As deer hunters, we are constantly dealing with unknowns. Some are known, and many are not, and we adjust on the fly as conditions change. Sometimes, this results in a very heavy backpack; other times, it's an armed bushwalk.
One thing we know is our calendar. The start of the year features the fallow and reds croaking and roaring along with the hog deer season. It all seems to come at once, with March and April merging into a frenetic start to our hunting year.
The weather then cools, and most of us try to hit the mountains for the next five or six months, hunting the elusive sambar.
One of the biggest challenges we face is getting there. We all live busy lives that are all-consuming. Taking that step back and booking time away is more important than ever. And before we know it, the rut, the roar, and the hog deer season are over, and we have a year to wait until the next one. If we don’t make the most of the upcoming cooler weather, spring and its growing days are just around the corner, soon to bookend another hunting year.
With that in mind, planning and booking time to do what we love and cherish is important. We are all members of the Australian Deer Association because we value recreational deer hunting and love public land access. And that only grows the more we utilise it.
Some of the best memories of being in the bush with my mates were born from short-notice trips where we made them happen. A can-do attitude goes a long way.
The backpack hunts and the overseas trips all take some planning. You look at the calendar, line up the dates, and then lock it in. You are much more likely to do something when your mates are involved.
With that said, it's already June, and what better time to get away?
As The Deer People, we work hard to win and keep access to public land across New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria and to provide accountability to the government for sound policy and deer management. But as well as working hard for this, we need to play hard and walk those mountains. You never know what's over that rise or in the next gully until you have checked it out.
You must be out there to do that. So just do it; you won’t regret it!
In the meantime, be sure to catch up with like-minded deer people at any of our branch meetings; it’s a great way to get your deer fix in between hunts.
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