Thread: Help a newby hunter.

Hi William,
As others have said you do need to be patient, accept there is a lot to learn and 'success' may take a while to achieve.

Get out as much as you can over the next couple of months as spring is one of the best times to be hunting. The deer are feeding up after winter and their hunger can drive them to stay out longer in the mornings and emerge earlier in the afternoon/evenings. They are generaly feeding on grass rather than browsing in the bush -which of course means they are in the open and so easier to spot. The other big factor on the hunters side this time of year is the fact that the hinds will drive away their current crop of offspring before they fawn again in Nov/Dec -this means you have a lot of inexperienced yearlings and spikers wandering about being less cautious than is healthy for them.

Get hold of some books and do some research -that 'Stalking the Seasons' already mentioned is a brillant one. If you can't find a copy to buy then check out the CHCH library system. When I first started out my biggest mistake was not learning enough about my quarry. Sussing out where to find deer at differnt times of year in different weather conditions and at different times of day is the key.

Once you start seeing them, or regularly coming across sign you will know you its all coming together for you, which is a great boost for moral.

Good luck fella - it sounds like you have been getting your boots dirty - keep at it !!