Hunting tips and advice.

Game hunting and large prey. Deer stalking, hunting with hounds. Boar, pigs etc., large prey, culling, hunting large feral animals.

Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Gun-nut » 31 May 2017, 6:42 pm

There's another thread in this forum under the name of 'hunting and face camo' and a lot of great tips about hunting were brought up. Someone even mentioned not staring at your prey in the eye to avoid spooking them. Since this forum is a wealth of knowledge, I thought I'd create a thread for people to share any advice they may have. I do apologize if a thread like this has already been created, but I'm very curious about what other tips may come in handy for hunting out in the bush.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Oldbloke » 01 Jun 2017, 12:45 pm

In no particular order, here are a few pointers/tips.

Walk into the wind or at least cross wind
Do not sky line yourself and try to stay within cover/bush
Check wind every few minutes. Use cotton on barrel to indicate wind direction (or ‘puffer’ with chalk or corn flour) Don’t use a lighter, too noisy & bright.
Spray tee tree oil or eucalyptus oil on self & clothes
Shower with odourless soap to reduce perfumes, avoid after shave etc
Quiet stalking just after rain is best-try wearing runners, or boot covers or even in your socks.
Wear drap or cammo colours. Gloves & face veil or wear hand and face cammo.
Most animals are switched on to movement so don’t move when they are looking in your direction
Almost all animals are colour blind but see blue & purple well. They also see UV
Do not wash clothes in normal detergent as it adds UV. Use natural soap or baking soda.
Most animals see bright orange & red as a drab colour so it OK to wear
Ambushing in the early morning or evening is productive as you are not moving around
Most animal s like to stay out of the wind
Never talk, never hunt with wind behind you.
Walk in slow motion, stop & glass for a few minutes every 5-8 mtrs (all directions)
When you stop to glass stop in cover, behind tree, logs
Plan the stalk about 15 meters ahead to avoid noise.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Daddybang » 01 Jun 2017, 1:11 pm

Oldbloke wrote:In no particular order, here are a few pointers/tips.

Walk into the wind or at least cross wind
Do not sky line yourself and try to stay within cover/bush
Check wind every few minutes. Use cotton on barrel to indicate wind direction (or ‘puffer’ with chalk or corn flour) Don’t use a lighter, too noisy & bright.
Spray tee tree oil or eucalyptus oil on self & clothes
Shower with odourless soap to reduce perfumes, avoid after shave etc
Quiet stalking just after rain is best-try wearing runners, or boot covers or even in your socks.
Wear drap or cammo colours. Gloves & face veil or wear hand and face cammo.
Most animals are switched on to movement so don’t move when they are looking in your direction
Almost all animals are colour blind but see blue & purple well. They also see UV
Do not wash clothes in normal detergent as it adds UV. Use natural soap or baking soda.
Most animals see bright orange & red as a drab colour so it OK to wear
Ambushing in the early morning or evening is productive as you are not moving around
Most animal s like to stay out of the wind
Never talk, never hunt with wind behind you.
Walk in slow motion, stop & glass for a few minutes every 5-8 mtrs (all directions)
When you stop to glass stop in cover, behind tree, logs
Plan the stalk about 15 meters ahead to avoid noise.


I would add to the above Be Patient. It is far better to lose an animal because you don't shoot than to rush and miss or worse lose a wounded animal :thumbsup:
This hard living ain't as easy as it used to be!!!
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by bigfellascott » 01 Jun 2017, 1:20 pm

Keep animals in the darker area of the spotlight shadow until you have the xhairs where you want them then light em up and knock em.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Bigjobss » 01 Jun 2017, 9:16 pm

Oldbloke wrote:In no particular order, here are a few pointers/tips.

Walk into the wind or at least cross wind
Do not sky line yourself and try to stay within cover/bush
Check wind every few minutes. Use cotton on barrel to indicate wind direction (or ‘puffer’ with chalk or corn flour) Don’t use a lighter, too noisy & bright.
Spray tee tree oil or eucalyptus oil on self & clothes
Shower with odourless soap to reduce perfumes, avoid after shave etc
Quiet stalking just after rain is best-try wearing runners, or boot covers or even in your socks.
Wear drap or cammo colours. Gloves & face veil or wear hand and face cammo.
Most animals are switched on to movement so don’t move when they are looking in your direction
Almost all animals are colour blind but see blue & purple well. They also see UV
Do not wash clothes in normal detergent as it adds UV. Use natural soap or baking soda.
Most animals see bright orange & red as a drab colour so it OK to wear
Ambushing in the early morning or evening is productive as you are not moving around
Most animal s like to stay out of the wind
Never talk, never hunt with wind behind you.
Walk in slow motion, stop & glass for a few minutes every 5-8 mtrs (all directions)
When you stop to glass stop in cover, behind tree, logs
Plan the stalk about 15 meters ahead to avoid noise.


These are all spot on, deer hunting 101 in my mind.
Walk very very slow is all I can add, if you have never been shown how to stalk then the only advice I can give is think of it as stalking then walking then jogging then running. If you are walking you are moving too fast.

"When you stop to glass stop in cover, behind tree, logs"

Yeh this was me last week, stopped between a tree and a sappling, I thought it was enough but after about 2mins I put my drink bottle away and stag shot up and bolted, he was seriously only 20m away from me, cant believe I didnt see him but he was probably watching me for a bit.
Last edited by Bigjobss on 01 Jun 2017, 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Tom Foolery » 01 Jun 2017, 9:19 pm

Always be alert. More than once I've had animals jump out at me on the walk back to the car or headed for the farm gate or had an ordinary day out saved by a "target of opportunity" but you've got to be ready.

Missed a shot at a nice red hind on my last trip on the walk back within sight of the car because I'd given up for the day and shouldered my rifle. :cry:
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Gun-nut » 01 Jun 2017, 11:31 pm

These are all great tips and are exactly what I was looking for. But does anyone have any advice as to what signs to make notice of, for deer in the area? Droppings and prints are quite obvious but anything else that distinctly indicates that deer are nearby? Thanks for the replies, they've been extremely helpful. :)
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by brett1868 » 01 Jun 2017, 11:45 pm

bigfellascott wrote:Keep animals in the darker area of the spotlight shadow until you have the xhairs where you want them then light em up and knock em.


Exactly what I was taught as a kid and still do.... :D
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by bigfellascott » 02 Jun 2017, 6:43 am

Gun-nut wrote:These are all great tips and are exactly what I was looking for. But does anyone have any advice as to what signs to make notice of, for deer in the area? Droppings and prints are quite obvious but anything else that distinctly indicates that deer are nearby? Thanks for the replies, they've been extremely helpful. :)


Wallows
Rub Marks
Croaking
Barking
Game Trails
Bedding Areas

Might be a good idea to do some reading on the subject to get a good understanding of how they operate or better still join a deer hunting club, you get the best advice/help you can there I'm sure :thumbsup:
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by albat » 02 Jun 2017, 8:50 am

Apart from the game getting tips im big on saftey in the bush i never leave without gps , plb, compass, too easy to get turned around even if you think you know the area get a telstra sim in your phone the other carriers have no chance out there
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Daddybang » 02 Jun 2017, 9:15 am

albat wrote:Apart from the game getting tips im big on saftey in the bush i never leave without gps , plb, compass, too easy to get turned around even if you think you know the area get a telstra sim in your phone the other carriers have no chance out there


Also take the time to look back and take note of landmarks it's amazing how different the scrub can look from different directions :thumbsup:
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Mitch » 02 Jun 2017, 10:32 am

Dont take people unless you know them and their habits very well.

This is why i shoot alone 99% of the time
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Bigjobss » 02 Jun 2017, 11:35 am

albat wrote:Apart from the game getting tips im big on saftey in the bush i never leave without gps , plb, compass, too easy to get turned around even if you think you know the area get a telstra sim in your phone the other carriers have no chance out there


Great advice.
I am paranoid about getting lost, especially when you get carried away in the zone of a hunt and you look around like "how the hell did I get here?".
I even carry a backup GPS too!
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Gwion » 02 Jun 2017, 11:52 am

Here's a couple that spring to mind:

- You don't always have to go far to find game. As above, move slow, look a lot. Plenty of people miss things through eagerness.
- Look for flattish clearings on water courses. Doesn't have to be a major water course. A regular trickle will do.
- Convergence of gullies. I've often been walking to or from a fishing area and find a bit of a clearing at a gully convergence with trails leading all directions from it and it looks like the game have been having a party there.
- Get zen and be that tree, be that rock. If an animal shows any sign of being alert: STOP. Don't move a muscle until it relaxes again and turns away or goes back to eating. Don't wait for it to look at you, any change in posture or pricking of the ears is enough. Crouch down and be a boulder or try to blend in with surrounding standing timber. Better still, stay concealed as much as you possibly can but even then, don't move a muscle if the animal goes from relaxed to on edge.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Oldbloke » 02 Jun 2017, 2:59 pm

The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Bent Arrow » 02 Jun 2017, 5:49 pm

Bigjobss wrote:
albat wrote:Apart from the game getting tips im big on saftey in the bush i never leave without gps , plb, compass, too easy to get turned around even if you think you know the area get a telstra sim in your phone the other carriers have no chance out there


Great advice.
I am paranoid about getting lost, especially when you get carried away in the zone of a hunt and you look around like "how the hell did I get here?".
I even carry a backup GPS too!



GPS's are great things, but it's good habitat to know where you are on a paper map. That way if your GPS fails for any reason it's much easier to find your way home than getting the map out and trying to work out where the hell you are.

Apart from finding more game, moving slowly and glassing lots will make you much more familiar with the area your hunting. It imprints landscape features much more strongly in your mind. I have gone home after a hunt and been able to mark out where we walked on a satellite image purely from memory of distinguishing landscape features by doing this
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Re: Hunting tips and advice.

Post by Bigjobss » 03 Jun 2017, 9:58 am

I always carry a high quality topo map and compass as my backup1, everyone that goes outdoors should learn to take navigate with a map and compass and triangulate their position if they are lost, its super easy to learn to do.
I just hate using a map in the field during a hunt, feels cumbersome. I figure the only way both my GPS units will stop working is if both GPS and GLONASS satelites go down, in which case its probably the start of WW3 or a zombie apocolypse so Im probably safer being lost in the bush!
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