Thread: Where are all the deer

I've got a rule of thumb, that a deer drops a pile about once an hour.
And it stays green and slimy for about a day (2 or 3 if it's very damp undergrowth).
So if I see 2 piles within 50m that's about 10% chance of a deef being round depending on time of day and that makes it a bloody good spot worth stalking slowly.
Would be interested if others think this is too optimistic or not.

In some dry places black weathered droppings can accumulate for months or years and dont necessarily indicate any deer nearby at all..

In spring the deer magnet spots are grassy slips first and flats later. I haven't hunted the "Haurangis" much but recall it as being mostly bush. It's easy terrain but needs good technique so best suited to old men.
So, looking in a different mountain range would be worth a try.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

I've got a rule of thumb, that a deer drops a pile about once an hour.
And it stays green and slimy for about a day (2 or 3 if it's very damp undergrowth).
So if I see 2 piles within 50m that's about 10% chance of a deef being round depending on time of day and that makes it a bloody good spot worth stalking slowly.
Would be interested if others think this is too optimistic or not.

In some dry places black weathered droppings can accumulate for months or years and dont necessarily indicate any deer nearby at all..

Could also be the transition area from feed to bedding,

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So went out for a wander two weekends ago before headed back to work on the Monday. Decided to take a look in the northern Tararuas as I guy I met was telling me he’d seen a few up there while tramping over Christmas.
Forecast wasn’t amazing but I thought it’d be nice to check out the tops and if the sun came out that would be a bonus.
Arrived at the road end about 5am and slogged uphill for 2 hrs wishing I’d had one less beer the night before. After another hour the bush started getting thinner and I broke out of the tree line and in to the more alpine areas.
With some stunning views I watched as the fog rolled in and I couldn’t see 10m in front of me so sat down and had a coffee under a rocky lean to.
After an hour or so of fog it started getting patches of visibility so I would glass the faces I could see them as it got foggy again walk along the ridge to the next spot to glass. Carried on for a few hours before the sun actually came out properly and the wind died down too. Started getting a bit pissed off as I’d seen nothing but tried not to let it get to me. Continued along the ridge until a point I decided I’d have a late lunch and start heading back the way I came.
Lay down in the sun with a full belly and closed my eyes for what seemed like 5 minutes but was in fact 2 hours. Got a bit of a fright when I saw the time so pulled myself together and started heading down the way I came walking slowly and still glassing.
Took a look back where I’d just been and there was a hind about 560m across a valley from me.
Got pretty damn excited and made a plan to get further down the valley to a point I could get a closer shot.
Dropped down out of sight and peeked over the ridge and she was still there. Got the rifle set up and ready to go then realised I had no idea how far away it was. Got the rangefinder out and spotted it at 218m hot back in position with the rifle but couldn’t find the thing anywhere. Sat there for 45mins before packing up heading back up to the ridge.
Wandered back for another half hour then took one look back at the face it was on and there it was again. Feeling bloody knackered already I chose to pick a different spot that was easier to get to to set up for a shot. Got all set up. Deer was 200m exactly across the valley but facing away from me. Not wanting to shoot it in the arse I sat there for about 15minutes waiting for it to turn side on. When she finally did I was pretty relaxed and comfortable so was quite steady with the shot.
She dropped on the spot and kicked around for a bit but not long.
Made my way across the valley and took a while to locate it. Dragged it to a spot I thought might be easier to butcher it. Not having done it before I think I made a bit of a mess of it. It was a muddy steep spot so I just took all 4 legs off and the back straps and heart and managed to just fit them in my pack. Tried to lift the pack on to my back and realised there was no way I could carry that much. It was starting to get dark and I knew I had a long walk out so took one of the front legs out and managed to shoulder the pack.
Feeling pretty bloody happy with myself I began the long walk down the bloody steep hill.
Managed to twist my knee a little and one of ankles quite good about halfway down slowed me a fair bit. My pack isn’t flash so by the time I was halfway back that wasn’t feeling too good on my shoulders either but I managed to get back to the car at about 2 in the morning.

While I do think I was a bit lucky out there to find the deer in the first place I still feel pretty happy to have a freezer that’s full of venison. I still have a shitload to learn but all the tips and help I’ve had from the guys on this forum is very much appreciated. Most of the gear I have came from really good deals on here and some of it even free. So thanks team. Keep it up




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Good stuff, perseverance pays off. Well done.

Well done great work you will enjoy that meat

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Good one. Is this your first, or was your freezer just looking a bit empty?

Originally Posted by Phil_H

Well done. I would say you really earned that one. I enjoyed your write up.

Cheers
Phil

Thanks mate


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Originally Posted by Max Headroom

Good one. Is this your first, or was your freezer just looking a bit empty?

Yeah it’s my first deer. Been at it for close to a year and a half.


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Congrats on your first deer and enjoy the meat. It should be easier now, once you get your eye in on shape and colour there pretty easy to spot.

Well done and cheers for posting.

plurry good show....and a barren hind at that,well done. the poohs n wees bit gets faster,the boning out of the quarters comes along naturaly not to long after...eventually you get to stage the dog and the rubbish bin get buggerall more than a bit of silverskin. enjoy your venison....please dont try to eat it between 12 and 36hrs after its demise.you will regret it as could be tough as an old jandle.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

plurry good show....and a barren hind at that,well done. the poohs n wees bit gets faster,the boning out of the quarters comes along naturaly not to long after...eventually you get to stage the dog and the rubbish bin get buggerall more than a bit of silverskin. enjoy your venison....please dont try to eat it between 12 and 36hrs after its demise.you will regret it as could be tough as an old jandle.

Thanks mate. Yeah in hindsight boning it out would’ve made the walk home a little easier. Not sure she was barren but watching her for the time I didn’t see any fawn but when I cut her up the middle to gut her the udders were leaking a bit of milk. Maybe lost the fawn? Do they leave them for long periods or they don’t leave their sides? Hopefully didn’t shoot a mother with child.


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yeah the fawns "clamp" down in a spot where mum leaves them......shit happens bud,its your first deer and you did watch for some time
I watched a hind from 100 yards away for 20 minutes,Id been watching her for 2 weeks and still mistook her for a yearling as didnt have anything to get handle on her body size,I stalked to within 30 yards...size obvious then...and then "sneaky" her fawn showed up......letting me know MUM was indeed "peaky". yes I had named 9 diferent deer over a two week period and still I couldnt be sure of the one I had watched the most.
you never know what might have happened,tonight for tea we had crumbed fawn foreleg....just like chicken but bigger...I shot the fawn,pretty sure other folk would do the same,so your hind might have lost her fawn.
dont loose sleep over it.
spikers get a hiding at this time of year as they about the only guarantee...a stag might be a cracker,not if shot in early velvet.
enjoy the venison bud,you did good....oh and find Graf bros DVD on cutting up deer for carry out...all done with a mercator in very quick time too.

Congratulations on your first deer.
How’s the body recovering, knee shoulders?
Sounds like a new pack and some core exercises might pay off in the future.
Also what might help is a photo/video library of how to butcher a deer. Then next time you can do a quick refresher before the first cut

Good luck for the future and thanks for posting.