The piercing bugle-like call of the Sika stag echoed around Poronui during the April rut. An extremely vocal and aggressive deer species, the Sika are renowned for charging in unexpectedly to a call. It makes for very exciting hunting and there are some great sights as stags clash over cycling hinds. This year was certainly no exception, with some tremendous hunting and great stags up to 180 DS already taken.

The stags typically rut in the relative security of bush or heavy timber. While there will still be some rutting activity, with the occasional hind that was missed in April cycling again, the rut is largely over. The stags will now start to venture out into the open looking to regain the condition they lost during long nights of partying! The next two months are one of the best times to take a really top trophy, as it can be easier to view stags from a distance, whereas rut hunting tends to be close proximity – almost hand to hand combat!