Thread: What "sense" did you use to get onto your last animal?

Just something I've been pondering while wandering the hills. Which human sense first clued you onto the presence of an animal?

Sight? (Incl binos thermal etc)
Sound?
Smell?
Taste?!
Spidey?

Maybe add a bit of context, like time, type of terrain etc. Gotta be some good yarns out there

Interesting topic....i think for me the most uses of my senses is while bush hunting so this is that experience.

Sight....saw fresh animal activity...prints rubs etc

Sight....saw a flash of movement...but was pinned down by some trees so after the flash i was left blind so to speak...

Smell...i could smell the deer, knew it was a stag waiting for it to move for like 4 mins as i didn't want to make first move....

Sound....bush was deathly quiet so waiting to hear him move, equally as i placed a foot to sneak a look around the trees didnt want it to hear me....

Seen and boom

Its funny what you remember from specific hunts...and am having to use all my senses again after loosing my dog...

Back to basics


Hamish

I use smell and spidey more than I would have thought before I started hunting. However, both have been failing me lately, along with all the others!

Sight, smell and hearing, but I've used smell to locate the dead animal a few times

Sight, last thing I shot was a possum dragging a broken back leg. Wondered why it was out at lunchtime then saw it's movement

I used the sense of surprise.

Was sitting in a pepper wood head gully with a nice view into a few good shooting lanes, had heard some Sika chatting in that gully but as I was thought I was downwind didn't think they had winded me, was trying to figure out a plan of how to close in (given the light wind and crunchy underfoot stalking in was risky)

...and was surprised to see a hind walk out about 10m below me followed by two more with one staring right at me. Thankfully I could stay still and get the action closed completely silently as any noise would have been disastrous. I had to wait for the one looking at me to walk forward so its all-seeing head was behind a tree before I could lift the rifle and drop the tastiest looking one (a yearling that also looked a reasonable size to lug as I was a fair way from camp)

So I was surprised, but I think the deer were more surprised, one just turned and looked back where it came from trying to figure out what had happened. I considered dropping it as well but... it was a long way to camp

it was sight combined with experience telling where I should be looking (a slip face lol).

Common sense

quite a few volts and candle power

Driving sense, going to butchers after hunt to buy some meat

all the skills and senses of a half starved carnivore ( and candle power )

Sound. I stop every now and again to listen. Heard something moving, which I first thought was a bird playing with the leaves on the forest floor. Kept listening to it and I heard it moving more consistently. A young stag walked almost right into me.
Mate of mine had a similar experience. He has better luck hearing deer than seeing them in the bush.

Second deer was sight. Seeing a deer standing in a clearing is quite obvious :p.

Common

#1 SIGHT: I saw deer shit on the ground.

#2 SMELL: I picked it up and gave it a good sniff, mainly because I wanted to look like I knew what I was doing as I had my neighbour with me and he is new to the game.

#3 TASTE: Although I was reluctant I had to show my neighbour I was a serious hunter so gave it a good lick to confirm the freshness of the deer terd.

#4 SIGHT: spotted deer 550 meters away in the distance up the top of a gully on the opposite face.

After climbing all the way up and shooting them I very much doubt #1, #2 & #3 had any relevance to the actual animals shot but not only did it look like I knew what I was doing the neighbour sure was impressed, I only hope he took note of it so he knows how to track deer in the future.

Ghostlike ones @Casper145 ......