Hunting skills - tips & traps anyone?

[Member-Deleted]

G'day fellas,
Anyone care to share any tips or traps you've found by your experience that improve [or ruin] your chances of a successful hunt and finding game? Waiting quietly by a water hole generally works for me, but I only see what turns up, not necessarily what I'd wish would appear.

I hunt a relatively big property [approx 20kms x 6kms] so I'm keen to expand the repertoire and cover more ground.

[marksman]

a really good set of binos goes a long way
scent control, wind in your face, learn about the animals and their habits ect..

may sound silly but l found when l stopped trying to find game l found game,
eg.. when l sat back and had a look l found game but when l stomped around looking l didn't really see the game

l think asking questions is the right thing to do

[bladeracer]

G'day fellas,
Anyone care to share any tips or traps you've found by your experience that improve [or ruin] your chances of a successful hunt and finding game? Waiting quietly by a water hole generally works for me, but I only see what turns up, not necessarily what I'd wish would appear.

I hunt a relatively big property [approx 20kms x 6kms] so I'm keen to expand the repertoire and cover more ground.

Check out Elmer Fudd, and be vewwwy, vewwy qwwiet
Stay downwind of any area you haven't already checked out.
I think most important though is to move VERY slowly, movement will be detected by animals far quicker than noise or scent. When you stop, do so in front of or behind something that breaks up your shape.
Try to stay up high, but don't silhouette yourself against the sky. Don't have your rifle slung over a shoulder with the muzzle or butt sticking up into the sky, animals will see that hard shape before they see your head right beside it.

Watch and listen to the bird life. If the birds suddenly go quiet, you've been spotted as a potential threat, and your game will be listening to the birds as well. Some birds take immediate fright upon realising you're there and flock off or start shouting, others, like crows, will sit quietly watching you for a while before letting their mates know. Likewise with 'roos, they can spot you from far away, before you see them, then they sneak off away from you, passing through the area you are moving toward. Rabbits will thump the ground when they're nervous, and that can carry a good distance, don't pass through obvious rabbit country when hunting something bigger, particularly if you're after foxes/dogs/cats, you don't want to leave your scent though those areas.

Move a short distance, stop, and slowly scan ahead with binoculars, very slowly, anything that you are hunting is very likely doing the same, propped and scanning your area, you need to wait for them to decide to go back to their business, that is when their movement will show up clearly in your binos. Scan behind you occasionally as well, especially when you are sitting, I've had foxes sneak up behind me wondering what that strange scent is.

Most of the game you are looking for spend 99% of their lives wired up for threats (that's why they can be hard to find). Some will lay and hide hoping you don't spot them, then break away in a flurry of noise (pigeons suck), most will recognise a threat is around and very quietly sneak off without you ever knowing they were close (snakes, deer, foxes). When you move through an area and see nothing, assume you were spotted by something at some point.

I spend hours beforehand studying the terrain on GoogleEarth, checking the high/low points, any ridges that require crossing, any long lines of sight, any areas of mud (if it's been raining there may be puddles there that animals will drink from). Be sure to look out for any steep areas too difficult to cross silently. Jump on BOM and find out which way the winds tend to in the area at that time of year, no point planning to come in from the East if the area always has Easterly winds. Plan to avoid walking into the rising/setting sun in the early and late hours, you'll be blinded.

[Bugman]

Know your quarry, the area on which you are hunting, the right hunting gear and above all, be safe and have patience

[Blr243]

I ask the property owners first about the bedding areas, travelling routes. Water sources feed sources. That saves a ton of time consuming investigation....remember that you are a foreign inexperienced item that spends maybe 10 days there per year. The game lives in that area every day of the year for several years .... you are playing the comp against very experienced animals on their turf. Binos, slow , quiet and regardless of which area you choose to walk for three hours each hunt, and regardless of how many access tracks there are to this area , wind direction is paramount essential to your approach and walk thru the scrub ...gaiters and comfortable footwear that does not attract burrs makes things easier. Quiet clothing ....no loose noisy bullets in pockets . Google earth pics may help you identify water sources or other features esp trying to pic the most fertile soil on the property. ....when . deer hunting it s important to use clothes washing detergent that does not contain u v brightenes. Read tons on the internet about how our vision differs from animal vision, night and day. Binary colour receptorsvs tri colour receptors all that jazz , depth perception in vision. Your camo must not give the blob effect Eg I prefer a random mixture of darks and lights colours to minimise the blob effect Beware of blood in feral pigs. And mange in foxes can be transferred to your own dogs if u are not carefull

[Blr243]

I check elders weather on my ph at least an hour prior to every hunt to predict wind direction. It’s regularly updated and helps me work out my hunting start location and walking direction In winter at night I try to wrap up in clean clothes .. I’m sure it’s protected me a couple of times when I have had some quick temporary radical wind changes. Don’t underestimate the eyesight capabilities of animals at night in pitch darkness Pigs can see pretty bloody good in the dark despite being quite poor daytime .....a pocket compass could get you out of trouble one day

[Blr243]

Elders weather site has arrows indicating direction of wind eg noth east and wind speed too. Beyond fox whistles there is an array of electronic or phone app game callers that expand your options. Pigs can be called. It’s very rewarding experience

[Oldbloke]

Wow, some good advice there.
I have just been reminded of how little I know.

[Member-Deleted]

thanks to you all for your replies, that's some gold and food for thought. Binos to really scan ahead before moving sound like a great idea, I think i probably walk too far between stops, even though I'm mindful of the wind and of trying to move quietly. Scanning through my scope can be tiring.

I just came back from a short trip out west, where I found lots of fresh tracks and fresh poo [dogs and pigs] but I only ever saw the roos, and wasn't there for them. I did spot one roo lying up in a paddock under a tree about 200m away and used the wind in my face and the tree between us to get within 25m by walking/crouching really slowly. He never saw, heard or smelt me coming, [and this is some pretty open country in parts]. He got a big surprise when I said "Oi, mate". I got a bigger surprise when another two of them jumped out of the grass and took off with him. But we all had a laugh and lived to play another day.

ps not all of the property is open grassland like in the photo, at least half is covered in scrub.

[Blr243]

To force myself to stop and bino scan more often I sometimes do it after counting 25 steps or 50 depending on terrain / vegetation. This is a disciplinarian measure in case I get a bit casual strolling along just enjoying nature

[Bill]

I always ask a property owner the last few locations he has seen game, if its pigs then I'll ask if there are any fresh carcasses, sheep or cattle. .

In winter time Pigs like to sun themselves and socialize with a sense of security in the morning so small gullys or creeks that get the early morning sun should be the first place you creep in on. Use the wind to your advantage, you 'll often hear pigs before you smell or even see them.

Water, feed and cover. try to think like your prey and your half way there

[Blr243]

I located a pig once because I heard him snoring. Another time I heard the sound of long green grass being broken as they were biting it of before chewing it ... at first I was not sure what the sound was ... I raised My binos to confirm it was pigs grazing ....these days I doubt my hearing would pick that up ( too many 243 going off maybe ). Only once have I successfully tracked them to find the mob

[Stix]

G'day BBSS..

Fences & thresholds mate... i think thats by far the best place to look & study...

[Blr243]

Fences and thresholds. I think I know what you are suggesting re sign. Please elaborate. I’m interested

[Grandadbushy]

Luck plays a big part in hunting, I ask the farmer where they last saw animals then I check watering spots ie troughs, mud pools and creek crossings and look for print movement this will give you a rough estimate of whats in that area and approximate time they were there then start hunting morning and afternoon, if I was hunting country like in that pic i'd try and stick to a tree line or clumps of scrub especially in broard daylight, I usually walked for about 10min and sat and looked for 20min then move on and repeat that, as was said animals are always on edge and alert they'll pick you up first most times , be aware of what you are chasing and study their habits would be a help

[Die Judicii]

I'm surprised that NO-ONE has yet mentioned the use of trail camera/s
Move em around a bit,,,,,,,,, they'll tell you all sorts of useful pay dirt.

[Member-Deleted]

DJ, It seems like a lot of species are creatures of habit so trail cams could be a wealth of info and have you in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, it's a 1200km round trip for me, and I usually can't get away from work for more than 4-5 days, so I'd be reluctant to leave them up for long periods of absence in case they walked.

[Grandadbushy]

Yeah nah your right DJ providing there is ample time to secure them for awhile to watch for movement over a given period but in BBSS's case yeah well might too far to travel and keep tabs on the cameras unless he wanted to go up every month or so

[Die Judicii]

DJ, It seems like a lot of species are creatures of habit so trail cams could be a wealth of info and have you in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, it's a 1200km round trip for me, and I usually can't get away from work for more than 4-5 days, so I'd be reluctant to leave them up for long periods of absence in case they walked.

No worries Mate,,,,,, you didn't say in the first post anything about the distance thing, and I just presumed (wrongly) that it
could be a typical weekend jaunt to go hunting.

[Stix]

Fences and thresholds. I think I know what you are suggesting re sign. Please elaborate. I’m interested

No need to elaborate BLR...you got it... its all about sign...

Personally for me...that pic youve uploaded BBSS, in country like that i prefer to cover quickly so id drive it at that time of day (middle).
Can cover ground more quickly & see where theyve been--or havent......a combo of knowing what to look for, & curiosity, stop the car here n there & go have a look...thats what i do to see where foxes run & bunny's live...
Because whilst opportunistic middle of the daylight hunting can work, its largely a waste of time...or i should say, you can waste a lot of time not having a point or plan to start from, so middle of the day is when you find that point...

find the sign...learn to read the signs animals leave...& watch them when you can find them...

You learn where game is, after they've been there...then you learn the game...

[Blr243]

I used to bow hunt a lot of melon hole country with re growth that meant you could only see very short distances in front of you ...it entered my mind that somebody at camp could be 200 m high in a hot air balloon with binoculars and uhf spotting pigs for us and there were several of us spread out in several different paddocks . But of course the logistics of that sort of set up would take a lot of money and organisation

[Member-Deleted]

Stix, yeah, I drive that country, it's too big and too open to walk and stalk [deaf and short-sighted kangaroos aside]. I take note of where things are getting under fences and where I see cow trails, figuring dogs and pigs use them too. I check out the dams to see what's visiting.
The scrubby country is undriveable so I slow walk through that and see the sign. Now I suppose I need to know the habits of dogs and pigs. They're there [or were]... old mate had a pro trapper there a few months back who cleaned up 70 dogs [70!!] - I've seen the carcasses - but there were still dogs howling at night.

BLR, 30 odd years ago, I used to go out to Goondiwindi with some blokes for pigs - it was melon hole country and too easy - we'd walk up a paddock in the middle of the day and toss in a stick or a rock into a melon hole full of long grass - a grunt was the warning that they were about to bomb-burst out of the hole and head for the hills. I used my dad's Bentley 12ga pump. I think it skewed my ideas of how easy this hunting caper is

[Die Judicii]

Hey there BBSS,, when looking at the pic of the open country I'd have to say,,,,, If you don't already have a good thermal,, save up and get one.
With a good thermal you can pick up game day or night from zero out to 1,600 meters.

And that open country would be ideal for that.
Then you wouldn't have to waste time and energy "walking" it looking for sign.
Much better to get get em while they are there rather than checking out where they've been 6 hrs or 2 days after they've been there.

If there's game there,, at least you know straight away,, and if not you can head to somewhere different and look again.
If you've traveled the long distance to get there, the last thing you need is to waste time walking especially if there is no game at the time.

[Blr243]

When the grass is short walking real open country daytime is boring for me because I can already see a kilometre of nothing happening here. It’s a bit disheartening..... thick scrub is more anticipation of something that might pop up any second soon

[TassieTiger]

A lot of quarry hide in open grass but, I agree - it’s a less anticipation.
I learned a while back to walk less than I want too, listen more...the thump, thump of a roo can be heard 9 times more than visually confirmed and a deer antler crashing brush is a noise like a disgruntled farmer - you will hear it before you see it and if they see/smell/hear you...you won’t have a chance...so yeah - walk less, listen more would be my tip.

[Stix]

Hey there BBSS,, when looking at the pic of the open country I'd have to say,,,,, If you don't already have a good thermal,, save up and get one.
With a good thermal you can pick up game day or night from zero out to 1,600 meters.

And that open country would be ideal for that.
Then you wouldn't have to waste time and energy "walking" it looking for sign.
Much better to get get em while they are there rather than checking out where they've been 6 hrs or 2 days after they've been there.

If there's game there,, at least you know straight away,, and if not you can head to somewhere different and look again.
If you've traveled the long distance to get there, the last thing you need is to waste time walking especially if there is no game at the time.

What an incredibly stupid thing to say...

The OP has asked for ideas on how to find game...& you are saying checking out where they have been is a waste of time...
He has already stated that he drives that country & doesnt walk it, yet you say with a thermal he wouldnt waste time walking... ...

It comes as no surprise to me, that you rely on thermal to find game,,,none what-so-ever....because that attitude reflects your knowledge about hunting & finding game....and ive no doubt every single experienced hunter is laughing at you now.

I get that you want to patronise me--i do--because youre like that, but why you insist on making yourself look so stupid by saying things like that is beyond me...

Never-the-less, its most amusing...especially given i continually point it out & you continue to do it...

[Member-Deleted]

...it entered my mind that somebody at camp could be 200 m high in a hot air balloon with binoculars and uhf spotting pigs for us

I've wondered a similar thing about using a drone with camera...

[Member-Deleted]

..so yeah - walk less, listen more would be my tip.

Check! ... and carry some binos

[Member-Deleted]

another thing my recent outing got me thinking about was how friggin heavy my Howa 223 is to carry, let alone shoot off hand with... its a 24" bull barrel, which is great for range work, but I'm thinking of doing a 'like for like' swap for a sporter barrel profile in 20" or 22", because there's not always a handy rest when you'd like one [ also, I should probably practice more with other positions and not just shoot off the bench, and at 200-300, not 100]

so much to work on

[Blr243]

I was goin to mention a drone. I have one and I learnt something once about pig tracks merging centrally in an exceptionally thick patch of reeds. I would never have seen it from anywhere except the air Trouble is I’m so scared of loosing it 2500 bucks worth. It has return to home feature but I’m unsure of how much it relies on cell coverage to do that in an area where phone service is sometimes unreliable .....it probably only needs gps signal so prob ok. Good run time and good camera are essential for hunting/ scouting drones. They are not for everybody. Too much tech detracts from the primitive earthy aspect of why we go bush in the first place .... I do like the idea of useing them to check dams for pigs in summer time prior to putting in the walk there