Britmeister
Member
What Ho folks
I haven't posted for ages so I thought I would share yesterdays stalk.
I have recently picked up 2000 acres of permission on a farm to stalk whatever's in season.
Happy days, the farm is teeming with Roe and Muntjac but also holds a small head of Chinese Water deer and a few Reds make brief appearance occasionally.
To set the scene the farm is slap bang in the middle of The Fens (it's as flat as a pancake with black peaty soil. The wind was howling from the west cutting my safe shots down significantly.
I headed out mid afternoon to have a look around and hopefully pick up a Roe doe as they are in season. Saw a dozen or so on the drive in but all well out in the middle of fields and well out of possibility (too far with the wind for me and no safe back stop) so I moved on.
I started with a stealthy walk through a small wood, only saw on Munty doe who was left as I wasn't looking for her.
I then moved on to another spot with two little woods close to each other, nothing doing there but I noted two Does grazing out in the edge of a field 300 odd yards away (still not in a safe shot area but if they moved 100 to the left and got a bit closer I was in business.
To cut a long story shorter after a 30 minute wait) they did what they do and moved further away.
Change of plan, I took a mile hike and snuck up behind them making use of a small reservoir (used for farm irrigation) to get a bit of height and cover)
Literally as I got there the two does had miraculously turned into a doe and a buck
and both had settled down in some cover crop (used for the pheasant shoot) for a rest.
My options were now limited to a long wait, try to gently spook them or head shoot the doe (which I don't like doing and in the wind it was risky)
After numerous belly crawls and relocations I settled down too for a long wait!
After what seemed like ages I started to whistle to hopefully get them to stand up but… nope they weren't moving. Low and behold a nice Muntjac buck appeared and sorely tempted me!! But no I was here for a Roe!! (Would it be a mistake?)
Fortunately 15-20 minutes later a fellow hunter turned up for a late afternoons roost shoot on the Wood Pigeon and even though he was 3/400 yards away it got their attention. Up they stood and pop, down she fell. 100 grains of from my .243 did the job.
The buck legged it as I made my way down to the doe and to my surprise another doe got up only 30 feet away from me (the second of my first two does) I didn't think my eyes got it wrong earlier.
So there we are, two and a bit hours after spotting them I grassed a lovely Roe doe in great condition.
Cheers all
Ps next on the write up will be my first (fingers crossed) Chines Water Deer!!
I haven't posted for ages so I thought I would share yesterdays stalk.
I have recently picked up 2000 acres of permission on a farm to stalk whatever's in season.
Happy days, the farm is teeming with Roe and Muntjac but also holds a small head of Chinese Water deer and a few Reds make brief appearance occasionally.
To set the scene the farm is slap bang in the middle of The Fens (it's as flat as a pancake with black peaty soil. The wind was howling from the west cutting my safe shots down significantly.
I headed out mid afternoon to have a look around and hopefully pick up a Roe doe as they are in season. Saw a dozen or so on the drive in but all well out in the middle of fields and well out of possibility (too far with the wind for me and no safe back stop) so I moved on.
I started with a stealthy walk through a small wood, only saw on Munty doe who was left as I wasn't looking for her.
I then moved on to another spot with two little woods close to each other, nothing doing there but I noted two Does grazing out in the edge of a field 300 odd yards away (still not in a safe shot area but if they moved 100 to the left and got a bit closer I was in business.
To cut a long story shorter after a 30 minute wait) they did what they do and moved further away.
Change of plan, I took a mile hike and snuck up behind them making use of a small reservoir (used for farm irrigation) to get a bit of height and cover)
Literally as I got there the two does had miraculously turned into a doe and a buck
and both had settled down in some cover crop (used for the pheasant shoot) for a rest. My options were now limited to a long wait, try to gently spook them or head shoot the doe (which I don't like doing and in the wind it was risky)
After numerous belly crawls and relocations I settled down too for a long wait!
After what seemed like ages I started to whistle to hopefully get them to stand up but… nope they weren't moving. Low and behold a nice Muntjac buck appeared and sorely tempted me!! But no I was here for a Roe!! (Would it be a mistake?)
Fortunately 15-20 minutes later a fellow hunter turned up for a late afternoons roost shoot on the Wood Pigeon and even though he was 3/400 yards away it got their attention. Up they stood and pop, down she fell. 100 grains of from my .243 did the job.
The buck legged it as I made my way down to the doe and to my surprise another doe got up only 30 feet away from me (the second of my first two does) I didn't think my eyes got it wrong earlier.
So there we are, two and a bit hours after spotting them I grassed a lovely Roe doe in great condition.
Cheers all
Ps next on the write up will be my first (fingers crossed) Chines Water Deer!!
