Thread: What am I doing wrong???

Just a few points I have learnt teaching myself to hunt deer...
1. There is always one dumb deer somewhere who doesn't follow the rules, so always be prepared, anywhere, any time of day.
2. Wind - you are pretty much wasting your time if the wind is wrong, (even more so if you are smoking as you walk or on rest breaks!). Most of my hunting spots I have a loop I usually walk, and the direction I go on any particular day depends on the wind direction. I have even arrived at the carpark to a howling wind and given up within half an hour and headed home. I hear most of my deer before I see them, so too much wind stuffs me up.
3. Timing - once I found some good slips (that even had a mob of deer on them at 3pm in the afternoon - see rule 1) it really brought home the dawn/dusk thing. Absolutely every time I was overlooking those slips first thing or last thing in the day there were deer on them. Not always within shootable range, but at least they were there.
4. Timing part 2 - deer are more active in the morning and evening so this helps with bush stalking. Through the middle of the day they are bedded down, and it gives both of you a hell of a fright when they leap out of bed when they catch your scent after you have stalked past them.
5. Are you hunting or armed tramping - I really enjoy spending time in the bush, and a lot of my hunting trips are walks to see what sign is around and maybe get a deer. These are the trips where I'm moving too fast, not taking many breaks, and on a timetable to get to the next spot. Then there are the trips where I think "It's about time to get a deer in the freezer, or the missus says "What do you do on these hunting trips, sit in the carpark eating chocolate? You haven't shot a deer for ages". That's when I plan the trip to get to the good spots, not try to cover too much ground, and force myself to spend more time sitting, listening and watching - my 8hr loop becomes a half loop so I'm not under time pressure, I have several options for starting and finishing the loops. And while I have a plan on where I'm going to go, I change that plan if needed (wind direction changes, come across fresh sign leading in another direction). These type of trips have a much higher success rate than my day-in-the-bush wander, even though I'm going to the same places.
6. Get off the walking tracks - you will be surprised how much more sign there is once you get of the walking tracks, even 100m from the track.
7. The Lentle and Saxton books are really good.
8. If there is good sign, keep going back to the same area and learn it really well. It's great to get out exploring new areas, but it does reduce your chances of getting an animal.