Stalking - first day out and on a new let

clivej

Well I'm back off the hols and I was only itching to get out on my new let to go stalking. I was in Kerry last year but the drive there at 2-2 1/2 hours was too much. So I'm happy to have got this new let nearer to home. I had been down looking and mapping out the area and each time saw a couple of Fallow. Yesterday I happened across 2 Bucks and a Doe.

So today I bought the Sako 308 loaded with 155gr with me and arrived a bit after dawn @7am ish. I had arranged to meet a good friend there as well, so after a quick (long) chat we sorted out where each would be shooting we set off to our places.

Things started off well with 2 Does jumping out in front of the car as I slowly drove along the forest tracks. One of them walking up towards the car before hopping off into the woods.

Before I got to my designated spot, I spoted 6 Fallow away down from me eating at a turn on a stoney track. Ranged at 550yards it was time to stalk down through the heather, which was above knee height, and small evergreen trees to get a better position for a shot. Half hour it took me to get down to where I was 200 yards away but the heard had now moved along and were heading up the slope towards the trees. I decided to head back up the hill to where I though they would cross the track above them, where I has started off from.

To say I thought I was unfit was to put it mildly. As I got near the top at the road my heart and lungs were shreaming out for me to stop. It was like trying to walk in deep snow through the heather. So I had to stop and sit on a log untill after 10 minutes I could go on.

At the top on the track again I slowly made my way towards where I thought the heard would come. But to my horror as I glassed the view below me I saw 2 of the deer starting to run off, I had been rumbled. But quickly I had the bi-pod deployed and got to a prone posision. The other deer stopped for that last look back and @235 yards I took my aim and pulled the trigger.

My first Fallow dropped on the spot and didn't get up. I had been out yesterday to make sure my zero was on target and my aim was true which it was.

It had taken me well over an hour from when I had first seen the heard to taking the shot. As luck would have it the Buck was near to a track and I could drive nearer to collect it and make the gralloch. So an easy drag for this 'ald lad.

greenpeter

nice reading and well done:)

Double Barrel

"My first Fallow dropped on the spot and didn't get up. I had been out yesterday to make sure my zero was on target and my aim was true which it was."

Good man. My compliments on a nice first Fallow and clean shot.

It wasn't me!

Big body on him clive. What did he weigh in at? About two and a half hernias? Nice tale there. Looks like another good bit of ground you've found yourself.

jwshooter

a good excuse to have some local ale well done ,i remember the first deer i shot in that wood like it was yesterday .

dwighet

Well done old mate....
Nice beast..
Now im getting angsty..
My ankle is on the mend and the rifle is shooting true..

Will catch up over the week end for a stalk..;)

clivej

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Big body on him clive. What did he weigh in at? About two and a half hernias? Nice tale there. Looks like another good bit of ground you've found yourself.

On the scales bang on at 70lb. The new let is looking very good.

jwshooter wrote: »

a good excuse to have some local ale well done ,i remember the first deer i shot in that wood like it was yesterday.

JW it must be time for a revisit.

dwighet wrote: »

Well done old mate....
Nice beast..
Now im getting angsty..
My ankle is on the mend and the rifle is shooting true..

Will catch up over the week end for a stalk..;)

Looking good for Saturday. I'll carry you I need the exercise :eek:

jwshooter

clivej wrote: »

On the scales bang on at 70lb. The new let is looking very good.



JW it must be time for a revisit.



Looking good for Saturday. I'll carry you I need the exercise :eek:

it a lovely place to walk/stalk clive ,im glad your enjoying it .

dwighet

clivej wrote: »

On the scales bang on at 70lb. The new let is looking very good.



JW it must be time for a revisit.



Looking good for Saturday. I'll carry you I need the exercise :eek:

I`ll bring a battery and some jumper leads just in case you need a kick start:D

Tackleberrywho

Was that the second deer with the .308?
Did you not get one in 2009, I remember looking at pics.

How do you find the 155grain for expansion?
I've 125grainer's to test on a deer yet.

I've Bambi in the chiller, I need to Butcher tomorrow.

Hope you had a good Holiday!

edit, it was your first fallow**
Sika last year!

poulo6.5

Good shooting there Clive. I'm sure it will taste as good as it looks

clivej

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

How do you find the 155grain for expansion?
I've 125grainer's to test on a deer yet.

Hope you had a good Holiday!

edit, it was your first fallow**
Sika last year!

Very little expansion on this shot. The round missed a rib going in but hit one on the way out. Exit wound was a little over 2 euro in size. I'll look closer when I butcher next week.

Tackleberrywho

clivej wrote: »

Very little expansion on this shot. The round missed a rib going in but hit one on the way out. Exit wound was a little over 2 euro in size. I'll look closer when I butcher next week.

I had same thing with a soft nose last week.
I way prefer Ballistic tipped rounds as a result.

These new HPS "I hope" will do the business on fallow "bucks"

poulo6.5

clivej wrote: »

Very little expansion on this shot. The round missed a rib going in but hit one on the way out. Exit wound was a little over 2 euro in size. I'll look closer when I butcher next week.

I shot a sika on Sunday with the 155gr hornady tap BT. And I had a similar result to you Clive. But the animal never even moved after the shot so good result. When I skinned him I found a small entry and on exit all the opposite shoulder was in bits. So I think the expansion was good

Tackleberrywho

poulo6.5 wrote: »

I shot a sika on Sunday with the 155gr hornady tap BT. And I had a similar result to you Clive. But the animal never even moved after the shot so good result. When I skinned him I found a small entry and on exit all the opposite shoulder was in bits. So I think the expansion was good

The Hornady TAP are a great round. 9/10 deer prefer them to anything else!

kildare.17hmr

How old would a deer like him be? Nice shootin btw:D

Tackleberrywho

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

How old would a deer like him be? Nice shootin btw:D

At a guess i'd say around 4 year old.

Antler size is a good indication, however I shot a huge "buck" once that had only stumpy broad antlers, i reckon he was around 10 year old, but the antlers were well broken from fighting

clivej

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

How old would a deer like him be? Nice shootin btw:D

I was told by a man that knows that this animal would be 3-4years old. I cut the antlers off to mount on a shield sometime.

Roll on Saturday for the next outting.

poulo6.5

clivej wrote: »

I was told by a man that knows that this animal would be 3-4years old. I cut the antlers off to mount on a shield sometime.

Roll on Saturday for the next outting.

That animal was no more than 3. You can check it's teeth to be sure. Buti'd be quiet sure 3.

jwshooter

poulo6.5 wrote: »

That animal was no more than 3. You can check it's teeth to be sure. Buti'd be quiet sure 3.

i would not say that . fawn, pricket , to that . possibly ,knowing the deer in the area well .i would say 4 years old . fallow mature slowly ,in that area to see a good palmated buck is rare ,saying that i seen 4 big mature bucks in it last feb .

PS, age estimation by teeth is also hard . you can guesstimate the age young ,young/mature ,mature .old .Only by bringing a tooth to a lab can a accurate age be given . age is shown like rings on a tree with in the tooth .

what the animal is eating has a big factor on teeth wear , fallow on grass will have a lot less wear that the same animal on the hill .where i stalk there was a tagging program ran , the oldest recorded animal was 16 when she died ,not far from where she was tagged as a calf .

its a very interesting subject aging and grading deer to the culled , its something as stalkers in ireland were no good at ,hence poor quality animals .

Tackleberrywho

jwshooter wrote: »

i would not say that . fawn, pricket , to that . possibly ,knowing the deer in the area well .i would say 4 years old . fallow mature slowly ,in that area to see a good palmated buck is rare ,saying that i seen 4 big mature bucks in it last feb .

PS, age estimation by teeth is also hard . you can guesstimate the age young ,young/mature ,mature .old .Only by bringing a tooth to a lab can a accurate age be given . age is shown like rings on a tree with in the tooth .

what the animal is eating has a big factor on teeth wear , fallow on grass will have a lot less wear that the same animal on the hill .where i stalk there was a tagging program ran , the oldest recorded animal was 16 when she died ,not far from where she was tagged as a calf .

its a very interesting subject aging and grading deer to the culled , its something as stalkers in ireland were no good at ,hence poor quality animals .

+1 I have a small herd on my road I have been watching all my life. I only shoot 1 of them a year. They never get huge antlers and i have been leaving the same few bucks for the past few years now, however 5 miles away a different herd always grow bigger antlers but have less meat killed out.

I don't know is antler growth due to the amount of male competition in the area or not.
Or is it truly natural selection and diet related. One herd on Tillage and the other on marsh and bog

tfox

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

+1 I have a small herd on my road I have been watching all my life. I only shoot 1 of them a year. They never get huge antlers and i have been leaving the same few bucks for the past few years now, however 5 miles away a different herd always grow bigger antlers but have less meat killed out.

I don't know is antler growth due to the amount of male competition in the area or not.
Or is it truly natural selection and diet related. One herd on Tillage and the other on marsh and bog

As far as I know it's all down to do with the mineral content of the food that the deer is eaten :rolleyes:

Tackleberrywho

tfox wrote: »

As far as I know it's all down to do with the mineral content of the food that the deer is eaten :rolleyes:

Well I know the soil contains Lime in one area and iron in the other, and barley Vs Rushes