A question for the bush hunters

I'm heading out on a trip on Friday to go after "my" stag I've been seeing sign of but no sight. I know where he hangs out but i haven't settled on a hunting tactic yet. I almost settled on spending time in a knoll near where I've heard him roar in the autumn, but 3/4 of the shooting lanes are along the spur or downhill.this isn't ideal because if I miss or the bullet passes through there's no backstop.

So my question is, how do you bush hunters out there manage your firing zones? Do you just pass on all shots that aren't into the side of a ridge or into the ground?

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

No back stop, no shooting.

I've passed up numerous deer while walking uphill to a ridge and had them directly above me.

As for thick bush and scrub, if you do miss or bullet passes through deer its going to hit a tree, branch and not go very far.

That's the thing - in thick bush it's a million to one it could hit another hunter not far away before the tree but it could happen

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

No backstop no shot. Remember the rule ‘ consider your firing zone ‘.

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Originally Posted by woods223

No backstop no shot. Remember the rule ‘ consider your firing zone ‘.

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Thanks, that's why I asked how bush hunters manage it as you can't see into the trees. So many people talk about sidling along a ridge looking for deer, where there would 9 times out of 10 be no backstop nearby. As a new hunter I'm trying to figure out how anybody shoots a deer in the bush unless it's standing in front of an enormous tree, or directly in front of a cliff with no trees in front of it, or lying in a hollow in the ground (i.e. 1% of the deer they see)


Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

Sometime you just have to pass on the shot, no matter how tempting.
As hunters we all have the responsibility to operate very much with a safety prority.
These days if a potential shot must be turned away yoh probablg don't have to go much further to find a properly safe opportunity.

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Originally Posted by Rusky

No back stop, no shooting.

I've passed up numerous deer while walking uphill to a ridge and had them directly above me.

As for thick bush and scrub, if you do miss or bullet passes through deer its going to hit a tree, branch and not go very far.

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yup Rusky sums it all up very well

[QUOTE=Eat Meater;1459320]Thanks, that's why I asked how bush hunters manage it as you can't see into the trees. So many people talk about sidling along a ridge looking for deer, where there would 9 times out of 10 be no backstop nearby. As a new hunter I'm trying to figure out how anybody shoots a deer in the bush unless it's standing in front of an enormous tree, or directly in front of a cliff with no trees in front of it, or lying in a hollow in the ground (i.e. 1% of the deer they see)

Sometimes you have to pass up the shot, other times it’s just a matter of taking another step or two, to take a safe shot. Patience is the key.

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Originally Posted by Eat Meater

I'm heading out on a trip on Friday to go after "my" stag I've been seeing sign of but no sight. I know where he hangs out but i haven't settled on a hunting tactic yet. I almost settled on spending time in a knoll near where I've heard him roar in the autumn, but 3/4 of the shooting lanes are along the spur or downhill.this isn't ideal because if I miss or the bullet passes through there's no backstop.

So my question is, how do you bush hunters out there manage your firing zones? Do you just pass on all shots that aren't into the side of a ridge or into the ground?

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

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chances are he won't be where he was roaring back in April mate.

He had no harem then, and I found plenty of fresh sign 2 weeks ago. Worth a look

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

As per all above, sometimes you just have to let them go and hunt another day. The majority of the ones I let go it is because they knew I was there before I knew they were there, then of the ones that I have an honest chance at, it's probably about a 65/35 ratio of look at/shoot. 65% being the ones where it isn't 100% safe to squeeze the trigger. (ID target, firing zone, ear-tag etc.)

This can get a bit demoralising at times, especially when you get up at the crack of dawn and do everything right only to end up staring at a walking freezer-load of meat with a track or a hut somewhere in the trees behind it. It is easy to be tempted but the best way to think about it is that it is another thing in the long list of things that makes hunting a challenge. Not shooting it is still better than not having seen it, its there so come back next time and try a different tactic.
Sometimes we process this a bit differently to the statement though and it can feel disappointing.

The other good thing to consider is that it is just something to factor into your hunting. Plenty of people like to glass slips, these have an inherent backstop every time.
Being above the animal is always helpful too, they often don't look up and if you are shooting down, the ground is a fairly reliable back stop. It basically becomes a trick of not bothering with the areas that aren't safe (or figuring a way to do it safely). And concentrating on areas and hunting in a direction where its easy to get a safe shot.

Many people say its hard to get really lost in the Tararua range because so much of it is either up or down. It is mostly steep undulating country and that means that even in the bush you do often do have a good backstop.

Also just because you pass on a shot you haven't wasted your time. If the animal isn't spooked just stay put and observe it and learn about it notice how they look around all the time what its eating etc.

The vast majority of shots in the bush will be angling into a bank or face anyway, especially if Sidling faces/gullys. The ones you really have to worry about are ridgeline shots, especially if you are angling up.

I can see what you are saying re identifying your shooting lanes, as you sometimes can't be 100% sure that there isn't a hunter behind the patch of scrub behind the deer, but there is an element of averages and common sense here.

Go wander the spur and aim down periodically and see how many of your site lines don't end up with a hard backstop inside 100m. I'll bet its not many

yip agree99%of shots will be into solid ground if miss target and the deer up on skyline is the one you pass up on ..shit when you stop to think how many deer run away laughing because we hit a tree ON WAY to deer... the chances of projectile going past a deer and threading the needle far enough to find a human are VERY slim indeed.

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Originally Posted by Eat Meater

That's the thing - in thick bush it's a million to one it could hit another hunter not far away before the tree but it could happen

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

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You could argue you have a tree as a back stop but the projectile its deflected left/right on contact. I've read projectiles have done 90 degree turns when hitting a deer bone and travelled the length of the deer. Rare but does occur.

Its shows though that you are thinking along the right lines of safe shooting lanes, and putting safety first above dropping a deer which is good to see.

you COULD argue there is a good case for using a soft expanding projectile that in ideal world will use up 99% of its energy inside the animal and stop under skin on far side...personally I prefer then to fall out the other side to leave better blood trail if they move off..but either way if projectile has used up MOST of its energy it wont be going far once past /through deer so is of minimal further risk.
this senario is often given as the reason large areas of forestry blocks are shotgun only areas...to minimilise risk of projectiles carrying any great distance.