b'As I write this its late ROARFebruary and summer is almost at an end. The stags are in late velvet with some of the bigger stags stripped PREP already and starting to colour up nicely. Theres been a few early reports of some good animals hitting the deck. One thing that is on the back of every keen deer hunters mind at this time of year is the TIME roar, as the pinnacle time for deer hunting in Godzone.BY MATT STRACHAN W ith last years roar basically cancelled due to unforeseen CV-19 circumstances, Kiwi hunters will be even more eager to head out.As with every type of hunting whether its deer stalking, waterfowl or upland game birds, preparation of your hunt is the utmost important thing. Preparation may be the difference between getting that one in a lifetime stag or not. This is a massive topic and certainly cannot be all covered in this article. Everyones prep will differ depending on hunting area, vegetation, and topography. EXERCISE KEYFor me, this year my pre-roar preparation is quite different to what it would usually involve. I had an unfortunate setback at the start of October with a badly dislocated knee. My kneecap was out of place for close to three hours.It has been a long recovery only just returningto hunting since mid-Feb. Obviously, my main training for this years roar is to get my strength and fitness back. This involves a lot of walking, joint supplements and hitting the gym, training hard to gain back lost fitness and muscle mass. Due to being unable to do a lot of physical activities over the past Matt with a 12-point red stagfew months, I am carrying an extra 8-9kg taken during the roar from a fewthan Id like. This is all going to affect my years ago, Matt is hoping to see more animals this year.performance and stamina up on the hills./FISHINGINGODZONE83'