Thread: Pureora forest

Hey guys, I’m a new hunter and have been trying to get my first deer. I’ve been mainly hunting in pureora as that’s the closest bush to me, but I’m having no luck at all. I’ve been on about 8 hunts now, walking for at least 2 hours at a time but can’t seem to find anything. I thought by now I would’ve at least spooked a deer and heard it run away. Any pointers on what to do and what sort of areas to hunt in? Anything would be appreciated

okay mate some questions to help narrow things down a bit 2 hours at a time - 1 ) what time of day are you hunting - 2) are you just following a track or old road what ??- 3) do you believe you have read wind direction right i.e blowing into your face- 4) have you seen any sign at all prints deer shit ?? - awnser those and we will go from there - perhaps someone who has experience of Pureora can chime in - I dont know it at all and my answers will be generalized - for Pureora I dont doubt there will be tricks that help

Local library
Lentle and Saxon - red deer in nz, hunting the seasons round, read anything

Look at HUNTS course in local NZDA

Hunt into the wind (wind in your face)

Look through this forum with search terms like "bush hunting tips"

Find what sign looks like (Deer shit and prints) and find an area you can watch over at dawn and dusk, from downwind, which has lots of sign

Learn to identify deer trails through bush, follow those, slow down when you see fresh sign

also learn about catabatic winds


That lot should get you started..

Go for a drive after a good rain.
Check where deer cross the roads, wet spots, walk the odd track etc.
Where you see prints they will be reasonably fresh.
Note where they are and go back and hunt into the wind they will be there.
This time of the year they will be camped up lying down until late afternoon early evening.

This is a random screenshot of a map in pureora. That would be the kind of north east exposure and not too steep terrain I would’ve carefully hunting.

I know of a culler who walked up from ngamoko tent camp in the late evening to arrive at leon kinvig after dark with nine tails, it was the roar too. At the hut were several private hunters and had been there for four days with no kills. That culler left just before daylight to arrive at the tentcamp with a further 3 tails. All kills from riverbed.
There is some magnificent hunting bush in pureora, go forth and find.

Find that when the warmer months arrive and the animals have recovered condition from winter, see more first light when the dew is on the vegetation than last light.

Originally Posted by balesr9k

I’ve been on about 8 hunts now, walking for at least 2 hours at a time but can’t seem to find anything. I thought by now I would’ve at least spooked a deer and heard it run away.

so from toke I guess the northern blocks are where you been as that would be closest?.....
haven't hunted up there so don't know the numbers but if the deer are anything like the the deer in the Pureora block I have frequented over the last 40 years then chances are you have spooked some..... you just don't know it . when I first started hunting there if you spooked something you would get barked at followed by an animal crashing off never to be seen again nowadays they are a bit smarter they will scent or hear you and stay still and watch you walk past before quietly walking off in the opposite direction. do you actually know what you should be looking for ? ( the things you need to to see smell and hear before you even set eyes on the deer)
perhaps one of the guys that hunt the blocks you do could offer to take you and show you the things you need to be aware of eg whats been browsed recently how to tell how fresh the shit is ( and no don't let them convince you the best way is to taste it!) I don't know what you do for a job but look after hearing and sense of smell they are very important ........ patience and perseverance will bring results and once the first one goes down all you have seen heard and smelt in the area will make sense

Cheers for the reply mate. I’ve tried to answer your questions best I can.
1)I usually try get there for either first light or 3 hours before sunset. I have been for a couple walks at midday just to try find some spots though
2)I usually follow an old road for about 10 mins and then cut in on a game trail and follow that the best I can.
3)I think I have my wind direction coming towards me for the most part, though sometimes I do follow a game trail and get turnt around, just something I need to be more aware of I guess.
4)I see about of droppings and prints, I’m not very good at telling how recent they are though. I have put a game cam in an area I like going to and seen 8 different animals over 4 weeks, no repeat visits though so I suppose they just pass through

Originally Posted by Friwi

This is a random screenshot of a map in pureora. That would be the kind of north east exposure and not too steep terrain I would’ve carefully hunting. Attachment 289497

Cheers mate, I’ve been hunting quite flat stuff that goes into quite steep stuff. I’ll look for some areas similar to that and give that a crack🤙🏻

Originally Posted by scotty

so from toke I guess the northern blocks are where you been as that would be closest?.....
haven't hunted up there so don't know the numbers but if the deer are anything like the the deer in the Pureora block I have frequented over the last 40 years then chances are you have spooked some..... you just don't know it . when I first started hunting there if you spooked something you would get barked at followed by an animal crashing off never to be seen again nowadays they are a bit smarter they will scent or hear you and stay still and watch you walk past before quietly walking off in the opposite direction. do you actually know what you should be looking for ? ( the things you need to to see smell and hear before you even set eyes on the deer)
perhaps one of the guys that hunt the blocks you do could offer to take you and show you the things you need to be aware of eg whats been browsed recently how to tell how fresh the shit is ( and no don't let them convince you the best way is to taste it!) I don't know what you do for a job but look after hearing and sense of smell they are very important ........ patience and perseverance will bring results and once the first one goes down all you have seen heard and smelt in the area will make sense

I hunt off of link road, I thought that was the south bloc but could definitely be wrong lol. Maybe I have spooked one and just not noticed. I’m definitely not sure about the things that I need to smell or hear before I see a deer. I suppose that sorta stuff just comes once your actually found a few deer and noticed what comes before seeing it. Thanks for the info anyway, plenty to take in

Originally Posted by balesr9k

Cheers for the reply mate. I’ve tried to answer your questions best I can.
1)I usually try get there for either first light or 3 hours before sunset. I have been for a couple walks at midday just to try find some spots though
2)I usually follow an old road for about 10 mins and then cut in on a game trail and follow that the best I can.
3)I think I have my wind direction coming towards me for the most part, though sometimes I do follow a game trail and get turnt around, just something I need to be more aware of I guess.
4)I see about of droppings and prints, I’m not very good at telling how recent they are though. I have put a game cam in an area I like going to and seen 8 different animals over 4 weeks, no repeat visits though so I suppose they just pass through

Right - you're more advanced than I gave you credit for

Prints and droppings look for how sharp the edges of the hoof marks are, shit look for how dusty -old- or moist without rainfall - fresh they are
Look for what they are eating leafwise - they will eat up as far as they can stretch
Some people cut down a favoured feed tree or look for a windfall tree after a storm to stake out

Downwind you'll often smell them before seeing them, a musty sort of smell

Do you have access to a trained dog?

Catabatic winds often mean that you're better off going up high in the morning then working your way downhill to your exit point as the day wears on

I find I need to stay alert to spooking them when I have gone across a bush terrace that has several streams that cut across it, when coming up out of that stream bed look before popping up and out
Also level changes like coming up a trail onto a flat piece stop and take a breather then look before jumping up that last bit

Also consider hunting up a stream, not one that is too steep and gorge-y but the stream noise can sometimes cover your noise of progress

Sika I don't try when it's too dry underfoot as walking on cornflakes makes too much noise but I'm not a very good hunter - I've had better luck just after a rainfall keeps the beech leaves on the forest floor a bit quieter


Also keep us posted on progress both good or bad, plenty of local folk will have better specific area advice I'm sure

Best of luck

308

Originally Posted by 308

Right - you're more advanced than I gave you credit for

Prints and droppings look for how sharp the edges of the hoof marks are, shit look for how dusty -old- or moist without rainfall - fresh they are
Look for what they are eating leafwise - they will eat up as far as they can stretch
Some people cut down a favoured feed tree or look for a windfall tree after a storm to stake out

Downwind you'll often smell them before seeing them, a musty sort of smell

Do you have access to a trained dog?

Catabatic winds often mean that you're better off going up high in the morning then working your way downhill to your exit point as the day wears on

I find I need to stay alert to spooking them when I have gone across a bush terrace that has several streams that cut across it, when coming up out of that stream bed look before popping up and out
Also level changes like coming up a trail onto a flat piece stop and take a breather then look before jumping up that last bit

Also consider hunting up a stream, not one that is too steep and gorge-y but the stream noise can sometimes cover your noise of progress

Sika I don't try when it's too dry underfoot as walking on cornflakes makes too much noise but I'm not a very good hunter - I've had better luck just after a rainfall keeps the beech leaves on the forest floor a bit quieter


Also keep us posted on progress both good or bad, plenty of local folk will have better specific area advice I'm sure

Best of luck

308

I’m not advanced in the slightest, but I appreciate it nonetheless haha. Thanks for all the info mate, I’ll try to take as much of it that I can into my next hunt. I’ll be sure to put another post up in the next month or so with how I’m getting on. I’m planning to get out as much as I can over the holidays so should have about to report back on. Thanks again

Some animals can be very savvy regarding people, and hide and sneak instead of crashing away like a politician heading for the buffet table. Try to slow yourself down even more. Once you have the lie of the land, gain a bit of altitude with the wind in your favour and start reading a paperback or some such. 20 minutes to half an hour in one place can seem like an eternity if you don't have a distraction like a book. Often you feel the stress unwind, and you'll then pick up noises you may have otherwise missed.

We have a resident stag living on the farm. He's been here about 2 months. He's only got 40 Ha of Pines to hide in, yet he puts up with the tractor, bulldozer, 2 stroke dirt bikes hooning through the forest trails. He gets spotted once or twice a week, and just walks off purposefully. Never boosts it or barks. The horses seem him once a week and let us know he's there. He has no qualm listening to the horses snorting their arses off while he feeds in the next paddock, but if he spies me he quietly vaporises into dead ground and just disappears, despite me knowing the lie of the land just as well as he does. The smart ones are VERY smart.

If you want to learn an area it pays to explore it without a rifle. Zooming around without a rifle is easier for exploration as if you are actually hunting you will need to be very slow and quiet. Just go for a good walk looking for where the deer sign is, and where there are some spots with good visibility of feed areas. Look at the broadleaf trees - are the fallen leaves all hoovered up? is the grass nibbled down? Are there bedding areas? Put up some trail cameras if you have some. Note the wind, and how you would have to approach each area. I take a silky saw and make a stealth track that allows for a quieter approach to each likely spot. Then you can make a circuit of them and approach quietly - and spend some time sitting stealthily upwind of each good spot. Moving quietly in high probability areas is easier when you know the likely spots and you have groomed the approach. Also if you know the lower probability areas you can spend less time in them.
Trail cameras will tell you if there are animals around, but also indicate what their habits are. Some broadleaf trees are visited like clockwork twice a day by the same deer browsing through. Areas with lots of pressure get more photos at night, the deer go nocturnal. We have some cameras in places and we can tell when other hunters have been in as the deer go nocturnal for 2-3 days before the normal routine resumes.
After a while you get a really good feel for the area and the habits of the deer in that area.Then your probability of success goes up.
Just be aware if you hammer an area too hard (especially with a dog!) it will empty out and you will have to find another area. I have seen this with one area where we regularly took deer, but I shared it with a few mates and the resident mob got pretty much cleaned out. The next valley is much better now. So what you want to find is the areas that are holding deer. This does vary on an annual cycle - new growth in spring, warm gully heads in winter etc.