Thread: What happens to spikers in the Roar?

Just curious what happens to spikers during the roar? Do the young ones get displaced by the big fellers? Do they move to bush edges/farm land or into the interior?

Like any teenager, the spikers are trying to get some action but usually told to bugger off by the bigger fella. Will usually hang around the outside. Can be found in their own groups as well.

Excellent, would be very nice if they would hang out in the open, only interested in meat and it may turn out to be only time I can get out.

They get beaten up if they get to close to a Cycling hind
Tolerated near hinds that aren't ready
When you see a spiked alone hold hinds they have already been mated

Take a hind or two. They will be better eating than the spikers. Testosterone levels go up in them as well, can have an effect on the meat.

Thanks good point

Shot this spiker in april 2021......He had both shoulders and his neck punctured, his bowel punctured and a broken leg....put him out of his misery...





Pretty sure this was the Buck that beat him up ....got him on the game camera a few weeks earlier within 50m of where I found the spiker hiding under some scrub. Gave up a shot at the Buck to do the humane thing.
Went back a couple of weeks later and took the buck....

Skulking around the edges, to try and get a whirl on one of the girls before the big fella catches on.
Side effect of this is they play the willing idiot and bust you and give away your presence to the big fella.

If you're after meat knock over a hind, will taste better. Even the spikers get a bit rutty...
I'm heading out in the roar this year with some friends, I have no interest in antlers so I'll just head off in the opposite direction and shoot any hinds I come across. Doubt there's a shortage where we're going and good meat even that time of year.

Originally Posted by Makros

I'm heading out in the roar this year with some friends, I have no interest in antlers so I'll just head off in the opposite direction and shoot any hinds I come across. Doubt there's a shortage where we're going and good meat even that time of year.

Trip was a bit earlier than I thought, but a bit of thinning was under taken none the less. 8 Hinds/fawns down in the Lake Sumner area would have been double but I hung up the rifle after the second night to guide in a couple of friends from overseas to their first deer. But someone else had been putting in the good work up there too and I found 5 hinds shot to waste from sometime in the last week or so.

Will throw a few photos together later. Managed to recover all hind legs and back steaks except for the last hind as I was worried about weight coming out on the helicopter so just back steaks were taken. Distributed most of the fawn and yearling back steaks across myself and friends stomachs over the week which was bloody tasty after the cold evenings glassing and hunting. Most of the rest of the meat was distributed across some friends in Christchurch on Saturday and I still put down a $20 to get the over weight chilly bin (which was 2/3 empty) home this morning on the plane.
I think a 50L chilly bin jammed with venison and a large box also full of it must have totalled to at least 70kg of meat pulled out.

Shoot a few hinds between the stags this year fellas the numbers out there are too high pretty much everywhere.

Side note - there was a pair of hunters in the area that I had a chat to on Monday night as I spotted their tent as I was coming back through the valley after shooting a few in a clearing in the bush. I heard they got flown out after one got injured so if you're on here I hope it wasn't too bad and sounds fortunate that you must of had an inreach device to communicate with the helicopter company.

Heck poor thing. Good on you!

Fallow are epic fighters

@Allgood thanks for putting up those photos of the beaten up spiker. That damage is seriously serious. The poor bugger must have been felling absolutely lousy! Good job to do the humane thing.

It's not unusual when bush hunting to have a spiker come and check you out if you're having a roaring stand-off with a mature stage. Sometimes they go nuts and come crashing in (and back again). All part of the fun as long as you hold your nerve.

Originally Posted by A-Bolt

It's not unusual when bush hunting to have a spiker come and check you out if you're having a roaring stand-off with a mature stage. Sometimes they go nuts and come crashing in (and back again). All part of the fun as long as you hold your nerve.

I was roaring a stag for a friend - he had been gone 15 mins sneaking in and I was on a ridge giving the odd moan to keep stag going - had a feeling I was being watched and looked back up ridge - a spiker had snuck in silent as and was peering at me from about 20 feet away - he eventually got a whiff and stuffed of

Yes, shoot a hind. We shoot too many spikers anyway. Me included.