Approaching deer in open terrain

A very basic film about approaching deer in open terrain.
Beginners or foresters (like myself) might find open terrain with deer on strong ground to be a bit intimidating, but it's really perfectly doable once you figure out how to glass the approach lanes and build your "go-to" points needed to reach destination. As seen in previous films, I was able to learn from good people, so my own skill progressed a lot faster than it would figuring out everything for myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOmL8CfTCzY

Excellent video, and very appropriate here as well, particularly in the likes of our big river country. I've made many approaches on Tahr from 1000M or more down to 200M by using "relief" across the dead open. A good look with bino's will nearly always reveal little terraces and cuts that can be used, even when you have to cross at right angles to the lie of the land. An essential skill when wind makes longer shots unethical. An acquaintance was recently bemoaning a miss in a place I know well. He shot from 320M in a windy day, all he had to do for a sure shot was drop below a terrace and he'd have closed to less than 150M.

A couple of things - many people get "intense" when they are stalking in, animals seem to be able to read and see a person who is being force-ably stealthy and too focused (the same as when you get a feeling someone is staring at you, and sure enough, they are) so walk "relaxed and cool". I see that hands were covered in the early part of the video, it pays to do faces as well if possible, just an improvised veil or the like. Its amazing how when you are glassing and there is another human about, nearly always you'll first see a flash of a face or hand. I don't like wearing camo ( I don't think it makes that much difference, a moving human figure is so distinctive in the landscape) , but I always have a pair of thin black wool gloves.

Cheers for that.

Its amazing how when you are glassing and there is another human about, nearly always you'll first see a flash of a face or hand.



I was shown a couple of aerial photography shots years ago in black and white, of a section of soldiers moving across terrain, in the first shot no one looked up at the aircraft, and it was very hard to pick them out.
In the second shot everyone had looked up, it demonstrated perfectly what Tentman was earlier talking about. An uncovered face is instantly visible if the quarry is alert.

Yep, uncovered hands are like waving a flash light around. A good example towards the end of the video after deer shot where he stands up and is not wearing gloves. Face and hands stand out like dogs balls. Especially those of us of pale skin euro descent

I also wonder about a stainless barrel waiving around as well

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

Yep, uncovered hands are like waving a flash light around. A good example towards the end of the video after deer shot where he stands up and is not wearing gloves. Face and hands stand out like dogs balls. Especially those of us of pale skin euro descent

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It cracks me up seeing members of NZ Hunting shows talking to the camera and waving their uncovered hands around pointing and shit. If they could see themselves from the other side of the hill, it would be as described above.

That Sitka open country camo (white and grey stuff) scares the hell out of deer in green and bush environments.

great watch thankyou.

the tuatara como stuff LOOKS good...anyone tried it out properly????
couple of years back out in open country with bro in law,he sitting in pile of rocks wearing old school dpm camo overalls..think 90s camo,green brown and black even pattern...he dissapeared at 80 yards untill he looked up.....really showed me how good simple camo is in broken ground.
duck shooting last year the boys sat under/beside root ball of fallen willow,from 50 yards they simple blended in apart from label on one shirt....that got fixed with felt pen soon after.

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Originally Posted by Tentman

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I don't like wearing camo ( I don't think it makes that much difference, a moving human figure is so distinctive in the landscape) , but I always have a pair of thin black wool gloves.

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I'm the same. I'm not against it, it's just that I've never had the feeling that camo was the deciding factor. Add that quality is often poor when compared to alpine outdoor brands, I'm just that I'm not willing to pay money for it.
With distance, how you move is what gives you away. If sideways movement relative to your target can be avoided, you'll come a long way hiding.

Just as you, I use gloves almost all the time. Mechanix Fastfit are cheap at $20 and can be had in almost any colour. Not very sturdy or good in wetweather though, but you can use them in warm weather.

Nice bit of stalking, yes movement is one of the main factors in spooking deer.

Good watch it's all trail and error I suppose. Wearing gloves and covering face is a big thing in the UK especially when sat in a high seat. Not as common here you all fly about in stubbys haha

Cool vid mate. The most common mistakes I see people making is;

- making erratic movements - animals see movement more so than detail
- silhouetting themselves - this is a big one, and you can be silhouetted in all sorts of scenarios and landscapes
- taking too long to close the gap when out of sight

Covering hands, face and any shiny bits like rifle barrels, watches etc helps a lot. I've had similar results wearing camo and not wearing camo. Had a spiker walk up and sniff my boot when I was sitting in some ferns, wearing a blue and black checked swandri.

It's quite interesting watching a bush hunter learns to stalk game in the open tops - a couple of my bush hunting mates missed out on two reasonable stags last year because they were not used to hunting in open country. In their cases, they thought they needed to "stalk" in from a long way out - if you are out of sight and down wind, you don't. Cover that "dead" ground as fast as possible. Once within 2-300 metres, and there's a chance you may be heard or seen, then slow down and be more calculated.

Very cool video, thank you Norway.

Good vid.Slower, go slower,movement the bigist give away.

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Originally Posted by Trout

Good vid.Slower, go slower,movement the bigist give away.

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Yep, just watch how a cat stalks.

So did you get one deer or two deer at the end?
Stalking a group of animal is really hard, as so many eyes are watching.

But stalking one or two animals can make for some very close stalks.

My bowhunting mentor used to stalk roe deer in weat fields of France in summer, his challenge was getting under 12m. And a few times he even managed to touch the ass of the roe deer with his bow.