Thread: Best use of time re glassing red deer

Hey all,

When doing a spot and stalking/glassing heavy style of hunting. Do you sit and glass all day from a good spot - or just to focus on the mornings and evenings when the deer are more active?

Does it change for you depending on the season e.g. I've seen animals out on the tops longer in may for instance as they are feeding up before winter.

Trying to use my time as efficiently as possible and it feels like you need to watch an area at morning and night at least before you can decide if its holding animals or not. The other option is covering tons of ground during the day and glass into new country - but at non productive times.. seems like a catch 22 haha.

Got me thinking following a swift overnighter I did this past Thursday. Hiked into some new country I'd looked at on topo/google earth and made a plan to be glassing a nice grassy patch on sunrise. As dawn broke I spied a single stag and then another couple hinds. Due to the topography of the country the closest I could close the distance to was 550m, this is further than I've practiced shooting so I just made the call to watch them for the early morning and not risk making a bad shot. They fed out for a while then evaporated back into the bush.

After that I took off to scout some more country that looked great but didn't come across anything else and walked out that evening.

cheers all and sorry if this is a dumb question - just always tryin to learn

First and last light is your best bet. You can sometimes get lucky and find one out in the middle of the day. To make the most of your time, walk in in the morning, set up camp, hunt the afternoon and evening, if no luck hunt the morning then go home.
In the afternoon I often sit down and watch one spot until dark. Where I hunt deer usually move about 2 hours before dark, some areas it might only be 15-30 before dark before they come out.
In the morning I will move a lot more because the deer are heading back into the bush.

And good on you for knowing your limits and not taking the shot and risking an animal running off wounded and not a dumb question..

really two things here !) you know where deer will be and 2 ) you dont its new country - I tend to hunt a lot of places I know really well so go straight to spot about an hour before dark and glass - if I have time during the day I will leave my hot spot alone and check out some new country - then visit hot spot an hour before dark - new country well I look for areas that spell deer and that takes time to learn - North facing means usually more sun more feed - cover nearby - spring grass - you can check the area for sign and if fresh sign is seen move out and glass on late evening - dont wander around leaving a whole heap of scent - big high vantage points are good when scoping new country but don't silhouette yourself out on the ridges - brand new country I tend to move quite a bit checking out likely areas - glassing from a distance is good - you can hit the area the next day if you see deer but to far that evening - if they are coming out regularly they will come out the next day - ended up bit of a rant -but the mistakes are glassing from way to close to where you know deer could be - get back a bit - moving around out on ridges you could be spotted easily - and wind constantly monitor where its coming from

Morning and evening for the more open spots, tops and clearings.
If you are really keen you can glad bedding type areas during the day. Holes in bush and broken bush

Probably the least qualified person to answer this on the forum, but last time I did a trip like that, I pretty much slept all day. It was a very relaxing trip!

All depends on hunting pressure on animals, weather conditions, feed, water, shelter and terrain etc. One spot I went to the other day has little hunting pressure because lots of steep bluffs mixed with big native and with big 200m long by 80m wide regeneration slips. It was a overcast day and see deer laying down and feeding in open 1pm. Sometimes I see them all hours of the day in little pockets of grassy clearings out to 1400m with good binos. I normally glass 15-20 minutes move up or down ridges and spurs over looking into new elevation levels or next basin.
Other areas only see deer in first and last light so deer stalking during the day in the sheltered bush out of the hot sun.

I recently read a sniper book which had a whole chapter on glassing. Applies to war not hunting of course , but they had a system:
Hasty search first. A quick look at the most likely spots,; cover them al in a minute or two.
Careful search next. Look again at the likely spots but very carefully for small pieces of (deer). Still not looking at unlikely spots.
Then do a complete search of every spot until you see something or have to leave.
Only glass for 30 minutes at a time and preferably rotate with another person and between optics eg binos to spotting scope to binos if you have more than one with you.
Common sense is to look at the good spots close to you first then the places further away.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

I recently read a sniper book which had a whole chapter on glassing. Applies to war not hunting of course , but they had a system:
Hasty search first. A quick look at the most likely spots,; cover them al in a minute or two.
Careful search next. Look again at the likely spots but very carefully for small pieces of (deer). Still not looking at unlikely spots.
Then do a complete search of every spot until you see something or have to leave.
Only glass for 30 minutes at a time and preferably rotate with another person and between optics eg binos to spotting scope to binos if you have more than one with you.
Common sense is to look at the good spots close to you first then the places further away.

thats great -will remember that- good one - and I would add trick taught us on one of our courses by an ex SAS guy when glassing look right to left then left to right evenly - why -he explained we are taught to read left to right and ignore looking the other way he was right

Glass them up all day long. I reckon I've probably spotted just as many deer bedded up as I have deer out feeding etc

The places I hunt, South Island tops, the animals are generally out at all times of day. I find that they bed down for a few hours around mid day and a few hours late arvo sometimes. Places that get a bit more pressure the animals are a little more shy. The heat of the day and the cold of winter changes their behaviour to, when it’s hot around mid day they’re generally somewhere with a breeze if they’re along way from the bush, in winter time I don’t really see them until the sun comes out, sometimes you see nothing when it’s cold, and as the sun warms the faces the animals materialise, up to 30 plus deer fairly often when conditions line up. I get bored easy and am not patient, I’m always on the move, glass in one spot for an hour tops and if I don’t see something I want to shoot I’m on the move again. 99% of the time I get a shot opportunity

Originally Posted by MB

Probably the least qualified person to answer this on the forum, but last time I did a trip like that, I pretty much slept all day. It was a very relaxing trip!

I tend to get tied up in the relaxing bit as well. hunting or not its just good to get out of fukn dorkland

Originally Posted by blip

And good on you for knowing your limits and not taking the shot and risking an animal running off wounded and not a dumb question..

Thanks mate. I've made a couple shit shots in the past but been lucky enough to find the animals fairly quickly after and end it. Couldn't guarantee that here at all.

Some awesome information in here fellas, really appreciate it. That info about glassing for 30 mins at a time is good Bagheera - rekcon I've definitely found myself getting fatigued and 'going through the motions' aye.

The other thing I didn't mention was I tried glassing strictly off a tripod (binos attached via an adapter). Such a difference - I think I have naturally quite shaky hands (drink too many coffees), so it was like night and day for being able to spot things.

trick I learnt glassing for big hairy mountain goats across other side of river valley...lay on back with head/neck up against something and rest arms on chest...binos really steady that way as arms not taking all the weight.
even leaning my back up against big tussock while sitting helps on end,elbows on knees.
for me the last hour is golden for glassing..but doesnt happen often as usually only day hunt with early start...one thing for sure..the next 2-3 months is far and away easiest time to find deer out in open feasting up large.

One hundred percent! I have 12x50 leupolds, there is a fine line with high amounts of zoom and stability, the 12s are on the edge of what is handleable standing with no support. Sitting against a rock with the knees up supporting elbows or a walking pole underneath the binos is the go for me! Binos to spot animals, spotting scope to assess the animal