Thread: Falling into the same old rut

Covering ground at this time of the year is full of expectation

Carefully looking for the tell tale signs of Sika and their habitual movements you move between feed/warm areas and cover
Tracks intersecting the two show a population, and familiar signs and locations go in your notebook as the roar draws closer.

Over the last couple of decades an awareness of another situation has also shown itself, the crafty Sika are patterning our behaviour as well !!!
Notes show less activity over the weekends, and the more an area is surveyed the less activity occurs thereafter for the short term, even showing sign more concentrated in heavy Kaweka scrub and windfall in an effort to avoid open areas.
More so the last few years moving between feed areas I have avoided touching foliage and leaving obvious clues of my passing, but Sika are tuned in to their environment and it has still affected them.

Hinds especially seem to be able to modify the families behaviour, until it becomes indelible in their upbringing

It’s always been easier and more comfortable to walk a familiar path or follow the same sequence of valleys and ridges but now waiting days for a wind direction change (enabling entry to an area from a completely different direction)has shown more activity from fawns and yearlings and a more complete picture of family groups and where they are

Applying the same thoughts to the older stags has also netted more meaningful sign/data from Feb 20th to March 10th, (hard antler before they vanish to make scrapes and prepare to get noisy )

Being more thoughtful about what areas are getting scented up and when, and trying not to educate the animals we are seeking.

Has anyone else noticed the same phenomena, the more they look and plan the quieter an area gets ?

Weekday hunts more productive than weekends ?

Just trying not to fall into the same old rut !