Public hunting advice

[Flavius Maximus]

So, summer's on the run, & that means i'll start hunting again soon. I booked in for Vulcan late next month, & will hunt every month until November. The local sergeant complained about nearly hitting so many deer, so i hope i get lucky!
Firstly, i have a lot of PPU soft points, & i'm a bit worried about lead in my venison. Should i be? It otherwise looks as though i'll have to get the copper pills shipped before reloading the brass if i wanna go down that path.
Secondly, which is a better place to stalk between a stream, waterhole, lake, or dam? & what time would be best?
Third, i don't even have a chest freezer, & my car might only fit 1 deer in unless i feel like having my back window blocked out, my hunting gear buried deep underneath, & having to drag it all out of my little echo if a cop asks to see my weapons. What are the best field dressing practices, & would venison be too intense to eat that very night? My freezer can probably only fit half a leg or only a few steaks, but i did cram about 20kg of meat in there at one point.
& finally, are Olney & Gurnang any good? I'm not gonna hunt Vulcan all the time

[Wapiti]

Mate can't help you on the forests, but why don't you consider advice elsewhere here?
Either break down the animal into the cuts you want, snip off any bones you aren't going to use and get yourself a 12v fridge, and with that small car, consider a deep-cycle battery in a dedicated accessory battery box from auto stores to power it if you're concerned about the small starting battery in your car, running a fridge all day whilst you're out, and forget about overnight. I would be...
A second battery in a special box will sit neatly in the footwell of one of the back seats, and a good N70-sized deep-cycle will run my utes Engel for two days easy.
Pack only the meat you're going to take back.
And consider taking only one animal each trip, leave the others for your next hunt. Isn't the hunt itself a big part of the experience, and getting out there?

Worried about bullet fragments when meat hunting? Head shoot. If you aren't confident on doing that, your chest shot will be just fine with a cup and core bullet.
You will see the bullet fragments when you dress out the animal.
If you feel you have to use copper, go ahead but gazillions of people before you haven't with no issues whatsoever.

I must say that there are heaps of people who do the whole process that you're describing with just a pack on their backs, including overnight gear.
So with some judicious thought about the gear you really need, your small car compared to that is a huge luxury.

And good luck.

[Flavius Maximus]

Mate can't help you on the forests, but why don't you consider advice elsewhere here?
Either break down the animal into the cuts you want, snip off any bones you aren't going to use and get yourself a 12v fridge, and with that small car, consider a deep-cycle battery in a dedicated accessory battery box from auto stores to power it if you're concerned about the small starting battery in your car, running a fridge all day whilst you're out, and forget about overnight. I would be...
A second battery in a special box will sit neatly in the footwell of one of the back seats, and a good N70-sized deep-cycle will run my utes Engel for two days easy.
Pack only the meat you're going to take back.
And consider taking only one animal each trip, leave the others for your next hunt. Isn't the hunt itself a big part of the experience, and getting out there?

Worried about bullet fragments when meat hunting? Head shoot. If you aren't confident on doing that, your chest shot will be just fine with a cup and core bullet.
You will see the bullet fragments when you dress out the animal.
If you feel you have to use copper, go ahead but gazillions of people before you haven't with no issues whatsoever.

I must say that there are heaps of people who do the whole process that you're describing with just a pack on their backs, including overnight gear.
So with some judicious thought about the gear you really need, your small car compared to that is a huge luxury.

And good luck.

Thanks for that. But yeah, i'm asking everywhere, & i'm reluctant to get back on zuckerbook. Thought someone here might be able to answer as this is a hunting & shooting forum, & i'd like to not talk about elbow grease for a change. Yes they're tyrannical scumbags, but i got other interests. There's a 3d shoot going on this sunday & most of them also use rifles, so i'll ask them as well. If i'm still not able to get my shots to hit their mark beyond 50m by then, i'll simply take the bow. I was gonna buy ice up there & store the meat in eskies. It's only a 2 hour trip home & the ice lasts more than 12, plus the aircon in these little toyotas get real cold real fast.
What can you tell me about water sources? I was gonna set up around one & wait

[Wapiti]

Any animal needs water, and it doesn't matter what water source you want to sneak along.
I'll explain why... I'd suggest having the expectation that your first hunt in an area is to scope the place out, look for game trails, tracks, wallows etc that indicate that animals are coming in to drink. If there is no sign, there is no game there for whatever reason, so look for other water points and check again.
Hey, if you get to take a meat animal through lucking onto one by doing that, good stuff.
Same goes for grazing areas - deer like nice green pasture, and new shoots on shrubs they can reach. If you see mobs of skips feeding there, deer may come in too.
Again, look for that word, "sign".
Tracks, trails indicating animals routinely coming in, hair on fences, brush etc, droppings. None of that, well the only animals you'll find are moving through.

IMHO, my ethics are - do not sit on a dam. sit 50m away up a game trail, downwind from it, quietly. Other animals are thirsty too, don't deny them a drink.
And - All female deer are suckling fawns right now, do not shoot females. Most people cannot tell if a doe is lactating, they are not like cows with big udders wobbling about. Kill the mun and the fawn will die of thirst/malnutrition. Fawns will not be able to wean from mum suckling-wise until the "roar", late April/May. Even after that, they are still learning from mum the tricks to eat solid food and stay alive.
I read stories online of people moaning about how game is so scarce blah blah, but then they boast that they just massacred some does during a summer trip, remember ALL fawns of fallow, red and wapiti are born in December/January. sambar fawns are born from November to July, same timeframe applies to their fawns, at least 4 months but if you shoot all the does/cows, you won't have deer hunting for too much longer.
Unless of course, the deer are everywhere in plagues, but I doubt it.
If you are unsure, a young spiker or first-head male is great meat and you won't make a mistake.

I breed deer, have for 20 years, so what I'm telling you is from everyday observation.
There are some good knowledgeable hunters here, who know their stuff, hopefully that can chip in with other tips for you.
Me, when I go to rifle ranges or look at some of the Aussie deer "experts" YouTube channels, I am constantly amazed at how little they know yet are happy to tell you plenty of misinformation.
After you've been out a fair bit, you will learn the best way, from observing and looking.

[deye243]

I would not even consider shooting one unless I had somewhere to store it somewhere for a week and then to put it once it's cut up I would put a priority on a decent fridge and freezer before I even look at going out the bush.
But that's just the way i see things

[Die Judicii]

I would not even consider shooting one unless I had somewhere to store it somewhere for a week and then to put it once it's cut up I would put a priority on a decent fridge and freezer before I even look at going out the bush.
But that's just the way i see things

Ditto,

Remember,, the horse goes ahead of the cart, not the other way round.

[Flavius Maximus]

Thanks a lot! I'll try that, Wapiti. Guess i'll go ahead & target the bucks. I've been to Vulcan last october & i have place in mind. As much as my heart's set on deer, i'm open to other game as well

[Flavius Maximus]

I would not even consider shooting one unless I had somewhere to store it somewhere for a week and then to put it once it's cut up I would put a priority on a decent fridge and freezer before I even look at going out the bush.
But that's just the way i see things

Is aging necessary? The freezer is empty nowadays, & the fridge half so, but i'm sure i can pick up a decent 2nd handy in a pinch. The plan was to field dress, bury the rest, & eat some of that meat that very night, & maybe over the next couple of days. I see working fridge-freezers come up all the time for free, so maybe i'll pick one up on my way back from a shoot

[deye243]

Again I would pick up a fridge before you leave for the hunt turn it on then go and all red meat is far superior when it's been aged older the meat the longer you age it especially if it's a stag I know some people around here who will age a stag over a week and a half

[Wapiti]

That's all great advice Flavius, both the fridge suggestion and the "aging" of the meat.

But you can get away with one of those great eskys, the ones that say they keep ice hard for over 7 days. Good ones (some great ones, like Eva-Cool, Aussie made ones cr@p over the Chinese ones) actually will do that but tend to actually freeze meat that's in contact with your ice, they are that good. People who know their sh*t will keep old, clean cotton towels between the ice and the meat.
That's why I suggest what I do, using your cutters to break up the animal as much as you can immediately after gutting and skinning it, because a hunter doesn't have a chiller trailer, cold room or a climate controlled (air-con) sealed butcher room to cut things up with bandsaws etc.

If you have a car fridge, you really should have a second battery. Do not expect your small car battery to start the engine in the morning if the fridge has been working hard during summer. That is a bad thing and people forget that. That's why, with your small car, a second battery you can take out at home in a battery box and keep on a trickle-charger is an idea. Some really keen dudes use a folding solar panel too to help keep this battery topped up, at least going for longer.

Ideally, you'd drop the animal, immediately cut its throat to bleed it as much as you can and try and hang it from a good tree to drain out, gut it straight away whilst that's happening, then take it to a cold-room and skin it away from the flies and hang it for up to a week, few days at least before cutting it up.
A cold, hanging animal is easier to cut up.
Cooling overnight is enough time.
Check out the post BR put up in "What did you do today" where he had a pro come out and do the dirty work, this is how it's done in a manner semi-professionally by a dude that comes out with a refrigerated trailer and does it for you.

That's why a lot of blokes who have do this forever will do their hunting in winter.
They use summer as a time to sneak around and find out where all the good animals hang out, maybe chase the pigs or feral cats, foxes, dogs etc during summer and come back when it's cooler for the deer.
On a cold winters day, they will shoot a meat deer, immediately gut it and hang it from a tree. There are no blowflies during winter. They will let it chill and set overnight in the tree, off the ground so foxes and dogs, pigs etc can't have a chew on it, and will cut it up whilst hanging in the tree the next moring before taking it to their car fridge or esky.

Look up what a "gambrel" looks like, and either make on from a bit of 10mm stainless-steel bar or buy one online. Also, a cheap "rope-block" from a hardware store will lift the animal effortlessly off the ground and you use it to hang the animal in a tree to do all the work.
I see these dudes on Foxtel in the wild doing all the work on a tarp on the ground, that's too hard for a bloke who's broken his spine like I did. I do it all with the animal hanging and the last cut hanging from the gambrel is the final leg.

Then at home, they will trim the cuts up neater and use a vacuum bagger thing to take out all the oxygen and leave all the cuts in the crisper drawer in their house fridge to age there. My wife does this here routinely. I've left meat there for up to 6 weeks - use a Texta to mark the dates on the vacuum-sealed bags.
Once you get into it, a cheap vacuum-sealer will be a huge boon and keep all your meat clean and safe to age, where the enzymes will break down the cuts into super-soft awesome tender meat.
This is why good pubs and restaurants have such tender, great flavour red meat cuts - they age it - the pub chefs will do this if they are any good. It's usually always done vacuum-sealed.

Another thing on stags... I can sort of tell you are apprehensive of that so here's my thoughts.
Hunters go apesh*t about "the roar" where stags get sexually nuts and chase the does. Only happens once a year in April-May so wouldn't you go nuts?
The animals are full of testosterone, don't eat, lose condition chasing the girls around and definately are not the best eating at that time. Nor are they after that either, they are as skinny as heck and then it's winter in the southern hemisphere and they take until summer to get that condition back.
But "hunters", the ones no good at it, use this time to hunt because the animals are distracted and they are easy to hunt compared to after the roar when they are looking out for danger. It makes no sense from a meat hunters point of view.
But it's all the rage, and people follow others who say they are "deer-masters".
So, that's why you target a "spiker", a good size animal with tender meat, that isn't yet sexually active and therefore has none of those issues.
That's why we breed steers for the market, young male cattle that have been castrated, who aren't full of testosterone and just concentrate on eating and sh*tting, not rooting and fighting.

Hope this is good info for you.

[Flavius Maximus]

Thanks for the advice, fellas. The chinese eskies should work for the trip home, but a decent 2nd hand fridge seems to be better value for storage. Aussie eskies are rare nowadays & expensive! I'll pick up a fridge when i get the chance

[Die Judicii]

Hi Mate, apart from the good advice already offered by the other guys, one other cheap item that could be of assistance for you is a “meat bag”. A bag big enough to contain the entire hanging carcass, that allows airflow, but not blowflies. Make sure its not touching or clinging to the carcass though cos although the flies can’t get in,, they can still lay maggots on the cloth which will crawl through to the meat. And with all due respect,,, be wary of FUR FEVER. It’ll get you when your early days hunting.

[Flavius Maximus]

Hi Mate, apart from the good advice already offered by the other guys, one other cheap item that could be of assistance for you is a “meat bag”. A bag big enough to contain the entire hanging carcass, that allows airflow, but not blowflies. Make sure its not touching or clinging to the carcass though cos although the flies can’t get in,, they can still lay maggots on the cloth which will crawl through to the meat. And with all due respect,,, be wary of FUR FEVER. It’ll get you when your early days hunting.

Game bags? Got plenty

[Wapiti]

Actually you should do well, hopefully.
A few years ago when I was superintendent working at the hot air refuelling project at Nowra (HMAS Albatross), I hired quite a few metal tradies from Sydney and the Shoalhaven, and they told me that there were quite a population of Rusa or Chital (can't remember which) between Sydney and Wollongong, or west of there. As tradies tend to be, they were hunters and pretty keen. But they kept the forests they found reasonable populations amongst themselves.
So if you do a bit of scouting and don't hang about an area if you don't find sign, you might be filling your esky mate.

That place is beautiful and you guys are very lucky to have it. And not just the bush, some of the scenery of the female kind are also probably the most friendly and generous yummy mummys in this country... stay away from the Anytime Finess gyms... 7 days a week I was in there, It's either that after hours or drink p*ss and have a middle-age heart attack... I picked the former and just happened to meet some very time consuming friends... don't get distracted, you are there for the hunting. Different hunting.

[Flavius Maximus]

.... And not just the bush, some of the scenery of the female kind are also probably the most friendly and generous yummy mummys in this country...

For me there's no such thing as a yummy mummy. Ain't got kids of my own so i ain't dealing some other bloke's. Yeah i'm in my mid 30's & like em older, but if she's got kids i'm out.

stay away from the Anytime Finess gyms... 7 days a week I was in there, It's either that after hours or drink p*ss and have a middle-age heart attack... I picked the former and just happened to meet some very time consuming friends... don't get distracted, you are there for the hunting. Different hunting.

You mean to stop this from happening? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-HG9tIGLNGk

[Fester]

Good luck shooting multiple deer in those forests, as all I generally get is 1 shot, if it's good, I get the meat.
Admittedly, I just do 1 morning day hunts mostly, and only get lucky and see them about 1 in 4 hunts.

Those forests have good Fallow populations, and some reds, but they are the most aware and switched on deer you will ever find, and you are unlikely to shoot one that picks up on you before you see it, or them.
They don't need the water like pigs or goats, as they get it from the feed.

I don't do it by the book and and depending how far from the car I am, often I just do the gutless method, taking the rear wheels and back straps where it lay. The flies can be horrendus in Summer so I can bag it this way as it's quick.

I also butcher the legs down into primal cuts on the tailgate, and vac-pack it all on the spot.
An esky with frozen water bottles is fine, as the warm butchered meat is not chilling, just slowly cooling for the few hours it takes to get home and into my garage beer fridge.

No mess comes home and no work that arvo, just unpack.
I just go about 2 weeks, but did try 6 weeks as an experiment, and it was fine.

After the first day or 2, I drain the hemo-blood, and then again maybe after 4 days or so, often one more time.
Just that it smells so strong. I also remove hairs and do extra trimming each time, Paper towel wipe the same bags and re-seal.

Watch the early Wilderlife vids, as he does it on the ground like me, but does more skinning that I don't bother, unless I want the hide. His vid called "Cull buck" is a great example, and a great hunt vid where you see it all, including the shot.

Even when I have hung deer, young small meaties, I have never let the meat set, and imagine it is easier to cut up.
It all just works for me and suites my time. You wouldn't even need an extra fridge.

I wouldn't even bother hunting those forests on weekends, as you would see more people, and those deer wouldn't be silly enough to hang around with them to get shot.

Most blokes give up on the forests close to Sydney and head south to those deer central type populations.
They are doing very well this season.

My last hunt was on a private property down south, and it was hardly a hunt.
I walked up a hill from the house, selected the yearling, and shot it through the heart at about 100yds.
I could have taken another the next morning, but didn't bother and just more used of the tough forest hunting i guess.
I heard a goat but didn't get eyes on it, and he was moving along pretty quick.

Get out and enjoy those forests, as I don't know how much longer we will be hunting them.

[Wapiti]

.... And not just the bush, some of the scenery of the female kind are also probably the most friendly and generous yummy mummys in this country...

For me there's no such thing as a yummy mummy. Ain't got kids of my own so i ain't dealing some other bloke's. Yeah i'm in my mid 30's & like em older, but if she's got kids i'm out.

stay away from the Anytime Finess gyms... 7 days a week I was in there, It's either that after hours or drink p*ss and have a middle-age heart attack... I picked the former and just happened to meet some very time consuming friends... don't get distracted, you are there for the hunting. Different hunting.

You mean to stop this from happening? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-HG9tIGLNGk

Nah mate, but those Freedom Tunes are p*ss-funny.

No, I don't know what it was but one of the Anytime Fitness gyms (was a good joint to be a member of when you flew/worked all over the country because they are everywhere) but one of them was owned by this lovely lady who took a liking to me for some reason. I'd maxed out the incline leg press weights needed in the end, help to have someone sitting on the top of the carriage. This lady would say, I have some friends you might like to meet...
And it went from there. First one she brought over to sit on top of the carriage invited me for a weekend away.
I found that by ignoring them at first, they would go absolutely nuts.
When you are a single bloke, working 1000's of kms from home, and you are invited to resorts like the one at Kiama, or the complete floor penthouses they owned overlooking places like the beachfront at Wollongong for a first-date weekend by 40-45yo ladies with bodies like 20 year olds well, do you think I'm silly? Ladies with enhancements out front (something I'd never experienced before and thought I didn't think was something that's wind me up). That with their open cleavage necklines down to their navels who just want to have fun with a bloke their age who looked after himself and didn't exist on beer. Kids? What kids? They were all grown up.
The Illawarra had the most friendly and sexy middle aged ladies anywhere. Sorry for rambling but it was NOTHING like that freedom Tune mate!

Don't miss out mate, on the great hunting I mean.

[Wapiti]

They are good tips, fester, from a bloke who knows what he's doing.

I always gut the deer though, because I want the tenderloins inside of the ribcage, mirroring the backstraps but hidden under them.
It you can carry a lightweight hoist, even the smallest bloke can lift the deer up and drop out the guts to get at these. They are definitely the best part of the animal, and the ones all the restaurants want too. They scream for them.
I have been told people can manage to get these out without gutting the animal, I'll never try it. Anyway the few minutes work dropping the guts out is saved 10-fold by the time saved trying to work around the guts and not pop them doing this.
If you only take the backstraps and rump yeah, you don't need to drop the guts and skin much at all, but inside there is the best bit.

[Flavius Maximus]

Hmm, that last part makes me want to get into bow range. Very little meat loss using a broadhead, but i refuse to engage beyond 50m. I got the gun to engage at longer distances.
With women, i don't care if the kids are grown up - it's still a dealbreaker. I'm very strict about that. I don't wanna be a stepdad even for 1 second.
I'm also finding the gym to help in surprising ways! My shots went from barely hitting the paper to 17 within the 6 ring in just 1 week! By contrast, however, i'm having to spead my bow shots, but i'm still constantly getting bullseyes at the same distance. I'd upload the pics, but the files are too big. I have work to do on the rifle

[Wapiti]

I like your attitude mate, it means there's more for blokes like me!
Except I'm now married again so my wife is now my focus.
But seriously, complete body strength, especially the major muscle groups, makes holding a rifle or bow easier, and makes the effort of carrying heavy gear seem effortless.
Not only that but life is way more fun... only problem is time. But as my brother always said to me, make time, prioritise what's most important first.
Todays life does make that confusing with all the distractions.

[Fester]

I will give a beginner advice, if I feel I can, or see he needs it.

I am far from a hunting legend as state forests don't hand out game like lollypops, so I haven't shot a huge number.
I have hunted for a decade or more, but am completely self-taught, and what I see on YouTube.
Maybe I have learned myself well, and I suspect you have to, to spot and stalk in such a high-pressure area.
I suspect you need skill, and lady luck, but the stars can align.
I got one within the first 2 seasons, and got a mature croaking buck a few years back so punching above my weight, I suppose.

I did that last button buck by hanging in a small meat shed, got the tenderloins, as I wasn't going to miss that.
The loins were good, but nothing special, as the whole animal was so good.
Another was as prime, simply because it was such a young doe as well.
Beats me about how they get the loins out, but seen it somewhere, likely he just got his hand in and ripped them out somehow.

I know about the condition, and fat is good, but I think to get the best eaters, just shoot a young one and work out the seasons and what not to target.
It seems lots of forest hunters just see a deer and shoot it, I look and learn.

I known podcaster that does good forest hunting vids seemed to not know why the deer were so easy to shoot one hunt.
I told him as you could clearly see they were just yearlings and still dumb.
I also suggested that he won't be needing the mincer for those animals.
Maybe blokes that shoot what they see, don't get the watch and learn, who knows.

My first buck watching was because I held off shooting a doe to see him again, after a brief glimps. It paid off as he stepped out again and I got to see him, no shot taken, but a classic hunting experience that kept me going back and taking an older one a few years later.

[Damo300]

Heaps of great advise above.
The hunt is the easy part. The carry out and harvest is the hot, sweaty, yukky bit.

I'm no expert, just a rough Aussie bush hack. Been public land hunting for a few years now. Lost access to properties being sold up etc.

My advise, and it works well for me.
Others hunt differently and have way more experience than me, but they're not piping up here and giving you a hand so I'll share my experiences through what I've learned purely on my own while out there, and what I've found on youtube clips that have helped me.


Go to the range and confidently zero a cold bore shot.
The others don't matter.
Cold bore zero at your desired range is a must.
Hunting out past 200yds, is on you, and your ethics as a human.
I don't recommend it.

Slow TF down.
Hunting is not rushed in any way, well not around our camp.

Download the current hunting maps and use through avenza maps. YouTube if you're not sure how to.

Download Google earth off-line map of your hunting Forrest for cross referencing with avenza.

No piss wrecks. Goes without saying.

No walking with rounds in battery and safety on. Big no way for me.
Happy to cycle the bolt slowly when required. Tried the rubber band thing, don't like it. If you're sitting still, no worries, but when stalking, or just moving about, clear the chamber and cycle a round when required.

No running, even if your target does the Harrold Holt, let it go. There may be more around that haven't spooked.

No smoking. Filthy habit that stinks out a forest in minutes.

No deodorant or aftershave. Same as smoking.
B/o is still a warning, but wind direction is the key to the not smelling you.

No noises, other than nature, and that of slow walking leaves and twigs accasionally cracking under feet, even then, try and walk on the grass or quiet areas, and if it's 15 seconds between steps, use that time to be scouting ahead for any movement whatsoever.

Always maintain line of sight with your buddy when possible, and have that agreement that anything runs between us gets to live, or gets away if it doesn't peel off in either direction.
If we're going to separate, we have UHF earbuds, and we agree in each other's path of travel so we can update our position should the other spot a potential target.

Always remember your ballistics.
Don't take a shot at an animal on top of a spur or hill. That bullet is yours untill it stops moving so don't miss.

The only time you look down is for path identification, and to assess for sign. Otherwise you're looking up and glassing well ahead of your position.
You have to remain calm and together with all your senses engaged. Smashing your way through the scrub is for dirt bike riding and 4x4ing.
Don't see many deer when I'm out riding.

Upon arrival you're going to need to find a good camping location. That's priority imo, especially if you're walking out the next morning and not driving, or you plan on hunting that evening to half past sundown.

Obviously don't camp next to other hunters, unless invited to. If you see a set up, move on. It's a big Forrest with limited permits for that reason.

Don't crap in other potential camp sites where you're camped.
Nothing worse than pulling up, and some grub has dumped in the camp spot. You'd be surprised at the grubs out there, not saying it's hunters, because it's open to all, but just grubs in general, so go behind a tree.

Once you've found a suitable camp location, set up a form of base to mark your claim (we have a quick shade and table), then go for a good drive and look for possible hunting areas.
Scouting the place prior to any hunting is mandatory imo.
Learn where everything is, and refer to your avenza maps, marking way points as you go, and it helps to mark different locations that will have phone reception.

If you plan on hunting from your camp spot, limit the noise to a bare Min, and we prefer to not have a fire of any kind at all. Some will disagree with this. Each to their own imo.

Morning and evening are your hunting periods, and the middle of the day is recon and scouting for game trails, until you can confidently identify every part of that Forrest, then midday can be devoted to resting, but not untill I know this place like the back of my hand. I don't drive stupid hours, past private paddocks full of deer, to sit still a. D catch nothing, so make every minute productive.
You may also see game run across the road in front of you. Happens all the time. Watch out for wombats at night. Rubber tyres are magnets for them for some reason.

Pull up and go for a walk SLOWLY! (I cannot stress this enough), into the bush.
Sure, take the rifle, but my advise if you see a deer and it hasn't seen you, drop immediately, work out your wind, and sit back and watch. Learn these animals behaviours.
It's what I did.
You may find that one deer, turns into four or five others that you didn't see.
The phantom of the Forrest is now out in plain sight, and you kinda get this feeling come over you of gratitude for everything around you, and all of a sudden, killing something is now in your hands, so you're selective and respectful of how you conduct your next move.

These things are flighty as hell. One wiff of you, or sound and they're gawwwn, so slow down, take your time, and concentrate entirely on breathing.
They are nocturnal in most state Forrest due to hunting pressure, but you will see them during the day as well. Mire so, bump them when you're scouting, but mostly, you won't see them.

I believe when I'm close enough, that they can hear my heart rate rise and the heart beating like a slipknot base drum in my chest, cause it'll wiggle it's ear, head up, turn, and look in my direction, and hop skippety jump, it's gone.


When it comes to the hunt.
You can now work to your Forrest layout and the direction the wind is blowing.
You've been for a drive and marked a few starting points.
Use windy, or similar to get your general wind direction live that morning, even if it feels like it's up your rear when you're out there, you're more than likely in a thermal or back draft, or they got the direction wrong, but it's normally one of the first 2 because you can see the wind direction live on windy.com at your phone reception point.

Get out before sunrise and be at your spot before the sun is up.
Be patient.
Be quiet.
Do not look down for a second.

Same in the evening.
Be well settled in before the afternoon kicks in.

And don't be disappointed if you don't see a deer the entire time you're there.
It's not about that.
You need to learn how to identify where they are, their food, their crap (some people love rubbing it between their fingers to check for age, but I'm happy just looking at it), their foot prints, their rub trees, their lyes, their wallows and scrapes.
The whole time you're out there you're learning.
If you're not learning, you're not hunting imo, and your persona and vibration will reflect that, and you won't see a thing.
You will never know it all, even if you think you do.

Good luck mate.
I really do hope you bag one on your first trip.
We saw plenty, but had no opportunity.

[Flavius Maximus]

Thanks for the advice, Damo. This also isn't my first time, but my 4th - in fact, this is my 2nd go at Vulcan. But no offense, i'll ignore the whole camping thing as i hate camping, so i'll stay in a nearby hotel, thank you very much.
I asked one of them AI chatbots about taking the gun, & it said that unless my groupings tighten dramatically by march 14, i should take the bow. For context, i'm getting 9-10 inch groupings at 20m with my .303, while i'm getting sub-3 inch groups at 40m with the bow. For more context, i've been shooting bows weekly for months, while i only shot the rifle in 3 sessions. I know it's me & not the rifle as i filmed myself shooting it, & saw the muzzle moving around a lot. I also felt myself shaking, plus it was bloody hot in there! I'm getting stronger but i'm just not used to holding a rifle, so i do struggle a bit. Less rules concerning bows means i could schmooze some of the locals into letting me hunt on their land. The Sarge was very adamant that i don't go to the pub with a gun at the hotel, but the bow? No such laws exist. I bought the gun to engage animals between 50 & 100m, but at this point, there's no point taking it if my groups are that s**ty at bow range.
Sorry if i get off track, i know this forum is called "Enough Gun", not "Enough Bow"

[Fester]

It's hard enough with a good scoped rifle, stuff the bow.
It can be done, but more likely to take a shot at 50m or so, and it may end bad.
I practiced for a few years and grouped arrows well but still found 30m a best hunting range, and good luck getting that close to switched on forest deer.
I missed a fox as I didn't have an arrow knocked and ready. He just sleazed off as I fumbled the arrow out.

My 6.5x55 rifle with a 4-12x44 is sighted in at 1 and a half inches high at 100yds so I can point and shoot at 30 to a bit over 200yds.
All bar 1 died with some dead running 30m or so.
The other was a snap offhand shot at about 120yds at a young doe that was slower to move off than the others.
It was gut shot and when I looked for any sign of a hit, it jumped to another brush for cover.
I was behind a tree with my fav hand on the tree standing support.
When it stuck its head up to look,I shot it from about 20m.

As mentioned, if you think you are stalking slow enough, slow down more.
I have been busted by them seeing the slightest movement at great distance many times.
I now freeze, and sometimes they don't bolt, then I get down low and don't move.
Sometimes a shot will present, if you can take it offhand.
All eyes will be on you while they try to work out what you are.

A .243 would be a nice shooting Fallow rifle when the pill can be place in the chest vitals with confidence.
Also not to exy for that range practice, needed for marksmanship skills.
I started with a 22lr, then a .223. I would use the .223 if it wasn't too heavy, 24" Weatherby or Howa is no mountain rifle.

Another trick I learned early with those deer that can run dead for up to 50m, is after the shot, the first task is to pin point the exact spot the deer was standing using trees and stuff rather than charge in.
Better to get to the exact spot to find blood before searching in the direction it ran.

With practice, and the scope set on minimal zoom, when I shoulder the rifle, I am looking at the target in the scope.
I shoot with both eyes open, it took practice when I was learning with the 22 for that first year.
I also shoot clays for fun and practice.

I don't really get why blokes just want to buy a .308 or .270 and start hunting deer.
Some blokes are naturals and handle recoil but most of us have to learn, and it's all part of it.

Happy hunting

[Damo300]

Haha....my bad.
Motels it is then.

I once aborted camp and headed for the motel in a massive downpour.
4 days of solid rain.
Leeches coming through the grass like beech worms up a beech.
Mother nature won that night.

Are you shooting free standing. Those groups are big for 20m!

I rarely take a free standing shot.
Always lean on a tree, laying down gun over back pack, but never free standing.


Same principle applies with Bow hunting, only you gotta get a hell of a lot closer than I do.
That wind is your best ally.
That's what I would focus on. Get in close so they have no idea your there.
But first, you got to see them, before they see you. That's the difficult part that takes practice.
Glue those binoculars to your face.
Don't move until you are certain there's nothing out in between all those trunks and shrubs, laying down, feeding, or worse, looking back at you.


Keep at it. You'll get one.
Good luck.

[Flavius Maximus]

Thsnks Damo. By the way, my rifle groupings are no different whether i stand or sit with my elbow on the bench. All my arrow groupings are free standing. But, whether they tighten standing, sitting, or kneeling depends on the bow & the arrows. Predator 2s have tighter groupings sitting all relaxed like with my EK, but there's no difference with my Bear Legend 30 shooting eastons.
But either way, i gotta take what i can hit 'em with. I'm starting to regret not going with that Winchester 1894 in 30-30 instead of the Smelly. Now it'll be bloody ages before i can correct that. Thanks, government

[Wapiti]

Far out, Damo. That's an unreal summary of real hunting. You've done a bit of fair dinkum work in the bush that's obvious.
If only the hopeless magazine "how-to" crap coming out in what's left of those thing's credibility was as on the money as your effort.
And the readers got it for free.

[deye243]

I see here in Victoria they just gave us another two National Parks to hunt Deer in there errinundra and Snowy River

[Damo300]

I see here in Victoria they just gave us another two National Parks to hunt Deering there errinundra and Snowy River

That's awesome news.

I was heading down this year for the rutt, but family health issues have delayed me a year.
Haven't hunted Victoria yet.
I really like the more to explore app.
Lots of area for hunting.

[Damo300]

Far out, Damo. That's an unreal summary of real hunting. You've done a bit of fair dinkum work in the bush that's obvious.
If only the hopeless magazine "how-to" crap coming out in what's left of those thing's credibility was as on the money as your effort.
And the readers got it for free.

Thanks Wapiti.

I like helping others out if I can, and I want to continue to grow the hunting scene in this country.

If someone can benifit from what I have to pass on then I'm happy with that, and hopefully one day they can pay if forward.

We all need to unite for our cause, especially when we have pen happy bureaucrats trying to shut us down all the time.