FEATURE Robert Butterworth
Waiting for deer to come past within range is a well-proven technique, perhaps as old as hunting itself. But success requires some strategic preparation and patience. This article outlines the elements of preparation and some insights into seeing more deer and making the most of the opportunities that come.
Waiting in a fixed location is productive because it minimises disturbance and allows the shooter to get closer to deer. It is a sad fact that most of the deer we encounter when still hunting or stalking detect us first and move away or sit tight and allow us to pass. We see fresh signs but no deer. Waiting turns the table on these masters of stealth.
Setting up in the right location is a good start. Ideally the place will be in an area deer regularly travel through in their daily routine, during daylight hours. These transit areas usually self-identify as game trails, creek crossings, saddles between drainages, wallows and scrapes, and access points to food or water. Deer will travel into a crop paddock or good grazing after dark but most of us are not going to shoot in the dark, so it is usually better to catch them moving to and from rather than feeding.
Deer will move at any time, but the most productive times are very early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Since the whole point of waiting rather than stalking is to reduce disturbance, a minimum waiting session should be at least two hours, preferably three or more. This is because in walking in you will inevitably disturb the environment. Kangaroos will move away; birds will stop whatever they are doing, and the ambience of the place will change. Deer will sense this and be on alert. They will certainly not walk towards the source of the disturbance.
When you sit down and wait, the landscape will look calm but wait an hour or so and you will become aware of wildlife and birds re-emerging. An hour into a wait you may even see cryptic creatures like antechinus and lyrebirds which are not otherwise seen.
Kangaroos are a good indicator that everything in your vicinity is relaxed again. If kangaroos come down the game trail undisturbed you are well set up for a shot at the deer that may follow them. Try not to disturb the kangaroos because if they go back the way they came the deer will notice and wonder why.
Early morning is an option, but you will need to be in place before first light. If you plan a morning wait, it is helpful to scope out a location earlier so you can make a detailed assessment in daylight and figure out where to sit and how you can get there in the dark.
Timing is a question of patience. If you cannot sit in one place for two hours, then waiting is not for you. You are better to still hunt. And it is important that you can stay focussed for whatever length of time you propose to wait.
Work back from last light to set your arrival time. If you arrive early, you can always have a snooze in the afternoon sun while the wildlife resumes normal duties.
Once you have found a good location take some time to weigh up exactly where you should sit.
You obviously want good shooting lanes at around the distance you feel comfortable shooting. I am comfortable shooting to around 150 metres, so I set up for shot opportunities at 80 to 150 metres. This is usually a compromise. Too far and the shot becomes too hard; too close and you increase the risk of detection before you shoot.
You should also choose your spot carefully to ensure you have a safe backdrop for your shot. Typically, this means positioning yourself so the shot is into the opposing face.
Other considerations include keeping your scent plume away from the approach lines, managing your visual outline from the deer’s perspective, and dealing with any glare from the late afternoon sun. It is disappointing to have a deer pass close to the west when your scope is full of the setting sun’s glare.
Also be aware that trails carry two-way traffic and deer may come from the opposite direction you expect. Stay well to the side of the trail to cope for this possibility and try to manage the wind as best you can.
With so many variables your choice will inevitably be a compromise but make it as good as you can manage.
To sit still for a long period, you need to be comfortable. If you need a back rest sit with your back to a tree or rock. If it is cold and the ground hard, take something soft to sit on. I shoot off a tripod and find I have more mobility and better visibility if I sit on a short folding stool.
Even with some creature comforts you will get stiff staying in one position so find a routine that keeps you comfortable without moving around too much.
On the walk in you will be comfortable even on a cold day and maybe even hot, but sit down for an hour or so, particularly in a brisk wind, and you will start to feel cold. Typically, your stored heat will retreat to the body’s core and after a while your feet and hands will get cold. The wind will play on the back of your head and things will not look so good. You will stop concentrating on the game trail and start thinking of heading home as deer o’clock approaches.
It is best to be prepared for this and take an extra layer to compensate. If it is windy wear some wind-proof trousers and top. Take some gloves, a beanie and a scarf to keep your head and hands warm. You do not have to wear them, but it is better to be looking at them than looking for them.
I try to hold off rugging up until about an hour before dark, so I appreciate the change of attitude.
A companion animal (pet dog) is an ideal partner for waiting. If they know the game you will have the advantage of their excellent eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell. If they are still learning, the companionship will keep you motivated. One of a dog’s virtues is sustained optimism. He or she must however stay still and keep quiet. Generally, dogs are better at this than people.
Once the dog understands what is required, they are quite happy to take over and allow you to goof off.
In modern life distractions are everywhere and we have come to crave them when they are not there.
Almost everyone carries a mobile phone and while it might keep us safe, it can be a serious distraction. Answering a phone call will alert everything of your presence and start the waiting process again. Looking at a message or the latest news will distract you and shift your visual focus to close range. When you look up again from the screen it will be a few minutes before you can focus again on the medium distance with any efficiency.
It is a good idea to leave the phone in the car if you are not in the wilderness or expecting an urgent message. If this is a step too far put it on silent in a hard-to-get-to pocket.
I carry my binoculars on a sit hunt, but I have come to think that they can be a liability. They certainly allow me to check a movement at the extremities of the approaches, but they affect my ability to detect movement out of my peripheral vision. I think a few things are going on here that are worth teasing out.
Human vision is a complex thing. We tend to think that our eyesight is a real representation of what is out there but in fact what we see is just a picture our brain paints. The brain does this in an economical fashion to manage energy demands. So, priority is given to what we are focusing on or movement from the margins that might indicate danger.
The picture the brain paints is prioritised in terms of refreshing. Boring stuff is carried over, and new stuff is refreshed at a more rapid rate. People with thermal vision devices will be familiar with the relatively slow refresh of the image.
This helps explain why deer can suddenly appear out of nowhere. We were not focussed on that sector of our vision, and the deer did not move alarmingly, so suddenly they are there, 60 metres away, looking at us.
The human eye is also a mechanical device. When a lot of light is coming into our eyes our pupil (or aperture) contracts and our depth of vision increases, just like a camera’s aperture. When ambient light levels fall, such as when we put up the binoculars, our pupils expand, and our depth of vision decreases markedly. We can focus at one distance and not see things clearly at a lesser or greater distance.
A further factor limiting our perception is the pattern of cones and rods on our retinas. Cones are good at perceiving colour and detail, rods as good for movement. There are relatively more rods towards the sides of our retina so we can more readily detect movement on the periphery of our vision than in the middle.
All this means that looking through binoculars is bad for our ability to detect movement on the broad scale. When we put the binoculars up to our eyes it takes a few minutes for our eyes to recover once we put them down. You should not overuse your binoculars when you are on a sit-and-wait. It is much better to see the movement with the naked eye and then have a closer look with the binoculars.
Do you want to get the last Australian Deer news, events, updates & competitions directly to your inbox?
Enter your name & email below and we'll make sure you're the first to know!
