Thread: Woodhill Block 1 advice

Hey guys,

I've been lucky enough to be invited along with a mate who's drawn block 1 for this weekend.

Has anyone got advice on how to approach it to give ourselves the best chance of bagging an animal?

Cheers,
Adam

You are likely to find deer around even the slightest bit of elevated ground

Look at the contour gain on your phone map and when approaching the slightest hint at a rise slow down and put eyes everywhere

That and the skinny whippy lil bastards can be a total surprise when you find them in the most random of places

They can be a frustrating predictable unpredictable forgettable yet memorable deer to hunt in pine forests

Either way you won’t regret going

from memory block 1 is right up by the bombing range ? ..... if its been felled out dont ne shy about findin a spot and sitting and watching little black buggers can look like a stump when nestled down until they move. think i got my first deer on block 1 at 10am feeding . get there to the gate while its still dark so you can start your day as early as and stay as long as it takes to get your 3 per party . split up to cover as much of the block as possible

Saw a bunch of stags wandering around 2.30pm in the NE corner a few years back. Also the fringe around the beach has really good cover - need some luck and to be going very slowly with wind right around there. As others say - make a plan to be in a glassing spot before first light and stay to last light. That was felled about 6 or 7 years ago so might be regrowth by now if replanted?

What they said...and NEVER stop concentrating! I use 2 techniques: walk quietly and stop often; sit and watch. Good luck!

Buck

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Yeah that's him

Just realised, I've hunted Block One! Got my first dear there. I wonder how many have shot their first deer in Woodhill Forest?

From memory, get stuck in to it in the early hours. We saw multiple deer on the road before we were even organised. There are rules about shooting on/near roads, so be careful. We found ourselves up against the sand dunes and would spook small mobs of deer as we walked. Eventually, I managed to get a shot on one. 25m shot from standing, animal spooked, that kind of situation. As the morning went on, we saw a lot of deer bedded down in the shade under the trees on the sand dunes. By lunchtime, they had disappeared, so we took it easy, hoping they would reappear in the evening. I went back to the sand dune area and did spook a few, but the whole experience was somewhat ruined by the 4X4 guys doing there thing on the other side of the dunes. Maybe the deer are used to it, but it didn't feel great. Auckland hunting! In the meantime, my more experienced buddy was exploring a swampy area and was convinced he'd see a big buck in there. He was right, even showed me the animal, but couldn't get a clear shot. Thick moss underfoot made stalking easier.

If I was to go back, I'd keep moving, but with a little more experience under my belt, sit quietly in likely spots for a while. In the middle of the day, I'd go through planted areas and pampas if navigable to see what I could flush out. It's not a huge block, so cover ground and you will find animals. It would be a tough choice for me between a short, handy bush gun with a low power scope versus something more suited to longer range shots.

Great spot, you're going to have an awesome day!

Fantastic info, thanks guys.

We'll get there early, leg it to the leeward end (hopefully before shooting light), come about and poke our noses into the wind and go slower than slow.

Originally Posted by Dorkus

Fantastic info, thanks guys.

We'll get there early, leg it to the leeward end (hopefully before shooting light), come about and poke our noses into the wind and go slower than slow.

You taking Blue with you

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Blue balls maybe... No dogs allowed

Originally Posted by Dorkus

Blue balls maybe... No dogs allowed

Lol....shit that's a shame....proper type hunting then....sheesh

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Trip report???

Hold ya horses... alarm is set for 0330 tomorrow

To write us a story?

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