Nitro i hunt an area according to the weather patterns and what time of year it is often using my diary as a rough guide.`Gatta shuts on the Queens birthday w`end until Cup day in Nov and unless a dump is made its out.I do like places around the Goulburn R. as we always find good numbers of deer (hard tough hunting too) and i had a novice sambar hunter from Canberra come down last year for a swap hunt and he saw 9 deer for the week(missed a sitter too) which is bloody good going,i saw 14, with mate (exp) from Tas seeing six.One good stag beat me hands down but thats normal.And its stalking only these days for me.Safarihunt in answer to your mail your chances of getting a stag in 3-4 weeks would be good only IF-----you have lots of luck------you work your arse off like never before------ you can cope with cold wet steep slippery rocky heavily bushed mountain country----- maybe snow as well------ can shoot quickly with accuracy---- hunting a basically nocturnal animal--- a few other things ----not to mention "those bloody Aussies haha" No season on sambar at all ---no limits on either sex as well---if you are good enough you can shoot plenty of deer (if you are good enough that is) but sambar hunting is not about numbers as being the animal they are even a spikey is considered a "win" or even a hind,there are many men that hunt these deer that dont connect with one for even years,but for someone that has good hunting experience on other game it can be used very successfully on sambar.These deer will crawl on their knees in low scrub to elude a hunter if needed---swim downriver underwater as well-----or often sit and watch the hunter walk right past them as close as a few yards,they really are an extraordinary deer species with their inherent cunning that was formulated in their original land "the home of the tiger" and being the main prey species of the tiger it has kept that cunning in their blood even though we dont have tigers here.I have hunted other deer Hoggie`s and Fallow and they play their games with hunters too but not like the big boys.Regards your q`s on other game ---in sambar ground you can see dingo`s (wild dogs) foxes and native animals but if we are hunting deer we dont shoot anything else generally,maybe a dog where there are not deer to scare off but for other deer it is a matter of hunting elsewhere and in season.