Spotting deer in Kaimai Bush

Hey guys, hope you're all doing well!

Just got out from a hunt in the Kaimais yesterday and met two awesome hunters along the way. Had a good yarn with them, and they mentioned that usually, you’ll see the deer if you’re in the right spots.

We’ve spent a lot of time up there with no luck, so just wondering how you guys go about spotting them? Of course, we try to keep the wind in our favour and stay on fresh sign.

Starting to think we could be doing something wrong, so keen to hear any advice that might help improve our odds! Any tips would be much appreciated.



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They usually spot you first. Its thick in there

you are hunting what is likely one of the toughest blocks to hunt in North Island --wind yes get that one right - time of day - early morning late evening hot times - midday they will likely be lying down and they choose a spot normally on a ridge where any approach they will hear and see you first - you need them up and about and feeding whenever possible - sign what are you seeing tracks or droppings or both - are these deer travelling to an area to feed or are they feeding there - when you hit good sign slow slow slow listen a lot - deer do make some noise - Northern Te Urewera is not to far from there you may have more luck there and numbers may be higher

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

you are hunting what is likely one of the toughest blocks to hunt in North Island --wind yes get that one right - time of day - early morning late evening hot times - midday they will likely be lying down and they choose a spot normally on a ridge where any approach they will hear and see you first - you need them up and about and feeding whenever possible - sign what are you seeing tracks or droppings or both - are these deer travelling to an area to feed or are they feeding there - when you hit good sign slow slow slow listen a lot - deer do make some noise - Northern Te Urewera is not to far from there you may have more luck there and numbers may be higher

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Thanks for the advice, we often try to hunt the early morning and late afternoons. Have even resorted to watching clearings at these times with no luck

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Stop looking at the ground once you find sign, each time you look up/down you are refocusing your eyes to different light conditions....all sign is historical, the foot prints you want are the ones the deer is standing in...deer numbers in the Kaimai's are the highest I have ever seen or known of...seen three today when giving the dogs a run.

Use your ears, always heard them before spotting them in there. The ones I saw before hearing them all disappeared rather fast

It is so dry up there at the moment that you really want to target wet gully and streams.
Move to newly undiscovered spots for you. That is another way of learning the lay of the land and find deer where you don’t see them at the moment. And of course record any point of interest on gps. Also what shoes or boots do you stalk in? You really want to be in a pair of sand shoes or soft sole trainers.
Another thing, if you are hunting with another mate it just become even harder . Twice as much noise and movement.

With that area the deer are so trained up for people it's quite crazy. I've been standing stationary as a tramping group goes through yapping their heads off (moved off trail to let them go through) and not 30 seconds after they go past a hind group goes across the track right in front of me. Can't hunt on the main tracks so let them go but that's how trained up for people they are.

They will hold on the cut lines where the old tram lines are in the thick flax and regen bush enjoying the sun, they will let you get to within a few meters before spooking off and even though you hear them you won't see them go.

The trick with the Kaimais is finding where they are moving and be there at the right time, that can take a lot of time on the ground to learn the ways.

Bumped 2 just off the track this morning. Probably 20m, wasn't expecting to see them there. They are where you find them up there. I just find a game trail and follow it. Works pretty well for me. As Friwi said keep trying new areas and mark all the good things on your gps. This morning I was heading to a couple of wallows that I'd found in winter when I startled a young stag, he went a couple of meters and stopped to see what the noise was, that was the end of him

My gps is covered in marks, I'll usually just try and do a circuit that covers a few off

I've yet to explore the Kaimais. Definitely on my list.... gotta try not to be put off by people saying it's hard going as a newbie. I have as good a chance as anyone else I guess!

Thats the attitude

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Originally Posted by AlwaysLearning

I've yet to explore the Kaimais. Definitely on my list.... gotta try not to be put off by people saying it's hard going as a newbie. I have as good a chance as anyone else I guess!

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Carry secateurs on your belt, you wont need them to find a deer in the Kaimi's but when you do shoot one you will understand what I am on about.

When hunting as a pair with a reliable/safe partner, we would often hunt parallel just within eyesight usually following a bearing. It allows you to put eyes on more area and in some occasions pushes a deer towards the other person. Be safe obviously. I've had several situations in the kaimais where a person standing right next to me can't see a deer but I can, and vice versa. You need to be visually scanning every step to try catch a glimpse before they see you.

Carry overnight camping gear and hunt evening,camp ,carry on hunting next morning.

The drop in temperature forecast for the 19th of this month will start them roaring in the Kaimai's

Also just got back from a pre-roar hunt myself. Apart from what I'm sure was a deer sniffing around my tent, I saw and heard nothing. I was certain that I was within 500m of a deer the entire time though, as the amount of fresh sign and browse was apparent, proven by returning to the same area the following day with new sign present.
500m may as well be 5km in that thick supplejack. Try and find clearings or areas of non-supplejack using satellite imagery, then go scope them out in person. The 3 times I've been now I consider to be just scouting missions trying to collate a list of good looking spots to finally go and hit them all in one try-hard mission later on.

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Originally Posted by DavidGunn

Carry secateurs on your belt, you wont need them to find a deer in the Kaimi's but when you do shoot one you will understand what I am on about.

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This is a truth right here... 4 hours to travel about 1000m was a lesson in the value of secateurs for me. I had a silky saw, but supplejack (or c***-vine in the local lingo) doesn't cut well with a saw and I managed to slice a nice flap of skin off my thumb dropping the bloody saw.

In the middle of that prison of twisted vines I found myself in I wandered into the biggest freshest wallow complete with stag rubbing higher than my head - this is in vines so thickly knotted I could not take one forward step without needing to step over, around or under something. Every movement was weaving through vine and trying not to drop anything - painful and I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to see the end of it as I was a few hours behind schedule and the dark was coming. Makes you wonder how a 4-legged animal with antlers can get in there!

That's a statement of endurance definitely No.3

Take a dog, my dog has taken more deer in the Kaimais than me, I just kind of go for a walk and then he starts up with his 'Hey Dad, I've got one of those things you always pat me for and then I get fed really well after you put that silver thing in it' bark.

It's a difficult place to hunt. Find the feeding areas and open areas you can actually hunt and keep going back. I spent a lot of years in there, and got to a success rate of about a deer on every second trip. I'd suck now at finding them, but I should go back to see if I can still do it.

Shot my first 5 deer in the kaimais about 35 yrs ago!they are there for sure ,find openish areas with sign and concentrate on them early morning and evening.big animals with shit heads though from my experience,this is all in the waiters falls area.

When I started in the kaimais 18 years ago, it took me 10 outings to kill one deer. Then progressively I started to get down to 5 trips for one deer. Now I am between 3 and 4 .
Two and half years ago I got a Chinese guy who came to me asking where to go to hunt and how to hunt.
I pointed him to old kaimai road. Go hunt there with a gps ,a secateurs and a bottle of puff of flour for wind direction. After a few month he came back to me saying he saw some deer but was to slow to shoot them. Anyway he carried on a bit more. Then I did not hear from him till last year after the roar. He came to see me saying that he d shot his first deer. He showed me a picture and it was a massive and beautiful 12 pointer which is a rare thing in the kaimais. He went quite deep in the bush , pushed a couple of basic roar and that big thing just popped out in front of him ready to be shot. I was quite proud of his achievement. Moral of the story, keep persevering.

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Originally Posted by Friwi

When I started in the kaimais 18 years ago, it took me 10 outings to kill one deer. Then progressively I started to get down to 5 trips for one deer. Now I am between 3 and 4 .
Two and half years ago I got a Chinese guy who came to me asking where to go to hunt and how to hunt.
I pointed him to old kaimai road. Go hunt there with a gps ,a secateurs and a bottle of puff of flour for wind direction. After a few month he came back to me saying he saw some deer but was to slow to shoot them. Anyway he carried on a bit more. Then I did not hear from him till last year after the roar. He came to see me saying that he d shot his first deer. He showed me a picture and it was a massive and beautiful 12 pointer which is a rare thing in the kaimais. He went quite deep in the bush , pushed a couple of basic roar and that big thing just popped out in front of him ready to be shot. I was quite proud of his achievement. Moral of the story, keep persevering.

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Back when there was a deer processing works up on the Kaimai's I knew the stockman and on two occasions WapX stags escaped into the bush...several years later I shot what would have been one of their offspring on Mt Motutapere, a big yearling hind...a friend spotted another big animal near the Xroads on Thompson's Track...but since then I have never encounter another one myself and not heard of any other person coming across any.

I was following another hunter a few years back who sighted up on an animal, and chose not to take the shot. Asked him what happened, he reckoned he wasn't going to shoot that thing with a .243. Ain't going to carry that horse out, so why shoot it! Fair enough. We walked over to where he was sighting on it, hoof prints were huge. Myself, I have only seen the usual sized animals but some of the genetics must still be in there.

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Originally Posted by DavidGunn

Back when there was a deer processing works up on the Kaimai's I knew the stockman and on two occasions WapX stags escaped into the bush...several years later I shot what would have been one of their offspring on Mt Motutapere, a big yearling hind...a friend spotted another big animal near the Xroads on Thompson's Track...but since then I have never encounter another one myself and not heard of any other person coming across any.

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I recall hearing similar stories from an old hunting mentor who used to be involved with some helicopter hunting around Thompson's way. Probably back in the 90's from recollection though.

They are there mate you just gotta put the hours in to figure out what good bush looks like and where the sign is.

Took me 4months to get my first in the Kaimais. I'm hunting it atleast once a fortnight so plenty of trips coming home empty handed.

It was helpful for me when I went in the Waioekas for 3 nights to realize what good bush looked like.

The area between Wairere and SH29 is my go to. Go in quite far, the closer areas get more pressure obviously, especially from pig hunters. Some of those areas get heavily dogged, especially Uplands and Thompsons Track etc

My normal hunt is an 18-20km day trip. Start walking in at 4:30am. I've always found off the North South track to be alot more open and have more numbers. From TGA side to the NS can be a few hours hence the early walk in.

If you can, get up the night before and fly camp so that you are in the good areas for the early hours of the morning when the deer are moving.

If it rains, I go the next day. Most of my successful hunts have been when it's drizzling or the day after a good downpour.

Also go suuuuper slow, every footstep counts. Don't try and move fast cause when you do that'll be when you hear the deer scampering off.

Chur NH

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Originally Posted by Nathanhough

They are there mate you just gotta put the hours in to figure out what good bush looks like and where the sign is.

Took me 4months to get my first in the Kaimais. I'm hunting it atleast once a fortnight so plenty of trips coming home empty handed.

It was helpful for me when I went in the Waioekas for 3 nights to realize what good bush looked like.

The area between Wairere and SH29 is my go to. Go in quite far, the closer areas get more pressure obviously, especially from pig hunters. Some of those areas get heavily dogged, especially Uplands and Thompsons Track etc

My normal hunt is an 18-20km day trip. Start walking in at 4:30am. I've always found off the North South track to be alot more open and have more numbers. From TGA side to the NS can be a few hours hence the early walk in.

If you can, get up the night before and fly camp so that you are in the good areas for the early hours of the morning when the deer are moving.

If it rains, I go the next day. Most of my successful hunts have been when it's drizzling or the day after a good downpour.

Also go suuuuper slow, every footstep counts. Don't try and move fast cause when you do that'll be when you hear the deer scampering off.

Chur NH

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Cheers for that bro, just out of curiosity do you have any photos of what "good bush" looks like?

I appreciate your detailed response btw!

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Few Photos over the last year which will hopefully help. The photos with animals are some of the ones that have dropped on the spot (gives you an idea of what the bush is like that they were shot in).

1. Kaimais. Notice you can see the area is quite open and grassy underfloor

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2. Waioeka. Open as

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3. Kaimais. Notice how open and grassy it is

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4. Waioeka. Ponga gut with grassy underfloor. Bedded down in sunny face

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5. Open Ponga area with Grassy Undefloor

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6. Again notice the Grassy underfloor. Way easier to stalk in than thick Kie Kie.

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7. Nice and open Spur

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8. This is one of the most open areas I have found in Kaimais.

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Cheers,
NH

Also, I have learnt that in order to stalk effectively in these more open areas you need to be stopping, waiting, looking in all directions & listening...often. If you only look in the direction you are travelling you aren't effectively bushstalking, you are just meandering through the bush.

Often times in the Kaimais you stumble upon these nice areas randomly and if you have been noisy leading into these spots, you most likely have alerted the deer and they have already spooked.

NH

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Originally Posted by Nathanhough

Also, I have learnt that in order to stalk effectively in these more open areas you need to be stopping, waiting, looking in all directions & listening...often. If you only look in the direction you are travelling you aren't effectively bushstalking, you are just meandering through the bush.

Often times in the Kaimais you stumble upon these nice areas randomly and if you have been noisy leading into these spots, you most likely have alerted the deer and they have already spooked.

NH

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Easy cheers mate, ill be sure to give areas like this a go next time!