Thread: bush stalking for dummies

So after reading these pearls of wisdom I figured I’d trying my hand at this bush stalking malarkey. Have mainly shot open country so far so this is a new challenge. I have found a few spots in the Canterbury foothills that while highly used by hunters and other folks alike seem to hold decent deer numbers. Pressure has likely made most of them nocturnal. In the wasp free window before summer I have been tracking them up/down into the valleys through heavy beech, Manuka, bush layer and pepperwood and finding heaps of fresh sign and occasionally get a good whiff. Moving through the bush quietly is near impossible no matter how much I channel my inner ninja and visibility is 10m at most - often 5 or less. Even the dog when I take her sets off rockslides in the shingle. I have found a few spots that the deer seem to be using regularly but given the lack of a decent vantage point and being unable to stalk in quietly I am looking for cunning tricks to try and surprise the blighters. Have considered lugging in an axe and cutting a shooting spot on an opposite slope facing a small slip face or even look into a tree stand arrangement. Might also look into a game cam to try and sus out their patterns as there is cell reception there and I could check from the comfort of home. Any other tips other that ‘try somewhere more sensible ya silly bugger’

wallow in a wet seep covered in tracks. typical bush shot - can you pick out the dog giving me her ‘what’s taking you so long look’ she’s about 4 m away.