Thread: Bush stalking - not my best skill

Slow down, then slow down even more. If you think you're going slow, you're not slow enough.

Stop, stand, watch and listen regulary. Its amazing what you'll hear if you're still. Deer muching leaves, twigs snapping, birds sqawking, the brush of fur through bushes or the knock of an antler on wood.

A piece of cotton taped to the end of your barrel is ideal for a wind indicator, and is silent.

Travel through areas with no sign quickly, and slow down only when you hit fresh sign. You'll cover more ground this way.

Look through the bush at different heights, ie climb onto a log, or get on hands and knees and look underneather the low scrub. Its amazing how often you'll pick up on a set of skinny brown legs but not see its body!

Sunny faces-focus on them. You can hunt areas like this all hours of the day. If you hit a nice gut or "clearing" with fresh sign, sit tight for half an hour and watch.

Follow trails, not only will you be more likely to hit a animal travelling, the trail is there because it is the "easiest" or most direct route.

If the wind is swirling for you, it is swirling for the deer. Remember that.

Hunting in the bush in shitty cold weather is often more productive than on a nice day.

Get a low powered pair of binos, or a monocular (I used to carry a cheap 4x scope on a string round my neck, but then bought some 6x leupy yosemites for in the bush). Its surprising what you'll pick up using binos in the bush over your naked eye.

If you "hear" or "see" a deer in the bush it can be pretty exciting. Be sure that you identify your target before closing the bolt and squeezing the trigger. You can't pull bullets back.

Get out there, sitting on the computer or couch wont get you a deer. The more you're hunting, the more chances you'll get to see one or shoot one.

Slow down.