Thread: Tips for traveling in thick bush

Originally Posted by Bagheera

500m is a long way in thick bush.

The key to moving through thick bush, specially supplejack, kiekie, windfalls and broompole beech is practice.

Here I was thinking it was secateurs and a silky saw... Silly me.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

man,you fellas make me laugh...I live in the thick shit,its where the deer are. SLOW DOWN. follow deer trails,if there is no deer trail to follow..ask yourself WTF am I doing here???look 5-10 yards ahead and pick path of least resistance,move the 5 yards and look again

I knew it was nice hunting down south but I really gotta get down there if you can see 5-10 yards in the thick shit

Jokes aside, this is great advice and I should definitely ask myself 'WTF am I doing here?' more often.

even the dog has learnt,if she leads me through really thick shit,she will have to wait while silly old bugger flounders his way through.I really must take more photos of the bush itself.but yes,that was a big moment for me,after years of cruising along open ridges and seeing bugger all,and occasionally cruising through tight gullys and spooking deer,the penny dropped..slowy admittedly but drop it did.

when first got a GPS..borrowed for day,I had been hunting for 2 hours,got out magic box and it told me I was 800 yards from car!!!!!!!
the deer arent completely dumb,why live deep in dark bush when best feed is close to edges??? 1km is a long way back inside canopy.

If you dont fight the bush and instead let 'The force guide you' and as above follow animal trails and the line of least resistance suddenly it becomes easy to move through the bush. It is when I have tried to go across a patch of wind blow or through a thick patch ( short cut) that I remind myself that I shouldnt be there, I should be on a ridge following the animals. Stay out of steep creeks esp. coming down at night. On a ridge or to one side is the best route normally, sometimes its the sunny side sometimes its the cold side

I took my son deep into the native bush for an evening hunt. I took off his head torch and told him to find his way out. He was 12 having been hunting full time since 8. Took us 2.5 hours to walk out. He learnt super quick .

As mentioned, follow ridges and game trails. Part of knowing a spot involves a fair bit of learning where not to go as well.

Supplejack in my experience clusters around an elevation so there is a "belt" to go through

Also one thing, when you are about to pop into a new area especially up a bank and look over the edge of a new terrace, be ready as that is often the moment I have spooked a deer
Likewise going along a river terrace after crossing a creek, coming up out of that the sound of the water must muffle my approach as I have had success that way

Also, sniff
I often smell a deer before I see anything

I just stay out of dense, thick sh!t. You can't stalk in it, just way too noisy.
Over here sometimes I carry a cheap set of light weight pruning shears. Great for the black berries.

If you don't like it go somewhere else, remember where the shit stuff is,there's plenty of places with nice stalking bush so go there instead

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

SLOW DOWN. follow deer trails,if there is no deer trail to follow..ask yourself WTF am I doing here???.

i like this .....

think like a deer ......be the deer grasshopper

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

man,you fellas make me laugh...I live in the thick shit,its where the deer are. SLOW DOWN. follow deer trails,if there is no deer trail to follow..ask yourself WTF am I doing here???look 5-10 yards ahead and pick path of least resistance,move the 5 yards and look again,you SHOULD be looking all around all the time anyway,thats why its called bush stalking..... and siccateers are great,in a sheath on hip is good.slow down...when you start to stumble or get noisy. stop and have a brew,preferably somewhere with a bit of visibility...even stopping for sip of water from bottle and munch on jelly jet plane 3-4 minutes rest will also calm down the birdlife around you. then slowly get up LOOK ALL AROUND and move off slowly,looking all around. most guys will tell you of getting up from a mini break and spooking deer,I know Ive done it more than once. a track up/down/across through a way you often travel will make your life oh so much easier,bend over fern fronds so shiney side up and yo uwil lsee where youve gone. one of the best methods to mark a trail Ive used was sack sewing thread.1400mtr roll. it lasted for 4 years and most people traveling in same direction ended up using my trail so it stayed open...am currently working to re-establish that track again,its still there but 5 years of neglect is showing,doesnt take many big windfalls to sto pyou going in desired direction. slow down
your in the bush to enjoy the day,slow down..the deer have no where else to be,slow down.
dont fight the vegetation and contours..just slow down,chil out and go with it..it is what it is,other than cutting a track you can do nothing about it so dont stress about it..and if you are going down a deer trail on a spur towards a steep bit/bluff/creek and deer trail dissapears..LOOK OUT AND BE CAREFUL... they went in another direction for a reason....consider doing the same.

ya bang on Micky Duck what the fuck am I doing here - same as climbing real steep dangerous spots - ask your self - why am I here - what's my alternatives