Even on high tops, good hunters generally spend about a third of their time, sitting and glassing and listening and pausing to look for sign in likely areas.” He emphasises “minute examination” of likely deer areas. –Roger Lentle

By Tony Orman

One for the Serious Sportsman-like Hunter

Roger Lentle is a name well known to big game hunters for some years ago, in conjunction with Frank Saxton he co-wrote four very fine big game hunting books, chocker with practical and detailed advice –  “Red Deer in New Zealand”, “Stalking the Seasons Round”, “Alpine Hunting in New Zealand” and “The New Zealand Hunter’s Companion.”

Roger, is an established medical scientist who spent 20 years in medical practice and 20 years in research focusing on the biomechanics of digestion, eventually becoming Professor Emeritus at Massey University. Now with over 50 years of hunting experience under his belt, he has written a new book basically on how to find deer enhanced by some finely detailed research and insights to tracks and deer sign.

There’s a quote which says, “Experience isn’t the best teacher, evaluated experience is.” To get the full value of experience, thinking and evaluating is essential. Hunting like fishing is a constantly learning exercise. Experience is important but you have to get full value, by non-stop evaluation and analysis. Roger Lentle’s scientific background and analytical skills equip him to achieve that full value.

Roger has been a hunter for 50 years – in short a very experienced hunter enhanced by his medical and scientific career with a heightened analytical mind.

Getting to know the deer

The book works its way through deer tracks which vary from the animal’s mood and circumstances at the moment, to differing soil types, weather and moisture. There’s advice on 

  • how deer transit from cover to feeding areas 
  • their distribution patterns over the seasons of the year 
  • techniques in not only ensuring you are in deer territory but in seeing them.

The lesson is to sit and look and be systematic in glassing with binoculars. Too many hunters — myself included — spend too much time walking and the deer’s vision is superbly equipped to pick the slightest motion, certainly far, far better than that of a person.

Roger Lentle writes, “Even on high tops, good hunters generally spend about a third of their time, sitting and glassing and listening and pausing to look for sign in likely areas.” He emphasises “minute examination” of likely deer areas “by searching bit by bit in a sort of grid pattern so that no areas are missed.”

There’s a particularly excellent chapter on tracking and finding wounded deer. Even the most sportsmanlike hunter has the potential to occasionally wound an animal. Losing a wounded animal is a nightmare to the ethical hunter. Roger Lentle’s advice will go a long way to ensuring the animal is retrieved and not lost to rot.

Recommended

I personally would have liked some anecdotes from the author’s 50-plus years of hunting as examples to accompany the advice.  But that’s not a necessity and “Tracking and Finding Deer in New Zealand” is an invaluable manual for every Kiwi hunter.

Tracking and Finding Deer in New Zealand by Roger Lentle, is published by Bateman books. RRP $34.99.