scared animals

[mick thomo]

i was wondering why at this time of year all the bunnies, foxes and goats are really jumpy. i can't get within 100 metres of the bunnies on my place and i'm not making lots of noise.
is it because of the abundance of food that they don't take as many risks as in winter?
i was having no trouble during winter in sneaking up on game.

[rudy]

One of the problems i have around here is the wind is not as consistant as it is in the Winter time, it tends to swirl around it bit more. Apart from that i find it easier to stalk rabbits, as there are higher numbers here during the hot weather (more dumb one's i think.) As for foxes, try calling them in to you, its less walking, which means less movement.
Good luck anyway mate

[bowhunting4eva]

i'd be jumpy too if i was getting hunted by bow. could be seasonal or maybe thier getting used to you hunting and they know danger

[mick thomo]

bowhunting4eva,
should i leave it for a week or two? my neighbour has two foxes he wants to get rid of soon and if i don't get em then he'll get a shooter in and i don't want that.
thanks for the reply

[bowhunting4eva]

leave hunting for a week or 2, as if lol. hunt as much as you can in my opinion. do they get other hunting pressure or shooters were you hunt

[mick thomo]

nope just me glad u said don't leave it. it was hard enough to stay inside tonight even though it was raining

[howie]

Sometimes a windy day puts animals on edge. Try stalking them from a different direction - keeping the wind in your face. I was chasing goats yesterday and they just kept running around, feeding and then running more. Their behaviour was unbelievable, some of it I put down to the mating season (rut) but they did it last month as well. Some days I can't work them out. I know this sounds silly, but dont let the animals see you. Good luck and shoot straight.....Howie

[silent killer]

What howie said lol....
.....Cheers alex......

[mick thomo]

howie
i think i need to invest in a head cover and gloves. cos i was waiting for the neighbours fox yesterday arvo and when he came out of the scrud 10 metres away i didn't move and he glanced at me then did a wide circle and good bye foxy.

[howie]

Some free advice - get a good quality face mask and set of gloves, practice with them on and wear them in the bush when hunting. Try to avoid direct eye contact with game, squint your eyes, look at your feet or whatever. I have experimented with goats by avoiding eye contact, then staring at them with my eyes open. they certainly lock onto you when they see eyes staring back at them. keep the questions coming - this site is here to help.....

[mick thomo]

i can't stop my boots from creaking and my feet ache in gum boots any advice

[bowhunting4eva]

dunlop volleys are good as howie uses them i can tell the difference while stalking. but then again i have a bigger foot than him. others have also said the volleys are good to hunt in

[will]

yeah i can 2nd that, howie suggested i get a pair and i have found they do cut the noise down a bit, cheap too!!

[mick thomo]

thanks heaps for that.i'll get a pair and hopefully notice the difference

[fallowhunter]

nothing beats bare feet and there cheep too.

[howie]

I buy black coloured volleys - cost 30 dollars.
wet suit boots are also very good. Do a search on this site on footwear, plenty of info....
When I took my young son out hunting, he was making a racket, so I asked him to walk like he was walking on broken glass, he was noticably quieter.

[mick thomo]

thanks howie nice tactic on ur son there i'll remember that one

[rudy]

nothing beats bare feet and there cheep too.

Where can you get them from? We dont have bare's in Australia. How much do they cost? And can you get them in camo? LOL