How do you do it?

hazza

Broke the 'duck' on the letting in Kerry the other evening - a nice little sika hind. That after many fruitless outings.
Used a different method this time and just laid up in a likely looking spot in the forest. Usually I would tip-toe around the woods and see deer that way but more often than not I would bump deer before I got to see them first. Frustrating but a useful way to get around the letting and get to know all the likely spots.
This time I just sat behind an old barricade of pine trunks someone had strapped together for a makeshift blind. Above me two acrobatic red squirrels were squabbling in the pines and from the other side of the forestry block I could hear some machinery clanking away. So the wait began.
After an hour or so I started getting fidgety and had to move a little, my legs were aching and I was getting damp from the rotten tree stump I was sitting on. But I convinced myself to wait it out and give things a chance. Surely the noise of the machinery would push some deer my way and I'd get a shot.
Another hour passed and it was starting to get dark, I'll just give it another 15 minutes, I thought. But no luck. Everything was so still, not a sound, only the slight breeze rustling through the almost naked maples lining the wood edges.
Anyway time to go, I won’t be able to see my way back in a while, its getting dark so get a move on, I thought. On I go quietly, listening peering through the half-light. What’s that! Aw nothing just some leaves blowing. My minds playing tricks, I think to myself, as my senses are in overdrive because of the long wait. But sssh!.... its there again. Definite rustling now, but its not coming from the tree tops. It’s the sound of footfall on the ground just up ahead. Something’s definitely moving my way.
I know there’s a slot up ahead that deer use to cross the forest path. But what to do?.. have to hide as I'm bound to be seen standing out here. I slowly walk back wards in the fading light, eyes front waiting for whatever is going to pop out. There!.... I thought I saw something move, as I push back in under a large pine. I raise the rifle (damn I think, never brought the sticks) and peering through the scope I'm amazed at how much more I can see. Then out they come. 3 Sika hinds step along warily, stopping every few feet to forage on the forest floor. Blast, I can’t shoot, they all overlap each other. By now my arms are aching my, eyes are blinking and my heart is racing. I won’t get a clear shot, I panic a little and think maybe a neck shot on the lead hind. But I quickly decide no, I'm not confident enough and far from steady and time is passing. I'm holding this offhand position too long....just then one of the hinds moves off and presents a safe shot. I have to take it, now or never. The cross hairs move down over the kill zone. Breath evenly why don’t you! Squeeze the trigger, gently now. Steady. Bang!... before I know it, there’s a flash, the hind jerks a little, the others scatter. Damn, I can’t see! Is she down? I reload and raise my rifle again and peer through roughly in the area she had been standing. I see her. She’s down but there’s a leg twitching, then it stops. I approach, the hind is dead. The deer has dropped where she was shot.
But then I see the shot is not a great one, too high. Its hit the lungs but the exit wound has caused much damage to the offside shoulder and the leg is broken.
Anyway it’s dark now and I've got to get to the car and gralloch the beast quickly. So I set off with the deer, half lifting, half dragging. The path is rocky, gouged deep by the recent rains and there’s the odd boggy stream to cross. My arms are tiring but I'm lucky its only 400 yards to the car. From here it’s an hour to the house and I want to get the carcass skinned and refrigerated tonight. I gralloch the deer and put the carcass in the back of the station-wagon. I leave happy but tired. I’ve done it my first sika!

But now for the dilemma, should I stalk through the forest on tip-toe? Silently moving, stopping every few yards to scan all round, look, listen. Binos down, then creep on the next few steps, only to repeat the whole process.
Or should I sit still and hope to catch a deer moving along one of the many highways they use in their daily journey to and from feeding/bedding areas?
What do others find the most successful? My guess is a mixture of both. Its just when is one method better than another?
Is it preferable to hide/sit in the early mornings and the late evenings...and to sneak about during the day?[/FONT]
Someday I’ll know everything – and I’ll have wings and be playing a harp bare-arsed.
Anyway good hunting to all. I’m off to bed.

tiny-nioclas

Well written hazza, well done and enjoy the venison, i do both ways of deer hunting you mentioned, if you know where the deer are moving to and from on your grounds you have it sorted!

jwshooter

just three questions for you hazza , 1 ,the hind you shot was she lactating ,2 ,you answer is most lightly going to be no ,so in the poor light and a rushed shot how did you know there was no calf a foot or near by ,3 ,if she was lactating when are you going back to kill the starving calf .also did you not see a yearling or calf in the group

Trojan911

Well,

I had the luxury of a constructed hide which was about twenty feet off the ground so I just sat there for an hour scanning the grazing area with my binos and just before darkness fell I saw a sika emerging from the forest, approaching from my left approx 124yds away (laser range finder).

The rifle was ready so I raised it up on the ledge & flipped off the safety. I studied his direction of travel and was happy he would be coming in closer to me.

I followed him through the scope until he was approx 50-60 yds away. He stopped to look around and that's when I breathed out slowly and squeezed the trigger. Like yours, he dropped on the spot, but with no further movement. (.308 150gr Fusion).

I reloaded and waited for about thirty seconds, still trained on the subject. Still no movement. I rang my partner, who was stalking about ten minutes from me and he came up. I then cleaned him under the instructions of my experienced partner.

Together we pulled him the 400yds to the SUV using a hook through the lower jaw.

Our usual spot does not have a hide and I will need to invest in some shooting sticks as there is a lot of high shrubs and trees etc. (not appropriate for my bipod).

hazza

Tiny
Thanks for your words of encouragement. Just wanted to share the moment and see how others approached their stalking.

JW
No the hind was not lactating. I appreciate your comment because as a newcomer to stalking I would not like to be responsible for the scenario you describe. Certainly food for thought when hunting in failing light.

Thanks for the comments folks.

thelurcher

Good stuff hazza! Sounds like you did everything right.
Enjoy the meat - you could make burgers out of any damaged meat - I got a fairly decent looking mincer in Lidl last week for €40.

hazza

Trojan911 wrote: »

Well,

I had the luxury of a constructed hide which was about twenty feet off the ground so I just sat there for an hour scanning the grazing area with my binos and just before darkness fell I saw a sika emerging from the forest, approaching from my left approx 124yds away (laser range finder).

The rifle was ready so I raised it up on the ledge & flipped off the safety. I studied his direction of travel and was happy he would be coming in closer to me.

I followed him through the scope until he was approx 50-60 yds away. He stopped to look around and that's when I breathed out slowly and squeezed the trigger. Like yours, he dropped on the spot, but with no further movement. (.308 150gr Fusion).

I reloaded and waited for about thirty seconds, still trained on the subject. Still no movement. I rang my partner, who was stalking about ten minutes from me and he came up. I then cleaned him under the instructions of my experienced partner.

Together we pulled him the 400yds to the SUV using a hook through the lower jaw.

Our usual spot does not have a hide and I will need to invest in some shooting sticks as there is a lot of high shrubs and trees etc. (not appropriate for my bipod).

Well done Trojan and that hide of yours sounds the business.
They're must be some view from up there.
Good you had your buddy with you for the drag as well.
Oh by the way just curious what kind of meat damage did you get with the 308?

Trojan911

hazza wrote: »

Oh by the way just curious what kind of meat damage did you get with the 308?

As it happens, not a lot. Another friend of mine (who is a butcher) & I skinned & butchered him yesterday morning & found a small exit wound so the damaged area (left shoulder) was donated to the farm dogs.

On the whole, I have a very full freezer but will be offloading to friends etc in the near future. Oh, and venison is on the menu tomorrow night. I will let you know how it tastes, it being a 2yr old stag, rutting etc. The buddy was a bit concerned it was a bit to lean.

Cheers...

hazza

Trojan911 wrote: »

As it happens, not a lot. Another friend of mine (who is a butcher) & I skinned & butchered him yesterday morning & found a small exit wound so the damaged area (left shoulder) was donated to the farm dogs.

On the whole, I have a very full freezer but will be offloading to friends etc in the near future. Oh, and venison is on the menu tomorrow night. I will let you know how it tastes, it being a 2yr old stag, rutting etc. The buddy was a bit concerned it was a bit to lean.

Cheers...

Hey Trojan
Dont know how true this is but I heard that sika doesnt need as much hanging as fallow. But if it was a stag in the rutt would you need to hang it a little bit anyway? Hope it goes down well anyway, let us know how you get on and do share the recipe.


PS If your offloading some venison later I would gladly take some off your hands. Could trade you some whiting and a bit of pollack?

Trojan911

hazza wrote: »

PS If your offloading some venison later I would gladly take some off your hands. Could trade you some whiting and a bit of pollack?

Done deal.... PM me your mob

hazza

Trojan911 wrote: »

Done deal.... PM me your mob

PM sent

Hazza