Thread: new member, new hunter

Hello everyone im new to this forum and new to bigger game hunting.

Have been rabbit and possum shooting on my fathers small block of land but have just got into pig and deer hunting.
Ive had a few pigs with a work mate. Been out on some deer trips but no luck as yet.
Im mad keen and have been slowly setting myself up gps,rifle,clothing,boots etc

Just wondering if you more experienced hunters have any advice for hunting for a young 20 year old in the nelson region for deer in winter etc and any good places to check out would be keen as on any input.

thankyou simon

Welcome mate, Nelson seems a popular place at the moment.

Can't help with the hunting yet (still working on that) but give me some time unless you like killing clays with a shottie in which case I might be your man

Welcome

Originally Posted by simontrevor

Hello everyone im new to this forum and new to bigger game hunting.

Have been rabbit and possum shooting on my fathers small block of land but have just got into pig and deer hunting.
Ive had a few pigs with a work mate. Been out on some deer trips but no luck as yet.
Im mad keen and have been slowly setting myself up gps,rifle,clothing,boots etc

Just wondering if you more experienced hunters have any advice for hunting for a young 20 year old in the nelson region for deer in winter etc and any good places to check out would be keen as on any input.

thankyou simon

Learn to navigate anywhere without a GPS and only use it for spot checks and marking waypoints. Carry good gear and food/fluids enough to survive comfortably a night out in shitty conditions. The rest will come with time spent boots on the ground.

thankyou oh ok interesting so your saying you use a compass and map to try get to a destination? cheers

Welcome again.

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Originally Posted by simontrevor

thankyou oh ok interesting so your saying you use a compass and map to try get to a destanation? cheers

Absolutely! being comfortable with always having a rough idea of your location (keeping a regular check on your general heading and counting paces you can still find yourself on a map even in thick bush miles of tracks) and how to get where you want, allows you to go in earlier and stay in later, a compass (and map) will never let you down, they are far more important than a GPS, a GPS can have flat batteries, you can drop it and it stops working, you might lose it you may not get sig- a compass goes on a bit of para cord around your neck and stays there!. I have a Garmin 62s with maps loaded, but it is not my primery nav tool! Carrying the gear to survive out the night if it goes pear shaped takes the stress out of potential drama situations.

When it goes wrong, as it inevitably will if you get out enough, learn to make your first move to sit down and make a brew and then, go through your options, never start rushing.

Example: Last roar on what was supposed to be a day hunt, I got caught out trying to get in on a stag in the bottom of a difficult heavy bushed gully and wrecked my knee after last light- I had my Silky saw, a sheet of plastic and some para cord, weather turned quite nasty but I was able to make a small shelter right where I was, I had a spare full water bottle, my hexi cooker and brew gears, and a bivvy bag, was also carrying strapping tape and anti inflams and decent painkillers. Survived a nasty near zero cold wet night without real drama. A slow painfull walk out in the morning but I wasn't hypothermic or dehydrated or starving. And I had no sig till I had cleared the ridge 300m above, just followed my compass.

Oh yea far out very good point I''ve been going out every second weekend and will now invest in a compass and map! Thank you

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Welcome to the forum Simon. Enjoy.

I am reading this book - Red Deer in New Zealand, Roger Lentle Frank Saxton - Shop Online for Books in the United Kingdom

Seems like a good bit of info to help the beginner

Oh sweet cheers I'll try track down a book

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Originally Posted by simontrevor

thankyou oh ok interesting so your saying you use a compass and map to try get to a destination? cheers

Always a good skill to develop, the batteries never run out in them
And welcome.

Hi again Simon,

My 2cents,

When I was younger I read the stories of cullers and hunters going bush and heading miles into the hills and thought I had to rush out there and do the same, Just remember you are young and have plenty of time to learn, don't compare you're exploits to others, hunt at your pace and enjoy yourself. Find an area (doc land maybe) and familiarise yourself with it by hunting small to start off with, by that I mean don't look at heading to the back boundary of the block but pick something closer and within your limits (it will surprise you what your limit is) and find out what is in there and your way around, keep expanding from there and you will learn the tracks to take and what ones lead you into a pile of shit ( I'm good at finding all the shit short cuts that take me twice as long). Some of my best hunts have been the shortest, areas that every one else walks past because it's too close to the carpark.
The last two deer I shot on DOC land I could see the roof of my ute!

There is some really good advice here on the forum,

maybe we can catch for a hunt sometime.

Cheers,
Jase

Thanks for that advice definitely a good idea seeing as I'm so unfit haha. I guess it will be luck of the draw I'm going to explore some different places this weekend as it's getting tricky to do rivercrossing where I have been going hah. Thank you I'll make sure I go to my limits any advice on what to do when seeing fresh sign? Do you guys just track it down as best you can even if there is loud Bush in the way? Cheers

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Stop, look, listen, take it really slowly and keep the wind in your face.