stag?

I've had hinds do this kind of behaviour but never had a stag do it to me at this time of the year. Not to say they won't, but for me they always just seem to quietly wander off. I never thought about the fawn situation but now you mention it, that really makes a lot of sense.

You learn something new every day.