Thread: Unsuccessful stories in the Kawekas.

Hi all,

I'm a new hunter and trying to muddle my way along to figuring this sport out. I've been reading this forum for a while but not posted before. I struggle to get out there due to work and family so I'm trying to make every outing count. I've been reading books and these forums and still struggling to figure it out so I thought I'd post my experience and see if you guys thought I was on the right track. I went to the Kaimais in the pre-rut (the clearings near Wairere falls) and also checked out Thomson's track in the roar and the Ruahines a few months after. To be honest, I think at this point, I wasn't confident to get far enough away from the track to see much. It started to get a bit more interesting when I started going out in the Kawekas.

I went to Kaweka flats in early August. I parked at the Makahu saddle hut and walked to the Kaweka flats bivvy and stayed there the night. There was a little bit of snow at the beginning of the track but not near the flats. Next morning before sunrise, I headed down the track towards middle hill hut. At the slip near the river, it was largely washed away and very difficult to navigate in the dark but after a lot of false starts, I managed to spot enough markers with my headlamp to find my way down to the river. I then left the track and stalked upstream some ways (but probably not far enough) and found what I thought was a good place to stop and waited there for sunrise. There was quite a strong breeze at the time blowing into my face. In retrospect, I don't think this was a great place to stop as it was very cold and I don't expect that much deer would have been around with wind that strong. I probably should have been up the hill a bit. After the sun had been up for a while, the weather threatened to turn bad and I started to get worried that my corolla would struggle to get home so I gave up and headed back. On the trail back to the biv near the T intersection back to the old Iron Whare, I saw the arse of a deer disappearing into the bush. Should have been paying attention.

About a month after that (mid-September), I didn't have time to be out there at dawn or dusk so I decided to check out Little's Clearing during the day to see if there was much sign. There was lots of scat (looked like a small amount from red deer and a lot from either goat or sika) in the grassy clearing as I exited the trees on the track towards black birch biv. I went all the way to the biv and saw lots of small deer prints on the track along the way. Didn't see any deer though.

Then about three weeks ago (Early October), I did a morning hunt at little's clearing thinking it'd be a sure thing- and didn't see s**t! I figured it'd be a smart idea to hang around the border between the bush and the clearing just in cover and wait for sunrise there. It had been a windless night and in the morning there was a gentle breeze that I tried to stay downwind of but it tended to change direction so that was difficult. Again, I waited until the sun had been up for a while and then headed back to camp. I've been trying to build up my confidence going off track and working off a map and compass so instead of walking the track back to the little's clearing car park, I headed out to where the track T-intersects and one branch heads back to the road, one to the car park and one to the black birch bivvy. I took the track that heads to the road and then cut through the grass and tried to get back to camp through the scrub (I figured if I got lost here, I was enclosed on all sides no more than a kilometer's walk from either a track or a road). In the end, I ended up about a hundred metres north of the camp site where I ran into a small creek. Saw a deer print there that was probably only a couple of days old.

Anyway, apologies if there's a lot of irrelevant detail in all this. I thought I'd describe what I did and everything I noticed to see what someone more experienced might have done with the information that I had. I don't really know much about how deer behave during different seasons (I'm still looking out for a copy of Stalking the Seasons Round). Am I on the right track here? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to feel more like an armed tramper than a hunter at this point!

you are on the right track.

I wouldn't worry about a 2 wheel drive car going DOWN makahu saddle road. going up mid winter is ok as long as you don't stop.

but yes, download topo maps on your phone. get a portable charger and a plb. and go off piste and walk around the bush.

As long as you always look where you're going and where you have been and where you want to be you should be fine. Keep in mind how long it takes to get back to your base camp.

it takes time to teach yourself.



I will send you a PM. don't want every man and his dog at my usual haunt.

the dooleys hunt the kawekas utilising their long range skills on the clay pans,,that said id find some broadleaf faces and camp nearby that way youre there early morn and last thing at nite when your quarry is most likely moving around,,keep at it and sooner hopefully rather than later it cliks for ya

If it's bush your hunting, then if your sweating your going to fast. Into the wind and hunt where the sign is.
Don't look for the whole animal look for something that's not right i.e. Ear flick, back, foot and shape. Then identify.
If you can go out with someone who has more experience then so much the better as they can show you the finer points that you would miss by reading about it so like the above posts keep at it get out there.
Stick to one spot in until you have figured it out try to not head say Kaimais then another forest for the next hunt. But also once you find sign stay with that spot.
If you have a smart phone download MapToaster. It will help you a load with your navigation and you won’t be so worried about getting lost. Spend some money on a plb. Also get a battery bank for the phone. MapToaster still works on airplane mode so saves your battery. You can also mark all sign and places of interest on each map and save them for each stalk. This way you can then form a good picture of what you have done after each stalk. So that next time you can more effectively target that area in say same time but in a year.
As a side note it took me three years to shoot my first one in the Kiamais but once I got my first then it all seemed to click and I was averaging 1 for every 2.5 days. That was back in the early 90's when deer numbers where a lot lower than they are today.
Good luck.

If looking for your first animal Sika are not the best option in my opinion,they are a lot warier than reds ,head into pureora and get to know one area well(as long as no green rain recently)leave the Sika till you get a handle on the reds I reakon,they are a whole different kettle of fish.

You're not going to do too well hunting tracks let alone hunt safely. Get off the track and onto spurs and into the creek heads and the likes. Sika are not stupid but I wouldn't consider them any harder than reds. Understand how a deer works and you will have better success. Look for shelter, feed and water. Get that right and you'll get deer. The sign you are seeing will only transient especially in areas of high traffic.

Keep at it. Definately work on your bush navigation skills. The further off the beaten track the less wary the deer will be. Te Urewera would be a good place to look, especially if you can get a few days off.
Spring growth is starting to happen so pick an area and find some likely clearings. Google Earth is good for this. Once you have done this go and find them to see if there is any sign on them. If there is,try and sit over the clearings until it gets dark. Find a place handy you can camp nearby. It took me years to build up a decent amount of good spots so perseverance will pay off.

@Hyllest you have some replies to your questions

Littles clearing is right beside the road so I would think it gets thrashed. You may find a lot of the droppings you found are hares rather than deer too.
You need to be hunting off the tracks, but often you dont need to get too far off them. Hunting in an area bounded by roads and tracks like you have is a good way to learn and get your confidence up.

Hi all, thank you very much for the replies. I'm going to get my hands on a PLB and a power bank for my phone and first of all work on confidently getting further off the track. Fingers crossed, I'll get to go out again in three or so weeks- I'll post an update (and surely more questions) then!

Originally Posted by Hyllest

Hi all, thank you very much for the replies. I'm going to get my hands on a PLB and a power bank for my phone and first of all work on confidently getting further off the track. Fingers crossed, I'll get to go out again in three or so weeks- I'll post an update (and surely more questions) then!

Get a map and plan a hunt in advance. Choose an area based on good reasons for deer to want to be there. It’s spring. The animals will be looking for food. They’re hungry cause there’s been fuck all to eat over winter. It’s also still cold so find somewhere north facing with some sun. Look for tutu in the Kawekas. If you don’t know what that is best you learn. It’s an essential for Kaweka deer. An easy option would be to push up one of the main spurs from Kaweka flats up under the J or Whetu. You’re not going to get lost as the spur you go up will be enough hunting for one day and you can drop back down the same route. This will boost your confidence in the bush. It takes time to gain confidence in yourself. A compass and a map may be a good idea too.
Plenty of deer in there.

thats some sounds advice kiwijames although im trying to google what tutu is... and am having no luck.

Hyllest - I was in the same area about a month ago, and went up dons spur . right to the top, and had a look around for a few hours, then on the way down, scaled off the track and down the river. HEAPS of fresh sign... as in... so much that i wondered why i hadnt seen any deer!

https://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-o...le-1/tutu.html

Here ya go @Hyllest have a look through this lot you might pic up a few ideas https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....ka-sika-22816/
Look forward to your next trip report

Thanks, that's an awesome thread!