Opening Day

It wasn't me!

Well lads, morning was a blank for me, just in. Got hot and bright where I was, so I don't think much is going to stir until evening. I'll be back out for another session later. I could hear someone getting lucky over the way and there was some whistling from a neighbouring wood, but no dice on the moor I was on. Anyone else in yet with any better news? I figure this thread can do for stories and photos for the day. Ducks and deer, all welcome.

homerhop

Heavy fog down my way this morning, havent been talking to any of the lads that were out yet to see how they got on.
One of the lads I go to work with who wouldnt be into the shooting at all,was telling me a lad called up to his farm last night to see if he would let him up the hill to lamp the deer. He refused to let him shoot his property either way but I let him know what had been asked was illegal. Some lads have a pretty hard neck.

buckshotbrolan

Dam fog to! Had a nice stag in my sights, he was in a stubble field with a doe grazing near the ditch. The angle I was on with him and the fog I could not see a back stop so just watched the two untill they left! Happy days and hope to meet him again.

buck hunter

went out at 5.30 this morning tried a few spots for duck. good lot of action around, lots of duck in the air. shot one duck after sunrise and one later on up off a pond. dog worked very well. good day so far might try for a deer later on.

kildare.17hmr

buck hunter wrote: »

went out at 5.30 this morning tried a few spots for duck. good lot of action around, lots of duck in the air. shot one duck after sunrise and one later on up off a pond. dog worked very well. good day so far might try for a deer later on.

the dog looks happy out anyway!

patsat

Arrived to my first permission this morning at bang on 6 at first light, dropped a pricket with a neck shot at 100 yards! First deer for the season and first deer for my .270.

Spotted another herd of young bucks/ prickets from a distance and stalked them into 308 yards, both my da and friend took one each from that distance with their .243's. I could have taken the third but passed up the opportunity.

After a rest nd a bit to eat out we went again and spotted a young buck, got to 312 yards and I hit him into the shoulder. The land we were on wouldn't leave us get any closer for a shot.

What a great first day!!

Tackleberrywho

patsat wrote: »

Arrived to my first permission this morning at bang on 6 at first light, dropped a pricket with a neck shot at 100 yards! First deer for the season and first deer for my .270.

Spotted another herd of young bucks/ prickets from a distance and stalked them into 308 yards, both my da and friend took one each from that distance with their .243's. I could have taken the third but passed up the opportunity.

After a rest nd a bit to eat out we went again and spotted a young buck, got to 312 yards and I hit him into the shoulder. The land we were on wouldn't leave us get any closer for a shot.

What a great first day!!

Any pics?

It wasn't me!

patsat wrote: »

Arrived to my first permission this morning at bang on 6 at first light, dropped a pricket with a neck shot at 100 yards! First deer for the season and first deer for my .270.

Spotted another herd of young bucks/ prickets from a distance and stalked them into 308 yards, both my da and friend took one each from that distance with their .243's. I could have taken the third but passed up the opportunity.

After a rest nd a bit to eat out we went again and spotted a young buck, got to 312 yards and I hit him into the shoulder. The land we were on wouldn't leave us get any closer for a shot.

What a great first day!!

Busy morning. Hopefully this evening will be more productive for me. Might try the same spot or somewhere else. Was talking to the farmer and he reckons the deer tend to be there in much bigger numbers from mid-October. Lovely bit of ground though, will enjoy stalking on it.

tiny-nioclas

I'm still disgusted, the grounds were a blanket of fog till around nine this morning :mad: hopefully il have better luck on some grounds closer to home in the evening!

foxer 204

3 duck and 2 teal , in an hour , my father and brother got a duck each ,i got 1 duck and the two teal , had my plummer terrier with me this morning his first morning out, he brought back a duck and teal from the river , lab brought back the rest
good morning:D:D:D

Tackleberrywho

tiny-nioclas wrote: »

I'm still disgusted, the grounds were a blanket of fog till around nine this morning :mad: hopefully il have better luck on some grounds closer to home in the evening!

Fog is a killer

I'm going to try a few spots around home @ dusk, I only got into bed at 8am from the day before

Sept is a hard month for deer to be got as food is so plentiful, come October/november much easier guess where they will be and when

Fetch There

Had a nice morning on Lough Derg.We shot 9 mallard and one goose between 3 of us.Judging by the amount of shots we heard id say everyone got shooting.

tfox

Blank morning for me I'm afraid. Tried couple of spots but they are along the Boyne and the duck shooters hade them well disturbed so no deer to be seen. Spotted souple of hinds on another piece but no stags :mad:

I'm afraid had go off to bale hay after lunch so that was the end of my day's hunting, might go for quick walk b4 work tomorrow

Cass

Horrible morning. Pure collaboration of calamities.

Up and gone by 5am. Had the "'ould fella" and a mate. Got to our first spot. Out of the jeep and getting setup. Mates phone rings. His wife is at home and cannot get the car started and no family members answering their phones. They have a new baby so he could not leave her without transport for obvious reasons.

Back into jeep and back home. Spent 2 hours fixing car. Back into jeep and back down. Different spot. Within 10 minutes 4 deer. ALL does. Thought it was a good sign of things to come so stayed. After 1 hour another 3 does. No sign of anything else. Moved on.

Day was well in now so knew anything seen would be a blessing. No luck though. Went for lunch. Back on mission by 14:30. Spent the next few hours walking the usual haunts. Met 2 other mates. Told me they bagged 2 this morning but have met nothing but other shooters since. Place would seem to have been well shot.

Moral of the story, go early, turn off phones. So going to give tomorrow a miss let the others get it out of their systems. Then go for a quick scout Friday. Hoping for some better results.

Hope you all had a better day.

ianoo

blanked today ,was on the permission at first light and straight away met a doe and calf ,spent the next 5 hrs walking the ground meeting only does ,never saw a male of the species,
ah well maybe tomorrow :rolleyes:

ian

It wasn't me!

Out on a different bit of ground this evening. Saw half a dozen hinds, but no stags. Mates shot a fox fairly close by so wasn't going to be much doing after that. Still, had a lovely day for it, nice morning and evening. Probably go back to where I was this morning tomorrow evening and sit in for a few hours. I reckon that could be productive.

dwighet

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Out on a different bit of ground this evening. Saw half a dozen hinds, but no stags. Mates shot a fox fairly close by so wasn't going to be much doing after that. Still, had a lovely day for it, nice morning and evening. Probably go back to where I was this morning tomorrow evening and sit in for a few hours. I reckon that could be productive.

It will happen mate...No rush..
Be like Fonzie..."COOL"

underthetumb

was out early, checked out permission and spotted 4 does, waited around for an hour or so till they moved on, nothing else stirring. walked the rest of permission and was bout to call a halt to the mornings stalk, when i convinced myself to climb a steep hill that looks into some nice fields off the edge of the hill, elighted i did as 7 nice bucks lying up sunning themselves, took one, could of took another but fitness isnt up to it yet, nice drag back to jeep, where i nearly passed out. great mornin, never seen that many bucks in this area before.

Vegeta

Mixed day

Got 3 duck and a goose. Stopped shooting after the goose as I had enough in the bag but stayed out with the group for another 2 hours.

Disgusted that the goose dropped into thick reed, with the ability to swim and we couldn't recover it. Really ruined my morning.

Absolute ton of duck about compared to other years.

It wasn't me!

dwighet wrote: »

It will happen mate...No rush..
Be like Fonzie..."COOL"

Oh aye, it's about getting out and about and having a walk about anyway. I'm just going to try put away a pricket for September and then I'll leave off until probably the second week of October once things settle down a bit here.

GixxerThou

Blanked this morning, shot a nice sika prickett in Laragh this evening tho and a deadly smack at a fox at 375 yards.. new rifle christened:)

declan1980

got setup at 5 this morning, started walking the river at 6, saw 6 duck getting up 60 yards away, kept walking for 5 miles, no duck, tried a pond, no duck, went back to first spot, walked 20 yards, shot one duck, won heaviest duck competition, 1.527kg

Double Barrel

Up early, made breakfast and was off.
Saw a few, shot a few and the dogs got wet. Good day had by all, what more can one hope for.

Birdnuts

Serious amount of deer in the Blessington area ATM:)

Tackleberrywho

I went for a stroll this evening, 45 minutes in we spy'ed 12 deer. to far away to tell male female, so I stalked as close as I could 250yards, on the cusp of darkness.

I eyeballed the herd picking my prize, out of the 12 only one with small antlers, the rest were does and fawns.

Just in now, Skinned, and in the fridge.
Time for a beer me thinks!



A big thanks for wallysworld for helping me drag him the length of a 300 acre farm.
He'll be brought again!

ferrete

went out this evening and got 9mallard and 3candian

It wasn't me!

Birdnuts wrote: »

Serious amount of deer in the Blessington area ATM:)

Not on my side of it there feckin' weren't!

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Not on my side of it there feckin' weren't!

Well I had 12 deer in a field in front of me.

Had the light been better I may have got more than 1, I could not say for certain had they any antler on them

Venison for Dinner Sunday

Great start to the season!

tiny-nioclas

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I went for a stroll this evening, 45 minutes in we spy'ed 12 deer. to far away to tell male female, so I stalked as close as I could 250yards, on the cusp of darkness.

I eyeballed the herd picking my prize, out of the 12 only one with small antlers, the rest were does and fawns.

Just in now, Skinned, and in the fridge.
Time for a beer me thinks!


A big thanks for wallysworld for helping me drag him the length of a 300 acre farm.
He'll be brought again!

Gowan TackleBerry Fine for some! i only saw two does in the evening, it was great to be out and about all the same and putting the instincts into use after a few months of supressing them lol

elius

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Just in now, Skinned, and in the fridge.
Time for a beer me thinks!

Do you not have to leave them hang tac?

Tackleberrywho

tiny-nioclas wrote: »

Gowan TackleBerry Fine for some! i only saw two does in the evening, it was great to be out and about all the same and putting the instincts into use after a few months of supressing them lol

I'd never brought wallysworld out stalking before, T'was great to show him how to stalk, what tracks look like, how to read the signs.
How to tiger crawl across a woodland bottoms.
And how to bag a fine piece of steak.
Had I been using a low mag scope the teenie antlers would not have been visible to a bat like me.

Wallysworld assumed they were all female, i told him " This is where a NF scope pays for itself "

It wasn't me!

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Well I had 12 deer in a field in front of me.

Had the light been better I may have got more than 1, I could not say for certain had they any antler on them

Venison for Dinner Sunday

Great start to the season!

There were several small groups of hybrids on the mountain opposite where I was this evening, including one stag the size of a large cart horse. Absolute monster. Couldn't see the head as he was feeding away from me (And it was a good twelve or thirteen hundred yards away) but the body was massive. Unfortunately the ground is not shootable, though the woods around it are let.

Tackleberrywho

elius wrote: »

Do you not have to leave them hang tac?

It's hanging in the Fridge (finches Orange cooler) my dad gave it to me a few years back for my birthday.

He paid €10 for it!
Worth every penny

i'll leave him in the chiller until I'm ready to butcher

elius

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

It's hanging in the Fridge (finches Orange cooler) my dad gave it to me a few years back for my birthday.

He paid €10 for it!
Worth every penny

i'll leave him in the chiller until I'm ready to butcher

Sorry my bad i though ya had him butchered already lol...

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

There were several small groups of hybrids on the mountain opposite where I was this evening, including one stag the size of a large cart horse. Absolute monster. Couldn't see the head as he was feeding away from me (And it was a good twelve or thirteen hundred yards away) but the body was massive. Unfortunately the ground is not shootable, though the woods around it are let.

The Glory of the midlands! I was asked to shoot them as they were "A-tin Barley "

Why fellas would pay to shoot deer is beyond me:cool:

It wasn't me!

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

The Glory of the midlands! I was asked to shoot them as they were "A-tin Barley "

Why fellas would pay to shoot deer is beyond me:cool:

Because if you know what you're doing you can get some spectacular shooting that way. Same reason you'd have to pay if you wanted to shoot wild boar abroad or plains game in Africa. It offers a different experience.

WallysWorld

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I went for a stroll this evening, 45 minutes in we spy'ed 12 deer. to far away to tell male female, so I stalked as close as I could 250yards, on the cusp of darkness.

I eyeballed the herd picking my prize, out of the 12 only one with small antlers, the rest were does and fawns.

Just in now, Skinned, and in the fridge.
Time for a beer me thinks!



A big thanks for wallysworld for helping me drag him the length of a 300 acre farm.
He'll be brought again!

No bother I enjoyed it! Although I now have a complete understanding of the term "dead weight"! You def could have taken more than one if the males had been there to take, they hadn't a clue where we were after the shot, the moderator really did its job. Anyway I'll be accepting payment of venison for the freezer and I could prob inhale a pint if you bought me one some night! ahem just sayin!!

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Because if you know what you're doing you can get some spectacular shooting that way. Same reason you'd have to pay if you wanted to shoot wild boar abroad or plains game in Africa. It offers a different experience.

I was referring to lettings on coillte.
I've only shot deer in 4 different counties, but all for free.

Todays deer cost me nothing except a .308 round.
Same farmer has barley which i shoot pidgies on. That deer today was munching on barley all summer long, it's just as hard stalk on famrland/forestry as on Govt forestry.
were it not for i having help today, i would have had the world of hardship. Midlands offers, bog,marsh, tillage, pasture,hills and flat land all in the one area.

I saw a pine Martyn turn in the same wood where i shot the deer on the edge of.

It wasn't me!

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I was referring to lettings on coillte.
I've only shot deer in 4 different counties, but all for free.

Todays deer cost me nothing except a .308 round.
Same farmer has barley which i shoot pidgies on. That deer today was munching on barley all summer long, it's just as hard stalk on famrland/forestry as on Govt forestry.
were it not for i having help today, i would have had the world of hardship. Midlands offers, bog,marsh, tillage, pasture,hills and flat land all in the one area.

I saw a pine Martyn turn in the same wood where i shot the deer on the edge of.

Again, properly managed (and protected from poaching) exclusive lets allow you to control and manage the deer to your satisfaction, resulting in a better overall stamp of deer if you're going about it the right way. If you're interested in good heads, it's realistically the only way to go about it without pressure from farmers, who'll likely let other lads in who for the most part will joyfully undo any good work you start. Anyway, it's not a subject for this thread.

Tackleberrywho

WallysWorld wrote: »

No bother I enjoyed it! Although I now have a complete understanding of the term "dead weight"! You def could have taken more than one if the males had been there to take, they hadn't a clue where we were after the shot, the moderator really did its job. Anyway I'll be accepting payment of venison for the freezer and I could prob inhale a pint if you bought me one some night! ahem just sayin!!

You deffo earned a pint this eve!

How needs the gym when you can drag a deer across hill and dale.


yep, the moderator on the .308 really came into it's own, deer never moved until I tried to take a pic of the herd.
Cream crackered now myself.
It's still early enough in the year to have a barbie! and tp sample the wine I made :D

Venison and homemade wine, a powerful combination

Tackleberrywho

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Again, properly managed (and protected from poaching) exclusive lets allow you to control and manage the deer to your satisfaction, resulting in a better overall stamp of deer if you're going about it the right way. If you're interested in good heads, it's realistically the only way to go about it without pressure from farmers, who'll likely let other lads in who for the most part will joyfully undo any good work you start. Anyway, it's not a subject for this thread.

nope, I'm a happy camper this eve, got into bed 8am, out of bed 11:30 am, brought in a few bales of hay. around 20:30 went for a walk and at 21:15 had bagged a nice young stag.

The bigger stags are else where, I have been monitoring their movements all summer.


I plan on eating this pricket, my freezer is empty.
I've only shot the odd big head. I take the biggest head every 3 years or so from the herd near me.

The biggest fallow I ever shot had very small antlers from fighting.
The biggest head was from his replacement

WallysWorld

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

You deffo earned a pint this eve!

How needs the gym when you can drag a deer across hill and dale.


yep, the moderator on the .308 really came into it's own, deer never moved until I tried to take a pic of the herd.
Cream crackered now myself.
It's still early enough in the year to have a barbie! and tp sample the wine I made :D

Venison and homemade wine, a powerful combination

I was sorry I didn't bring my camera with me when they were standing for that minute before they broke back into cover, just as the last of the light went. It was an opportunity for some pretty decent pictures with anything other than a phone camera!

Tackleberrywho

WallysWorld wrote: »

I was sorry I didn't bring my camera with me when they were standing for that minute before they broke back into cover, just as the last of the light went. It was an opportunity for some pretty decent pictures with anything other than a phone camera!

Ah sure i know, I had the camera out today and forgot to out it back into the wagon.
TBH, You would need a fairly decent camera to take a pic of deer at medium distance when light was fading fast

Birdnuts

Stop - all this talk of venison, wild duck etc. has me drooling. Its a pity the Irish are so conservative and unimaginative when it comes to meat(and food in general!!). The seem to prefer bland muck wrapped in plastic out of Tesco etc. to the wonderfull, healthy, bounty of nature all around them:rolleyes:. Maybe after the next budget they'll appreciate it more;)

DavyDee

Went up grouse shooting about 8am yesterday morning to a spot a farmer had told us he seen a dozen grouse last October, since then someone had burned said location but we worked our way down through it anyway. Brought the 2 pointers even though the young bitch has done very little of anything and to be honest I hadnt much faith in her as she has very little experience on birds just yet. About 3 hours into the hike we were watching the older bitch out in front of us when we heard the flutter of wings and the cackle of a fine cock grouse accompanied by 2 hens and there was the young bitch out to the right pointing rock solid where the 3 grouse got up beside afew bags of turf! Although we never even got shots off at them it was well worth seeing both afew grouse and her get her first point on grouse which gave me the first glimmer of hope from all the training I have done with her. We had to head back down the mountain about 12noon and head for the car, we done afew boggy patches we often do for snipe and got 2, the heat was sweltering and neither ourselves nor the dogs were in the shape we would like to be in. Headed to afew nearby ponds for a blast at afew mallard, got 5 between the 2 of us! All in all a good day and theres 3 grouse I know of that will live for another year, no doubt with all the bad press it will certainly be the last year anyone will be shooting grouse in Ireland!

Tackleberrywho

patsat wrote: »

Yes u skin them first then hang them in a fridge. The blue fly would destroy them if left out. Once they are hanging for a certain time they can then be cut up and frozen.

Where are all these Deer you got Pat?

iwsf

saw a hind but no stag.
it was nice to be out at first light in the woods.
Found myself a hide overlooking a few acres of newly planted trees , almost fell asleep

daithi55

first day went well for me didn get out that morning due to work
went in the evening an got this lad was wrecked by the time i carried him back to the car but well worth it

patsat

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Where are all these Deer you got Pat?

Never got pics! Best I can do is show my two and my fathers one hanging in the butchers!!
But he took the camera to work today to rub it in the nose of a fella who couldn't get off yesterday!

Was out again this morning at first light in the same area, spotted two prickets, doe and fawn across the valley grazing. they were heading across the valley to forestry so we just stayed and watched. Then another groups of does arrived on nearby grazing. We just sat and watched them for a while but that was all we seen today!

Heading out for the reds in the morning!

Cass

daithi55 wrote: »

..........went in the evening an got this lad ........

Nice one.

Tackleberrywho

daithi55 wrote: »

first day went well for me didn get out that morning due to work
went in the evening an got this lad was wrecked by the time i carried him back to the car but well worth it

A nice young fallow stag Daithí.
I'm guessing ~4 year old.

I was in bits today after Stalking/hauling/skinning & cleaning out last night.
It's lovely weather for getting deer.
the sun is a great man to get them lying up during the day in cover and moving in the evening in my experience.

Although it's always great to get the first of the season started well.
Last time I got one on the 1st I got 8 that season
No beef bought in weeks