22 replies to this topic

[gixer1]

Went out for a stalk yesterday to see of there was a buck around, stalked in to a good vantage point overlooking a few fields an a wood and saw a buck laid up In the long grass, this was just before 8pm so I crept down the field to a wall dividing the field I stalked through from the field the buck was laid up in , I peeked over the wall but the buck was laying in the long grass on the horizon so no shot from that point....

At that I heard a roe bark and a doe came trotting up the field with another buck following her, I waited to see where they would end up and they walked straight towards me and ended up no more than 15ft away on the other side of the wall - I decided to stalk up the line of the wall uphill to put some distance between me and give me and them and to give me a shooting point down into the field and instead of having to wait for them to move to a safer point but when I had moved up the wall i looked over to see the doe running around with the buck giving chase, this put them over a crest at the other end of the field and did not present a safe shot or the opportunity to stalk in due to the first buck still laid up in the field on the horizon.

I then looked to my left and noticed a buck in the field just out from the wood at the other side of a dip and decided to stalk down the field to get a little closer, I closed in to about 130 yards and found a spot near a single tree in the field where the grass was low and I could get a shot off a short bipod I had made.

I waited for the buck to give me a side view and when he was nearly all the way round I put the crosshair on him and pulled the trigger.

The thud of the round hitting him sounded good and I saw him head for the wall and hit it falling in the long grass.

Now at this point the rifle fell off the home made bipod as I tried to cycle the bolt and chamber another round, I picked the rifle up and wiped the droplets of water from the scope glass and stood up to slowly walk to the buck.

On arriving at the wall after a slow 5 minute walk I discovered my first problem - no buck.. I could see a clear mark where the moss had been peeled off the wall an there were 3 trails through the bracken so I climed over the wall and followed one of the trails expecting to find him collapsed just over the wall...no joy,

I walked all the trails I could find and through the bracken with no joy and it was now getting dark, I had a look in the field around where he had dropped but could not see any blood trail or tracks in the fading light.

My heart sank as I knew I had to start the walk back to the car, all the way back I was swearing and moaning at myself, was the shot in the right place? Was the rifle out? ...all the usual things!

I had a bad nights sleep thinking about some poor buck with a wound lying dying slowly...not fun!

I woke early and decided to have a drive over and look in the bracken in the wood in the light, I walked about for 15-20 minutes following all the "trails" I thought I could see but no luck, I had to head to work...where it bothered me all bloody day...

After work I decided to head home and get the quad on the trailer and head over for one last look..

I went over and and drive down the other side of the fields to gain access to the wood on the bracken side and drove through stopping to walk the area now and again...

The view in the bracken -


And again -


I then went back and looked at the mark on the wall -


Definatly fresh when compared to the rest of the wall-


I then decided to have a last look in the fields long grass by driving up and down...

And about 45 yard out , low an behold!! -


Not great as a few critters had been at him and the carcass was now ruined..

Another view - you can see the mark in the moss on the wall just to the right of the trees behind the quad, can't believe I didn't see him but I guess the direction he headed initially and the long grass disguised him -




A view back towards the firing position - The middle tree infront of the big group of trees in the background at the right of the pic - out of the 3 trees on thier own in the field above -



Finally the head on the poor fella -



It's been a bad 20 odd hours of feeling bad about it but I've learned a few things out of it. -

Never take your eyes off a deer until you are sure it is down and not moving.

Never assume it will keep going in one direction, even when heart/lung shot...

Get a dog trained for finding deer!!!

Shame the carcass had to be disposed of but I'm glad I found him and it's plain he didn't suffer at all.

Live and learn!

Regards,
Gixer

Edited by gixer1, 22 August 2012 - 10:36 PM.

[al4x]

It's a ****ter when it happens I always struggle with finding foxes shot on stubble in the lamp. Tonight was a prime example two that would have been easy in daylight were pigs in the dark, fortunately I just throw the hound out now and she does the hard work. You just can't beat a decent dog haven't you got anyone local with one ?

[gixer1]

It's a ****ter when it happens I always struggle with finding foxes shot on stubble in the lamp. Tonight was a prime example two that would have been easy in daylight were pigs in the dark, fortunately I just throw the hound out now and she does the hard work. You just can't beat a decent dog haven't you got anyone local with one ?

I have two labs that would probably find a deer and hang around it long enough to give me an idea, but to be honest in this case if the dogs had come out of the wood I'd have stopped them and put them back in...I was that sure the deer had gone that way...

I think I just saw what I wanted to see and put two and two together to make 15..

Regards,
Gixer

[sako751sg]

Nice wee write up fella. It happens to all stalkers at some time and the heavy cover doesn't help in finding. At least you have peace of mind noo that the shot was good and the beast pegged it withoot suffering.

[camokid]

good honest wright up fair play its always a ****** to hear a story like this but at the end of the day its part of shooting not everything falls on the spot and on occasions you will not find the animal or pull of a bad shot but we are human and not perfect it happens to all of us you just got to carry on with the attitude "one of them" nothing you can do its done .

[gixer1]

There's actually a small stream between the two fields that runs through the wood and I even started to convince my self it had run into the wood, fallen in the stream and I was thinking "do roe deer float"

Edited by gixer1, 23 August 2012 - 06:36 AM.

[olly321]

good write up mate

[wildfowler.250]

Hard luck. Haven't shot enough to loose one yet but I missed one clean once. Had to do plenty searching and then decided on a miss. Only got piece of mind when I saw him out a few days later....wasnt so good for the buck though

Sometimes these things happen. At least it wouldn't have lasted long

[marlin vs]

Hard luck gixer,these thing's happen and can make you feel sick , fair play to you for sticking at it.

[12borejimbo]

Good for you to write that and give your experience. As Sako said it does happen to all stalkers. If that happended to me I would put my lab in where I knew there was a trail, I am sure (but hope not) I will have an experience like that one day.

[Loki]

Hiya

Great 'briefing' and Well Done for persevering. Clearly demonstrates going back to the scene in the cold light of day and replaying the moment can suggest other possibilities that can be followed up.

Many of us know that 'sick' feeling but it is all part of the learning/experience process.

L

[docholiday]

Its a bad feeling but at least you found it in the end, if you shoot enough its inevitable you will loose one, anybody who tells you different is either telling porgies or doesnt shoot very much.

[gixer1]

Its a bad feeling but at least you found it in the end, if you shoot enough its inevitable you will loose one, anybody who tells you different is either telling porgies or doesnt shoot very much.

you'd have to be very lucky to never lose a deer in your life if you regularly stalk!

[cocker3]

well done buddy for posting and for the follow up of your quarry its one of the worst feelings ever to lose a deer as sako and doc have said it has or will happen to everyone at some point it has happened to me a couple of times and will probably happen again lost one in very heavy cover and lost one in bracken people would not believe how hard it is to spot a deer once it has gone to ground in cover.you can walk over there them mant times before you spot them
and i have as you have shot roe and been sure it was down and dead and taken my off them just to catch them out the corner of my eye getting up and staggering 20 or 30 yards and crumpling in a heep dead . i have started training one of my young cockers to hunt them up and it is going great SO FAR !!!very steady and finds them no probs wouldnt leave the house without him

[halight]

Great write up there mate

[docholiday]

Having a dog is the answer, I wish I could have one but not for a few years yet, lucky to shoot with guys that do, I have stopped wildfowling because of not having a dog and that was a tough decision !!

[henry d]

Good to learn that he didn`t suffer. Almost lost a doe in a stubble field one day as there were 3 of them and I lost sight of the one I shot and thought it ran, but it was in a hollow in the field and I walked past it in the half light, but later found it when the sun got up.
Will have to try to remember to do a 360` search next time I lose sight of one.

[gixer1]

Having a dog is the answer, I wish I could have one but not for a few years yet, lucky to shoot with guys that do, I have stopped wildfowling because of not having a dog and that was a tough decision !!

Just out of interest - for all the guys who use "deer dogs" do they stalk with you? I spent a lot of my time belly crawling through long grass and creeping along walls - due to the type of ground I have (mostly open fields) and my dog would either be 1) trying to ly on top of me when on the ground or 2) rummaging around the wall.

I do have a friend with a black lab that kinda "tip toe's" along beside him when he is out but thats a kind of amusing "by accident" thing - I dont think it was trained to do
that.

Regards,

Gixer

[gixer1]

Good to learn that he didn`t suffer. Almost lost a doe in a stubble field one day as there were 3 of them and I lost sight of the one I shot and thought it ran, but it was in a hollow in the field and I walked past it in the half light, but later found it when the sun got up.
Will have to try to remember to do a 360` search next time I lose sight of one.

It was Henry, a big sigh of relief when I found him so close to the shot point, it always amazes me how Roe deer can "Vanish" - you would think a red coated animal in a green background would stick out like a sore thumb!

I have had a few lost over the years but always found them within 12/18 hours - this one just seemed worse because I had convinced myself it had fallen down dead at the wall....and no blood trail also had me thinking "was the shot ok?"

Regards,

Gixer

[yds]

Breeze my deer dog is now allowed (at 5 and out everyday) her "nose", many times she has wanted to take me away from where I think the deer is.
She eventually gets her way and takes me to them! Often they have run back around behind us. You would never have found them without a dog.

Edited by yds, 24 August 2012 - 09:08 AM.