Thread: Kaimais

Originally Posted by Spook

I thought that the one legged deer had been shot a while back...good to know he/she is still pogo-ing around...sorry I missed seeing you...cheers for the cider.

Easiest shag in the Kaimais i bet!

Originally Posted by Scouser

Fuk me, you guys are really painting a pretty picture....you just dont want any of us up there eh!!!!!!!!!

Its not easy going but if you must at least take a map & compass .

Ive found that an hour in is better because all the sunday hunter wont walk that far. Yes you can get deer closer than that but you need to now what your doing or get lucky. Im just saying that I prefer to hunt further in and away from the crowd.

Cheers for the tips guys. I finally got to drag my sorry arse up the hills at Kaimai today. Went in from car park off Whakamarama Rd. Didn't get off to a good start Couldn't find my GPS, my map that I ordered on line off Bivouac Outdoor hadn't turned up in time (had to revert to a printed screen shot off the internet and my ole compass) and I slept in. Got to the car park was vehicle no 4, so changed camo for high vis loggers top and set off.
Some tight scrub in most places but I did find some nice areas that were more open under the trees.
Didn't see any animals but did encounter some fresh red sign, some nice prints about. Found some decent looking stag prints on one of the loggin tracks. He was obviously hauling arse, as there was a set of dog prints over the top also hauling. The dog prints looked massive (maybe he was in velvet trying to stay out of the tight scrub and out run the hound). It was probably not surprising that I didn't se much, as the wind was swirling around a fair bit, and judging from the BO smell on the ride home,, any self respecting deer would off smelt minging whitey a mile away.
Hope fully get back there for a day or two so I can have a better look about. Will head the advice on these blogs a bit more next time... Secatears and GPS a must. It was an easy place to get disorientated down the southern end, not many places to pick out land marks.
Got home in time for kids school xmas do, my young fella give me a sniff and said "ooooyuck you smell like shit", Thanks mate.

Good stuff. There are almost no landmarks in the kaimai bush, that's why a compass and map are a minimum requirement. I still have to look at the GPS now and then after poking in there since last year.

Yea Rusky,
I got up on the flatter & rolling areas then dropped off the track a number of times to look around, I decided that it was time to head home when I got chicken winged up and ended up lost for an hour or so. I recognised a dead tree luckily, and managed to find my way back to the track and took a back bearing home. My map was telling me the opposite to what my sense of direction was telling me.

Originally Posted by deadidick

Yea Rusky,
I got up on the flatter & rolling areas then dropped off the track a number of times to look around, I decided that it was time to head home when I got chicken winged up and ended up lost for an hour or so. I recognised a dead tree luckily, and managed to find my way back to the track and took a back bearing home. My map was telling me the opposite to what my sense of direction was telling me.

Yeah, that happens a lot, and not just in the Kaimais ....!

Yea theres been numerous times in there when ive thought a right hand turn here should see me heading back to the track. Look at GPS and complete opposite direction. Then you have to flip the world around in your head and get your bearings again.

I went for my first hunt up Whakamarama today looking for a clearing I had spotted on the Google machine.
I went in off the track and straight away came across plenty of poo, clearings/feeding areas and trails. I was up the backish when I came across my first wallow. Marked it into the GPS and will set up a camera come late March to see whats around.
I got into a bit of SJack and the likes and had a good walk around. I will def head back in next time I'm down.
On the way out about 100m from the track (I was a bit tired after 6.5hrs wondering around and was looking forward to a pie) and I spooked a deer. It crashed of for about 5 seconds then stopped. It was quiet for a little bit before I heard it wandering off with what I think was 3 barks in the next minute or so. I was a little gutted, but stoked to find a very promising looking place since that was the plan today.

Over all the rain and wind was a blessing to a degree. On first arrival it was very crunchy underfoot and the rain softened it up. Am thinking it will be socks over summer up there.