Thread: What am I doing wrong?!

Gday so recently I've been hunting two new spots full of red deer witch are either very very cunning or I'm just stupid or both! I've been stalking relentlessly with the wind in my favor and walking slow and making very little noise but I'm either not seeing them or just the tail end of them I'll be on fresh sign very fresh sign! But just can't see them before they see me lost a thumper of a stag just the other day! I'm not fussy what I'm after just want meat nothing extravagant so what am I doing wrong? I'm wearing fleece or wool witch is so very noisy against bushes I'm not clunking my rifle or snapping every twig the winds good I'm in thick of the sign! I'm hunting big native bush blocks so any advice would be great!

@Cody.a

Try Sitting down and watching a clear spot for a few hours.

When your siting quietly you'll hear and see way better than when your moving.

Cheers
Pete

Goin too fast?

If your putting them up your in the right place just not reconising the right place, slow down think about where you have seen em and any time your veiw opens up threw a small gully or open patch or whatever go real slow..stop scan a step or 2 stop scan before continuing at a quiet stalk.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Goin too fast?

If your putting them up your in the right place just not reconising the right place, slow down think about where you have seen em and any time your veiw opens up threw a small gully or open patch or whatever go real slow..stop scan a step or 2 stop scan before continuing at a quiet stalk.

+1
You need to be real slow, walk like a deer. 2 -3 steps, stop, have a good look. move on 2-3 steps stop...... If you come across a likely spot sit down for a while. Keep trying its bound to pay off eventually.
Heaps of deer you say, Big Stags?? If oyur in the North Island I might be able to help you shoot some.

I reackon everyone would have been through this at some stage when they were learning. My biggest problem was that I was focusing on getting to the spot and not taking the time to appreciate what was around me. Why things are seen, the 5S and an M
Shape.
Shadow.
ƒSilhouette.
ƒSurface
ƒSpacing
ƒMovement

Nothing. You are recognising sign, moving through country and seeing animals.
One will eventually hang around long enough to put a bullet in.

I don't sneak around in the bush. Deer don't either. They can make a hell of a racket. Keep at it. You will learn as you go.

Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by R93

They can make a hell of a racket.

That's what I found on my only deer hunt. Was following one slowly up a spur and it was making a hell of a din. I could see where it had lost it's footing a few times and I was getting very close, ... till the wind changed and it was 'game over' for me.

Try scanning right to left and bottom to top of the vista in front of you instead of left to right. Also try to look through scrub rather than at it, especially the likes of Manuka or patchy bush. The eyes are funny things if you play with the direction and keep it fresh the brain won't fill in the gaps and you'll staRt noticing the differences including animals.

It's kinda the same as when we were fly fish guiding and wearing Polaroids all day. Every 20 mins to half hour I'd remove let the eyes reacquaint themselves then Polaroids back on and hey presto spotting new fish I hadn't seen previously. Other than that as the others said sit down for a hour or so in the middle of the sign concentration and see what you start to hear and notice.

Sometimes hunting into the wind you can smell them first - that cattleyard truck type smell

When/ If you get that, slow right down and look around every tree

Last one I spooked was in some treefall - I went left and it was on the right which was just poor luck as it bolted but the smell told me it was in there before anything else

Also if they run off give it a whistle - sometimes they will stop and look at where the noise was - I have had success with that too

Keep at it

try and keep your movement smooth and flowing not jerky and eratic dont wave your arms around maybe get yourself a copy of hunting deer in nz dvd its got some good tips in it as well

Dont look at the bush, look through it.

Find the best bush hunter you know and go for a hunt with him. While the above advice is good, some people need to see it in action.

The only other thing I will add is to keep your chin up, we've all been there. If you are seeing them then it's only a matter of perfecting your approach before it all falls into place. Keep at it

Soon you will drop one then you will start to understand the what, why, where and whens.
As above when you are in the hot zone 30min to cover 100m is too fast.
A couple of steps at a time. Stop, look, listen and feel.
When you stop, if you are right handed, try to stop with your left foot forward in a natural shooting position
You are in the right plasce so not a matter of if but when

As has been said already, you are not doing necessarily anything wrong but maybe not recognizing right areas/sign at the time.

Keep doing what you are doing it will all go "click" at some stage, I remember going through the same, I met and hunted with a guy that could find deer what seemed like anywhere. After I had shot a few I began to see them and also began to recognize the areas that the deer liked too.

Now I shoot most of my deer under 15m in the bush and often the hairs go up on the back of my neck when I find a place and sign in my favor, hard to explain but it will happen.

Perseverance pays off!

Good luck

White man walk a lot see little.....Injun man walk little see a lot. This comes to my mind. Be patient, it will happen.