Sika hunting is at its height during the month of April when the Sika stags go crazy over the rutting period, please sit down grab a beer and buckle in for a few hints and tips I've learnt along my 27 year journey as a Sika hunter. We will be adding more and more to this page and others, so keep coming back for a look.
As the nights get colder and the days get shorter the Sika hinds start coming into season. This means, like most other animals, the females are ready to mate, letting off a smell no Sika stag can pass up. He will actively cross big distances to find a hind cycling in season, covering well over 5kms a day is nothing to a horny Sika stag looking for some action.
A Sika stag in the rut period will call quite a few different ways, with the main 3 being the single call, the territory call and the mew. The single call will be heard at much shorter distances compared to the very loud territory call and the mew is heard at short distance and most times in close quarters action. This time of year is very exciting and is the only time of the year that Sika stags let you know where they are almost every half hour to an hour, with territory calls heard all over the Sika country day and night.
If you hear a territory call while you are stalking along or even on the track heading to your spot, you will need to move closer to where the call came from but remember that this is the most active time of the year and you might just bump into a stag anywhere at any time of the day. Try to stay sharp and don't charge off towards the territory call, you might bump into that stag of a life time on your way.
When you get closer, roughly 200-300m out depending on how far you traveled to get toward him, I would sit, listen and soak things up for a bit. He will most likely territory again every 20-40min and this will help you re-adjust your angle and planned stalk on him. Your ears and eyes are your best tools at this stage.
Once you get in closer, about 100m you will hopefully hear him single calling and this is where your skill level helps seal the deal. If possible close the distance very slowly with the wind in your face, taking one small calculated step at a time, looking and listening while making as little movement as possible. Take each step with care, stay calm and try to get an understanding of the situation with your eyes and ears as you stalk in.
Most likely there will be other stags close by if he is on the single call every minute and you will have to watch for them running around as the master stag chases them away from his hind. The master stag will be the biggest and strongest, it doesn't mean he will have an awesome 8 point trophy head on him but he will have some antler length and have the body mass to beat the other stags. Over the years I've seen some very big body 4 and 6 pointers give 8 pointers a good old hiding due to the strength and maturity.
Now that you are closing the gap you will most likely start hearing the mew call, this is a call that stags do to each other so they all know where each other are, it sounds like a Meeeeee-airrrrr. This call is a very useful tool and a favorite of mine.
I will almost never single call when closing in on a Sika stag, I will let them make all the noise and what's the point of letting him know you are coming if you don't need to right! If the bush is quiet meaning bugger all stags are roaring which can be the case every few days of the rut, I will move around quietly and single call in likely areas and wait 10 minutes to see what comes in. This requires patience and lots off it but can be very effective. In this instance be ready as stags can all of a sudden turn up unexpectedly. Get set up before you roar not the other way around. Stay switched on and identify your target beyond all doubt.
Once well within range of the stag I constantly take in all the free information I am receiving via my eyes and ears, listening to how many animals might be ahead and looking for somewhere to sit and mew from where the stag has the chance to come to me with a good, safe line of sight ahead for a shot. When I am in a spot of good vision I will be ready, all of this needs to happen pretty quickly without making noise letting your guard down, there has been a few times I have not been focused while trying to get a good seat and next thing there is a stag standing looking at me from 15m and that was the end of that..... If you can not roar yourself that is totally fine and this is where the Sika caller comes into play. Make sure you are well trained at what button does what and also on the volume. The Sika caller is a good bit of kit and it is highly recommended by us..
Now your in the strike zone, this is the time when you need to stay calm and remember it's only a deer and all your knowledge of safety comes into play and identifying your target is paramount as the next part can be quite over whelming.
Ready with your rifle in hand you can let out a small quiet mew facing away from yourself so the stag can hear it and he will think you are further away than you actually are, you will be surprised at how small of a mew a stag will answer and be careful not to be too loud, there is no need to scare him away. You can also mew with the rifle at the ready if you practice it. Stay still, hidden against a tree or in a bush to break your silhouette and have your face covered because every extra chance you give yourself might be the very chance you need to seal the deal. Now is not the time to scratch your arse or make any movement what so ever, you need to listen to everything and the only movement should be your eyes.
When mewing at a stag try and keep right on him, meaning answer his mew right when he is finished, you will hopefully find this will make him a bit more aggressive. If he goes quiet be ready as he might be on the way in for a look. If it all goes quiet for a while, sit still and wait and listen, please remind yourself you have been waiting all year for this moment and take your time. The stag and hind might still be just ahead and who knows why they have gone quiet, they do these things. Sitting and waiting will hopefully keep you on the hot spot and when he roars again you will be ready. Try doing a quiet single call after a while if he hasn't answered your mews for 5 minutes but don't forget that when he goes quiet the first time there is a good chance he is on his way in for a look.
As far as shooting the Sika stag it is at the hunters discretion but I advise against a front on chest shot as they can run a long way before falling over. I always try for a base of the neck shot and secondly a good shoulder shot. If he has seen you before the shot he will run if he can, leave him and wait 30 minutes before following up and also be ready to add a follow up shot as he might jump up right in front of you. Bush hunting is close contact and even though we try to drop the stag on the spot you will still have them run on you at times and with heavy sign on the ground they can be hard to track. Making sure of a good shot will let you know he will be there somewhere, so putting in a heap of time to find him is all part of your commitment to the stag, nothing worse than leaving an animal on the hill.
See below for the complete range of Sika callers and cards in our shop.
More hints and tips to come, keep an eye out.....
Cheers Jamie.
As the nights get colder and the days get shorter the Sika hinds start coming into season. This means, like most other animals, the females are ready to mate, letting off a smell no Sika stag can pass up. He will actively cross big distances to find a hind cycling in season, covering well over 5kms a day is nothing to a horny Sika stag looking for some action.
A Sika stag in the rut period will call quite a few different ways, with the main 3 being the single call, the territory call and the mew. The single call will be heard at much shorter distances compared to the very loud territory call and the mew is heard at short distance and most times in close quarters action. This time of year is very exciting and is the only time of the year that Sika stags let you know where they are almost every half hour to an hour, with territory calls heard all over the Sika country day and night.
If you hear a territory call while you are stalking along or even on the track heading to your spot, you will need to move closer to where the call came from but remember that this is the most active time of the year and you might just bump into a stag anywhere at any time of the day. Try to stay sharp and don't charge off towards the territory call, you might bump into that stag of a life time on your way.
When you get closer, roughly 200-300m out depending on how far you traveled to get toward him, I would sit, listen and soak things up for a bit. He will most likely territory again every 20-40min and this will help you re-adjust your angle and planned stalk on him. Your ears and eyes are your best tools at this stage.
Once you get in closer, about 100m you will hopefully hear him single calling and this is where your skill level helps seal the deal. If possible close the distance very slowly with the wind in your face, taking one small calculated step at a time, looking and listening while making as little movement as possible. Take each step with care, stay calm and try to get an understanding of the situation with your eyes and ears as you stalk in.
Most likely there will be other stags close by if he is on the single call every minute and you will have to watch for them running around as the master stag chases them away from his hind. The master stag will be the biggest and strongest, it doesn't mean he will have an awesome 8 point trophy head on him but he will have some antler length and have the body mass to beat the other stags. Over the years I've seen some very big body 4 and 6 pointers give 8 pointers a good old hiding due to the strength and maturity.
Now that you are closing the gap you will most likely start hearing the mew call, this is a call that stags do to each other so they all know where each other are, it sounds like a Meeeeee-airrrrr. This call is a very useful tool and a favorite of mine.
I will almost never single call when closing in on a Sika stag, I will let them make all the noise and what's the point of letting him know you are coming if you don't need to right! If the bush is quiet meaning bugger all stags are roaring which can be the case every few days of the rut, I will move around quietly and single call in likely areas and wait 10 minutes to see what comes in. This requires patience and lots off it but can be very effective. In this instance be ready as stags can all of a sudden turn up unexpectedly. Get set up before you roar not the other way around. Stay switched on and identify your target beyond all doubt.
Once well within range of the stag I constantly take in all the free information I am receiving via my eyes and ears, listening to how many animals might be ahead and looking for somewhere to sit and mew from where the stag has the chance to come to me with a good, safe line of sight ahead for a shot. When I am in a spot of good vision I will be ready, all of this needs to happen pretty quickly without making noise letting your guard down, there has been a few times I have not been focused while trying to get a good seat and next thing there is a stag standing looking at me from 15m and that was the end of that..... If you can not roar yourself that is totally fine and this is where the Sika caller comes into play. Make sure you are well trained at what button does what and also on the volume. The Sika caller is a good bit of kit and it is highly recommended by us..
Now your in the strike zone, this is the time when you need to stay calm and remember it's only a deer and all your knowledge of safety comes into play and identifying your target is paramount as the next part can be quite over whelming.
Ready with your rifle in hand you can let out a small quiet mew facing away from yourself so the stag can hear it and he will think you are further away than you actually are, you will be surprised at how small of a mew a stag will answer and be careful not to be too loud, there is no need to scare him away. You can also mew with the rifle at the ready if you practice it. Stay still, hidden against a tree or in a bush to break your silhouette and have your face covered because every extra chance you give yourself might be the very chance you need to seal the deal. Now is not the time to scratch your arse or make any movement what so ever, you need to listen to everything and the only movement should be your eyes.
When mewing at a stag try and keep right on him, meaning answer his mew right when he is finished, you will hopefully find this will make him a bit more aggressive. If he goes quiet be ready as he might be on the way in for a look. If it all goes quiet for a while, sit still and wait and listen, please remind yourself you have been waiting all year for this moment and take your time. The stag and hind might still be just ahead and who knows why they have gone quiet, they do these things. Sitting and waiting will hopefully keep you on the hot spot and when he roars again you will be ready. Try doing a quiet single call after a while if he hasn't answered your mews for 5 minutes but don't forget that when he goes quiet the first time there is a good chance he is on his way in for a look.
As far as shooting the Sika stag it is at the hunters discretion but I advise against a front on chest shot as they can run a long way before falling over. I always try for a base of the neck shot and secondly a good shoulder shot. If he has seen you before the shot he will run if he can, leave him and wait 30 minutes before following up and also be ready to add a follow up shot as he might jump up right in front of you. Bush hunting is close contact and even though we try to drop the stag on the spot you will still have them run on you at times and with heavy sign on the ground they can be hard to track. Making sure of a good shot will let you know he will be there somewhere, so putting in a heap of time to find him is all part of your commitment to the stag, nothing worse than leaving an animal on the hill.
See below for the complete range of Sika callers and cards in our shop.
More hints and tips to come, keep an eye out.....
Cheers Jamie.