Thread: Doc land hunting report or lack of!)

^^ post of the year so far, followed by @canross excellent guide for visitors! Thanks @akaroa1

Originally Posted by Tentman

That's a good point worth elaborating on. If you get through the bush like a coiled tiger animals will sense it, ya gotta move relaxed like you're not hungry. Face and hand movements stick out like dogs balls in the bush and open country. Even more important in open country, and there watch you silhouette, there is nothing more distinctive than the upright human form - can be seen for miles

There is also that almost ‘universal to all mammals’ reaction to seeing something, dogs, cats etc do it and humans do too, it’s exaggerated when we are really concentrating on trying to get something and I think prey animals are tuned into this. They know when ears prick up or eyes lock on.

If you have a strong emotional response when you do see a deer, and your body twitches accordingly, the deer will know you have seen it and be gone. I think this is why it can often be easier to get within 15m of a deer that you haven’t seen than it is to get within 50m of a deer that you’re aware of.

The other thing that can help is to just see it as exploring with a rifle, when I first started deer stalking I shot two in my first four hunts, I thought I had natural ability until it took over a year to get a third one. But if the hunting had been as easy as it was at the start, I probably wouldn’t have bothered looking anywhere else. I would have just stuck to the one catchment and would have had a relatively boring hunting career.
Perceiving that necessity of trying other spots was the driver of me getting to explore some amazing locations and getting a bit of meat here and there along the way. Although I have much better strategies now for where I started hunting, I don’t often hunt that area simply because there are more interesting locations as options.

If you are young and keen you are more likely to keep looking over the next ridge or around the next bend long after all the sensible ( alive. Darwin etc ) animals are out of sight.

The more you move through good country with good sign the more you muck things up for later that day or the next morning when the animals are out feeding again.

So find the hot spot of sign and have a snooze, go fishing.
But don't keep hunting.
Or find some better sign for the evening.

If you finally see animals miles away late evening chances are some will pop up nearer to you now also.
They are all wired to the same body clock.

Learn to be confident getting back to your hut or tent in the dark.
If it looks like an animal should be there stay until you really can't shoot at all.


When bush stalking evenings stick at it until you really can't see at all.
It will still be light out of the bush.

I do a lot of walking in the dark and really love it.
Once you're back in camp it's a quick meal and sleep then back out long before it's light to be on the right spot to shoot the stragglers who are still out

@akaroa1
..... amen
to both above posts

Let the deer do the walking,you sit and wait as light changes from sunset to dark, dark to daylight.

Originally Posted by flock

Try, Auckland, ChCh is a paradise.

You will never catch me living on that Island

Originally Posted by Trout

Let the deer do the walking,you sit and wait as light changes from sunset to dark, dark to daylight.

I wish they would walk back to my truck and sit down and wait for me.

This big boy was walking towards me at 9.45pm 2 weeks ago.Day light enough to still see him without thermals.Then he turned left and walked away.Only about 350yds away,I was sitting in the truck having coffee.It was pouring with rain at the time.

Originally Posted by MonkeyNutz

Keep positive, I am in a very similar boat.
I am very new to hunting and to date have only been out 6 times, I've seen deer twice but not close enough to take a shot. Although on the 2nd occasion I was 15 metres away without realising it and the yearling jumped up and shot off into the bush, that was a great experience.

The takeaway is that each time I go out I feel that I am getting that little bit closer to the prize, each time I learn something new and each time it's just magical being up in the hills away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

It will come, happy hunting.

Following on from this post, I went out for an early morning hunt to an area I have never been before. Once I got into the hunting area I set up and loaded my rifle but didn't chamber a round. Walking along a 4WD track not expecting to see anything I popped up over a small rise and on my left just of the track about 20 metres away there is a Spiker, I quickly ducked down out of sight behind a bush and proceeded to "quietly" load a bullet, unfortunately I wasn't quiet enough as I was now being watched. As I was hiding a rabbit decided to pop out on the track about 5 metres away and hop right up to me sit and look at me (probably laughing) and then turned around and hopped off again.
The deer then barked and slowly started walking off so I jumped up to take a shot but my inexperience got the better of me and I didn't take a shot.

The takeaway? Once again I'm getting that little bit closer, I learnt another lesson and it was great being in a new area and seeing plenty of sign.

Originally Posted by Mrfants

I'm with you on that. I just can't seem to find, see or shoot anything on my own. Sometimes you wonder if there's actually anything lurking out there at all. I'm pretty patient, but it does get a bit demoralising. There's definitely more to hunting than just walking out into a paddock and shooting some food.

I hear you but it's such a rush when you finally get your first bush deer. I took 2 years for mine. I kept getting closer each time. Now her I am 6 months later wondering if it will be another 18 months before the next one.
But my last hunt got me within barking distant by following advice off the forum: green bush near water on northern slopes.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by MonkeyNutz

Following on from this post, I went out for an early morning hunt to an area I have never been before. Once I got into the hunting area I set up and loaded my rifle but didn't chamber a round. Walking along a 4WD track not expecting to see anything I popped up over a small rise and on my left just of the track about 20 metres away there is a Spiker, I quickly ducked down out of sight behind a bush and proceeded to "quietly" load a bullet, unfortunately I wasn't quiet enough as I was now being watched. As I was hiding a rabbit decided to pop out on the track about 5 metres away and hop right up to me sit and look at me (probably laughing) and then turned around and hopped off again.
The deer then barked and slowly started walking off so I jumped up to take a shot but my inexperience got the better of me and I didn't take a shot.

The takeaway? Once again I'm getting that little bit closer, I learnt another lesson and it was great being in a new area and seeing plenty of sign.

keep your rifle chambered if your hunting by yourself mate,youll lose a lot of deer if you dont.

Originally Posted by Yesmate

keep your rifle chambered if your hunting by yourself mate,youll lose a lot of deer if you dont.

Yip absolutely! Funny thing is, I usually do, but for whatever reason I didn't on this occasion, as I said lesson learnt. I won't be doing that again.

Originally Posted by longshot

There is also that almost ‘universal to all mammals’ reaction to seeing something, dogs, cats etc do it and humans do too, it’s exaggerated when we are really concentrating on trying to get something and I think prey animals are tuned into this. They know when ears prick up or eyes lock on.

If you have a strong emotional response when you do see a deer, and your body twitches accordingly, the deer will know you have seen it and be gone. I think this is why it can often be easier to get within 15m of a deer that you haven’t seen than it is to get within 50m of a deer that you’re aware of.

Observation -- If the animal is used to the sound of a vehicle & human always dressed in blue overalls ie the cocky, they take no notice. Sounds silly but one goes into stalk mode, tring to creep up on a cat or dog, suspicion is instant they sense it, and its game time, same with game. Got a cat that loves hide & seek, he will stork me, rush up & a tackle, hard case.

One thing I learnt years ago, if there's sign keep hunting the same area until you know it better than your back yard, not a lot gained by moving district to district, hoping to trip over something. As mentioned earlier, in todays climate the best deer hunting in 50 plus years, animals where they weren't 10-15 years ago plus the long established areas, numbers are great.