groach1234

Cheers guys it was only the second muntjac i've shot with the little one being the 3rd and i imagine it'll be a long time before i'll shoot a better one than that. George

The weekend just gone was spent in cambridgeshire with a friend from uni. It all came about when he asked me if i fancied a trip down to his farm to have a go at a few muntjac and tie it in with a couple of nights down the pub so i headed down on friday for a couple of nights. I got down in good time and we went for a round of sporting at the local ground then back to his for a bit of food then out stalking. So out we went for a wander with the rifle and had been told roe were off limits as they're not on the ground in big numbers and only appeared not so many years ago but all muntjac were fine which sounded good to me. we walked around to little success and only spotted one muntjac that was on the top of a hill so no back stop but 2 roe bucks ran right by us one within about 5 or 10 yards and the other stopped about 15 yards off not sure what we were but clearly could tell something was there but was happy as he'd chased off the small buck. The plan was to be up at 5 to get out again on a different part of the farm but it didn't got to plan as we spent a bit too long down the pub and we didn't get out the next evening as another friend came up from uni for some more clay shooting and then we went out for a meal instead so saturday was a write off. So having been unsuccessful at getting up on time the previous day we were up a 5 on the dot to be out and had a promising although unsuccessful as we watched 9 muntjac at various points non of which presented a safe shot and one of the bucks was absolutely massive and must have been a medal and a dam good one but he lived to see another day. So out we went again that evening this time with the intention of sitting up and waiting for one to show where we had seen the most muntjac that morning at it seemed it was going to pay off as within a few mins two young bucks both who appeared to have cast there antlers but may still be growing there first set but I'm not sure but at 220 yards we thought we'd wait and see what showed. About 20 mins later two more came out of the wood this time a buck and a do and started to graze towards us slowly and when they were about 130 yards off decided to go back into the wood without stopping to present a shot. We sat and waited some more and after about 40 mins two came out behind us with only an A road for a backstop so a no shot and then an hour past and the sun set and nothing came so my friend nipped around the corner to look around the other side of the wood to see if anything was showing around there but alas nothing so we decided to sit tight where we were for a little bit longer yet and that it was worth another 5 mins where we were before heading back to the car when out popped a young muntjac buck so we waited for more to follow then out came a doe 30 seconds later and then whilst i was getting ready to take a shot on the younger buck then the doe if she hung about out popped the larger mature buck and i was told to take a shot on the older buck first then the second and even third shot on the other deer if the shots presented so when he stopped broadside i sent a shot his way and he dropped on the spot and i quickly reloaded to see the doe dart into the wood and the young buck looking very confused as to what had just happened and as he was making his way slowly to the wood a quick Oi stopped him long enough to send one his way and he did a backflip and ran into the wood but i knew he wasn't getting far so we waited for them to bleed out then set off to find the smaller buck tapping the bigger ones eye on the way to make sure it was dead and found the younger one about 10 yards into the woodcut had cut in a good 15 to 20 yards from the strike mark which was sup rising as the 120 grain norma game head blasitc tip made a bit of a mess to be honest. so we grabbed the bucks and carried back to the truck and it finished a very good weekend. The bigger buck turned out to be a very nice buck and measures a good 11cm on each antler so he is a better buck than the other i shot last summer with glyn at holkham but i was shown a buck his dad had shot a few years ago a and it was a very impressive buck indeed with antlers, although short a lot thicker than my thumb and id guess about an inch thick. I have cleaned up the bigger buck and had him measured and he got a good 59.8 so a mid silver medal and i think i owe the guy a few drinks. George

CHeers mate, i have seen some of last years kids/fawns coming through with very strong heads this year. George

Well after a lot of trying i finally got lucky not he bucks on saturday. it was my 7th or 8th outing at home and having seen plenty of bucks and had one in the cross hairs that twigged me at the last second and a lot of barking i woke up and thought that i was going to succeed that morning. I hoped so anyway to make it worth getting up after 2 and a half hours sleep. So i got all my gear together and set off to the part of the farm that i'd seen a few bucks and one big boy recently and set up to wait and see what showed. This was the best place to start with the wind doing what it was that morning. After a while i could hear a bit of barking however it was coming for the opposite way to the wind so i knew he it wasn't barking at me so i sat tight and watched through the binos. It was him, the big boy i had been after and watched for 20 mins the wrong side of a ditch placing him next door by about 4 yards but he was coming my way and i thought he may be able to make out my shape and was coming for a closer investigation. He got to within around 25 yards and stopped, looked, sniffed and walked back down the bank having not presented a very safe shot for me so i switched around carefully to get an angle that would work if he carried on the way i thought he was. There he and he must has noticed my movement and stopped looking right at me broadside on so i raised the cross hairs and squeezed the trigger and the shot felt like it struck where it should but with his last once of strength he managed to hop the ditch he was by and collapsed instantly with legs twitching. I waited and watched just to make sure he had bled out and whilst doing this watched my first ever wild otter run across 50 yards back from him Anyway 5 mins or so passed and i went down to get him, crossed the ditch alright on the way over but not wanting to gralloch him near to a foot path i put him in the roe sack to take him to the other side of the ditch to gralloch there. This did not go so well because with his ungralloched weight on my back combined with my own although the water was shallow the sand in the bottom of the ditch was not so I sank in, deeper than the top of the welly and just made it to the other side of the ditch without going a over t but with very wet legs. Anyway i gralloched him and got him to the farm shop where the big boy weighed in at 48.5lbs so a heck of a beast and he has a good head as well. He has been cleaned and bleached soaking wet weight was 625g, a few hours post bleach 605g and he spent a night sat atop the aga and dropped down to 559g after 14 hours of intense drying. He hasn't lost a single gram since them in around 16 hours so i think he's stabled off so should make a decent medal. George

Well now for my final instalment of a fine weekend north of the border and what a week it was. Anyway, back to the point, after 2 great days out on the hill I was full of beans when I woke up for my final day on the hill and I was to be with stevie again. So off we set to the larder to get the maxcat and to hit the hill yet again :-D We were there in good time, parked up the landy and set off in the maxcat to spy for some stags. At the start it was a SW wind and with this in mind we headed the opposite way to tuesday. We pulled up and I spied a group of stags on the sky line but moving towards us (my hill eyes were getting to grips with picking out deer ) So we doubled back, parked the maxcat out of sight and set off. Whilst making progress after the stag the wind began to change from SW to a SE. This managed to blow our sent to where the stags where and unfortunately we were winded and they were off. But thats all part of the fun so having now winded most of that side of his beat we made our way back to the maxcat and headed to the other side of the estate. We parked up once more and headed for the hill. We stalked over most of this side of the beat to the march only spotting hinds and the odd stag but only fairly young boys so they were to be left for latter years. We got to the point where we had shot my stag the year before when stevie spied the hill once more and picked up a group of 3 stags on the other end of the hill. These were where we had spotted the stag I shot the so it was the opposite to the year before. It was going to be a 2 or 3 hour walk to the point so we dropped back down into the maxcat as the day was getting on by now to cover at least some of the ground a bit faster but still to leave enough to keep the fun in the stalk. So once more we parked up and set to on foot. However things are never as easy as they would at first seem. From this perspective the land marks that had been used to mark where the stags were seemed to have moved :doh: Anyway after much creeping and spying steve located them once again and this time I could see them my hill eyes clearly werent as good as I thought. We stalked in slowly once more creeping around the undulating ground getting closer but keeping hidden from various groups of hinds and steve pulled it off once more as the rifle was removed from the slip, a round was put in the chamber and I crawled up a knoll to see the stags only 80 or 90 yards again. There were 3, at the bottom an 8 pointer with no brow but a bay and cup on top and a brow bay trey and point on top. A seven that was a brow bay trey and fork on one side and brow and switch top on the other and the highest was a good even 10 with brow bay trey and fork on each. The stevie said either the 8 or 7 were the stags to take and which ever stood first and presented a shot one be the one I was to take unless I had some preference (which I didnt as they were both interesting heads but slightly swayed to the one without the brow as it was a more interesting head. However, the shot wasn't going to be easy due to the high of the grass. Luckly the bottom stag was the only who could have seen us from our position and he nodded off for a few mins giving us enough time to shift to the left to get a clearer shot for when they stood however we were a little exposed and so had to be completely motionless until the last few seconds. So we waited and as the sun shone on the stags the lowest stag (the one without a brow tine showed signs of being ready to stand but settled down again but only for a few mins before he stood and took a couple of steps forward and turned broadside so I raised the rife, squeezed the trigger and he dropped like a sack of spuds which was a little disconcerting as i thought it may have struck a little high but it felt like a good shot so I was confident because there was no movement from the stags head. So we walked over, I approached from above and down wind and tapped him on the eye with my stick, no reaction. An external examination revealed it went in right but exited a slight bit high as it must have tumbled a bit after smashing the ribs and nicked the spine on the way out but there was very little left of his lungs so I was happy with the shot. Once more hands were shaken, pictures taken then we headed down to the maxcat and stevie managed to get it to within about 15 yards this time (with some fine driving) and the drag was for more pleasant than the last time. They way out was a little more edgy with the back wheels lifting off once but we got down fine and I was very happy with the result and had had an amazing few days out on the hill and the final stag wayed in at 146 pounds and was showing a bad coat and really underweight for this estate and he looked very skinny so combined with the lack of a brow tine a good stag to cull and a very interesting head to boot. Anyway we went back to the larder and the Germans also there this week had shot a monster. He weighed in at 20 stone 6 and had a huge 11 point head but I was still happy with mine none the less. Anyway we went home I had some tea and got an early night as tomorrow was to be my dads turn and I was going to come out with out the rifle just for the stalk and I thought i'd be nice not to be carrying the rifle for once Morning came around all to soon but I was looking forward to yet another day on the hill. Stevie picked us up and we went to the larder to see niall, loaded up the mud ox and headed out to his beat. Niall had a rough idea where the stags would be lying up as it was a windy and slightly cold day so we headed up the hill to a point where he could spy from and soon enough he had located them and the game was on. we stalked into them keeping a close eye on stags and hinds out on the hill slowly making progress. and after a couple of hours when we were in an area sheltered from both the elements and the prying eyes or deer we had a bite to eat and a interesting chat and after letting it settle for a bit we headed off again. By now I was getting my hill legs and not tiring as easy and it was nice to just be carry mine and my dads lunch instead of a rifle It makes the going that bit easier. Anyway I digress, after dodging around groups of hinds and the odd stag niall beckoned for us to stay whilst he slowly made his was to the top of the hill to see the stags were just around the corner. Me and stevie were to stay back whilst he and my father were to see how close they could get so this left stevie and myself to spy the group of stags and see if there were any of the big boys in the group and there sure was. There must have been 8 or 10 12-14 point royals and a couple of them had colossal spread and there was one 16 pointer :eek: but they weren't on the cards today. whilst we were watching the stags we could see Niall and my farther were in place then a shot echoed out but neither stevie or myself couldn't figure out what had happened as of the group of about 25 stags we were watching the wrong ones. Anyway stevie soon spotted a twitching/thrashing stag on the ground in the process of passing on. Anyway It was a great shot from my dad at 197 yards and the stag weighed in at 203 pounds so 2 pounds lighter than my one form nialls beat but it was a nice 8 point stag. Anyway, what a way to end one of the most enjoyable weeks you could imagine and I cant wait to get back up there next year as we're already penciled in again and im looking at getting up there when on my christmas break from uni for the hinds to get my DSC level 2 in the bag an Niall said we should be able to get it sorted out. Hope you have enjoyed he write ups even fractionally as much as I enjoyed the week and sharing it with you all. George

Thanks everyone was an amazing trip and i've got serious withdrawal right now. George

Thanks guys there is nothing like it and being home is killing me George

Well after the success but very tiring day on tuesday I was out again on friday and luckily wasnt even stiff or aching in the morning so I was up, had a full cooked breakfast and waited for Niall to arrive. He was there on time and invited in for a cup of tea and had a good chat and catch up with myself and my parents for an hour or two anyway not to worry as I knew if he wasn't neither was I. Anyway we left the house and went to the larder to collect the mud ox and set off for the hill. Niall pulled up unloaded the mud ox and off we went stopping to spy for a group of stags. Niall soon spotted a group of stags and got out his grays telescope to get a better view of the stags to reveal if there where any shootable stags in the group and to my luck there was and the stalk was on although it would be a fairly long one to keep the wind in our favour and slow as not to spook the sheep ready to be rounded up off the hill. So we advanced at a slow and steady pace around the back of the hill to bring us back in on the stags after reaching the top of the hill having managed to send the sheep the right way we stopped for a spot of lunch in the glorious sunshine looking out over mull and the other islands and i couldnt have thought of a better place to have had lunch. However we still had some ground to cover to get into a shootable distance of the stags so we couldnt stay there for ever and set off once again. After about another 45 mins of ups and downs and walking around the undulating terrain Niall told Grant and I to stay while he crept over the edge to make sure the stags where there and hopefully wouldnt be able to see us and my luck was on. There was a group of 20+ stags lying bellow us. I crept forward and Niall pointed out the stag he had chosen to have removed a nice, large simetrical 6 point stag who was lying down so we settled in for him to stand. There was some big boys in the group including a relatively young 14 pointer. A few of the stags started to get up and eat so I got ready hoping mine would soon but he didn't see to want to play ball. Niall pointed out there was a slightly small stag so far as head was concerned but a six pointer no the less and this one was clean and if i wanted I could take this one instead. As the other stag was still cleaning although almost there had light antlers I decided to take the cleaner on and as he was that bit smaller I thought he might just fit on the wall in my bed room So I raised the cross hairs, tucked it in behind the shoulder, squeezed the trigger and he dropped like I stone at about 120 yards. We could see he was in the process of bleeding out and after a couple of mins Niall said to stick a safety shot in the neck. So, I obliged and missed.....:doh: but he was duly dispatched I dont know if it was as he moved but it was probably my fault but anyway all the same there was one very dead stag. Niall sent grant and myself down to deal with the stag. I was interested to see where the stag had been hit as the shot felt right. Anyway the gralloch revealed he had been struck well making a mess of both of his lungs and was just bleeding out whilst we were watching and he couldn't have been far from expiring when I struck him in the neck. however it had struck a little high due to the angle I was firing at but a good shot no the less. So we got a few pictures, inspected the stag and awaited Niall's return with the Mudd-ox and headed back to the larder. Back at the larder he weighed in at a nice 205 pounds and once the head was off it was revealed all though small the head was extremely heavy and he had very thick bases to the beams and a good density and we were back at the larder for 4 oclock, what a I got home in good time happy with another great day on the hill and loverly stag in the larder and felt very content with myself and couldn't wait to be out again. The view from lunch (i think): George

Well the time of year has finally come around for the family holiday to scotland that meant there was some stalking to be had Anyway on monday morning we hit the roads after having picked my brother up from leeds fest and were on the way north. 7 hours later or there or there abouts we had arrived at the ardnamurchan and had gotten to the house on the estate we were staying in. I met the head stalker on the way in and we were to visit a high seat that evening to see if anything was about. Anyway after a quick nap and a bite to eat I was picked up at around 6.30 and off we set to the high tower in a block of woodland and as we got close Niall spotted two stags leaving having probably heard our approach which wasn't the best start but we endeavoured to stay in the tower until last light not seeing a thing but it probably wasn't helped as Niall, stevie and myself were having a good catch up. Anyway it didn't bother me much as it had been a nice few hours and its better than sitting in the house waiting for the morning. So I was dropped back at the house had my tea and was off to bed to be ready to be picked up around 9 the next morning (a bit of a luxury compared to the very early starts im use to with roe) Anyway after a big cooked breakfast a got my gear together and stevie arrived as I was gathering my last bits and we were off to the hill. Anyway we drove up to the Glenborrodale beat, parked up the landy and got the maxcat off the trailer and set off to spy the hill for any stags to stalk in to. We spotted one group with a decent number of stags but carried on as they were a very long way away and more importantly up so we carried on to see what else there was with them as a contingency plan we carried on further and spotted another group of stags and hinds going over the top of the hill in a similar direction to the first group so we doubled back, parked up and set off. It was a rather impossing hill that we had to get to the top off to get to where the stags had been feeding towards and after an hour of walking up at a large gradient with a we were at the top, in an almost moon like land scape now all we had to do was find the stags.... Where we had walked to at this point was far from the summit of the hill but where it levelled out to an extent but we had to walk higher still so that stevie could glass the area to locate the stags. He managed to spot them but they were a long way away in a group with about 10 visible stags and a hand full of hinds and calves so we headed out towards them. As we got closer stevie spied the group again and said of the 10 stags 8 would be shootable including one with massive brow tines that was the one he would prefer to take and they were absolutely huge. As we got to within about 500 yards or a slight problem was encountered, there were two stags looking out over the area stevie intended for me to take the shot from so we took a different angle to see how close we could get. Unfortunately this was around 300 yards so a no go. So we doubled backs ducking in and out of hillocks and peat hags but once again a no go so we commenced on a big manoeuvre to get within shooting distance of the stags that had scuppered the original plan. As we set off we had to cross a small patch of open ground but luckily the stag was looking the other way so, slowly we edged our way across when stevie dropped to his knees and I quickly followed suit. The stag had turned and was looking in our direction so, we both crouched, like statues waiting for him to look the other way and, luckily, eventually he did so we edged away into some dead ground to work in to him and some work it took. Between sinking half way up my shin in peat, walking around the entire circumfrance of a loch standing on the stones in the shallows then after that a crawl to get into position on the opposite side of a mound to the stags. Stevie crept up to make sure there was a clear shot and slid back down telling me they were only 50 yards away and a neck shot would be the best shot and at that distance, from a firm rest, I was happy so I removed the rifle from the slip, loaded it and handed it to stevie who then crept up once again and to get the rifle in position and he then beckoned me up and I sunk in behind the rifle and was struggling to get a clear view of the stag's neck whilst resting the rifle on the rock without basically sitting up and whilst trying to get into a good position the stag stood and I got told chest so quickly tucked a shot in straight behind the shoulder and he ran a little around the corner and stevie told me not to worry as he could see red foaming blood being splattered against the rocks so we knew there would be a dead stag waiting around the corner so we waited a few minute for him to bleed out. Hands we shaken we took so pics then went to do the gralloch. After this was when the fun started as there was no way the max cat was getting in to where he was lying and the drag rope had been forgotten. With my belt and his scarf we started the drag that was the best part of a mile and dam near killed me but we did it and then had the hour and a half walk back to the maxcat to extract the beast. Stevie dropped me back at the house at gone 8 so it had been a long day but extremely satisfying and I have never felt i'd earned a deer so much and it was the most enjoyable day stalking i have ever had and I went to bed, very tired but raring to get out again the next day. He weighed in at 186 pounds and was a nice 9 point stag. George

What do I think of ed millband? very little he makes my skin crawl when ever hes on tv and i put it down to (although it sounds terribly judgmental) the fact he looks just plain odd and has a strange voice and david would have been a far better choice for labour but ed is perfect of the tories. As for the other debates that have been going on well hague he's a fine man but doubt he'll ever stand for PM again. Thatcher, although before my time as far as I can tell took the hard decisions that weren't going to be popular but simply had to be made because as has been said the inefficiencies with in british industry meant it was uncompetitive on a international stage. This set blair and brown up for the wonder years that they still managed to squander and got us in the state we are in today. Cameron should be doing now what Maggie did then if he had the balls but sadly i dont think he does however he has got a few years left to sort it out I suppose. Now for the problems within society such as the unemployed unmotivated youth I feel (although a bit of a through back to the victorian era) that once you have been on benefits for a certain amount of time without finding a job or reject job opportunities offered to you, in true work house style compulsory labour should be employed be it picking up rubbish or splitting rocks. I know this sounds archaic but it might just make people look a little harder for work and not turn down the opportunities that arise. Just my tupance, George

I dont think many farmers running 3000 acres can afford the time off work to effectively manage all the land and if he is offering stalking when the OP is ready he should be okay it suggests he doesn't have the inclination himself and as for the question of should you charge I thought you'd have had to have been mad to... :lol: george

Thanks everyone Im really pleased with him and about to go out and deal with the head. Yeah I was more nervous taking the shot knowing if i fluffed it i was on my own and that no one was looking over my shoulder as i performed the gralloch but it all went to plan. Also yes i am keeping a game log in a game book my dad bought me at the CLA with a section for deer and I have back dated it using forums im on to find days and details of deer i have shot.. It'll be something nice to look back on in the future. George

Well after my trip down to see JC275 I have been filled with confidence and finally plucked up the courage to go out with the intention of taking my first deer unaccompanied and so for the past few days thats what i've been doing and tonight I got very lucky indeed. I had had a couple of failed attempts at calling and blanking having not see a buck for sure although I did call a deer in close but it winded me before I could sex it and my other attempts had proved fruitless only seeing the odd doe so i was unsure what was happening around here with the rut. Anyway, I headed out after tea at around 7 to have a drive around and see what is moving. I spotted a couple of does one was with out any kids nor did she have a buck chasing. So I carried on to a different bit of the farm and found a different doe this time with a single kid but again no buck but this time I headed out on foot. I stalked along about a 1km stretch of wood/scrub about 40 yards wide but only bumped another doe, still not buck so I thought it was going to be another blank :doh: anyway back to the car and then back to where I had seen the first doe to see if a buck had found her. Anyway I was in luck. This time It was a different doe just off a different wood this time with 2 kids and the best bit.......a buck and he was rutting. Well I assume thats what he was doing he was trying to chase the does kids off to get her by herself but never full succeeded. While watch this through the binos I realised it was a buck id seen once earlier in the year with malformed antlers, possibly frost damaged? but i dont know. All the same id wanted him off the land so whilst he was trying to scare off the kids I managed to get in to a shootable range. By this time the doe had had enough and was off into the woods and the buck didn't seemed too bothered and started to make his way towards me but didnt have a clue I was there. He got to within about 80 and crossed into a clearing in the field where the wheat hadn't taken so I gave him a quick bark, he froze and I dropped him on the spot with a nice chest shot I went up performed a not so quick but nice clean gralloch and took the deer back to the house, cleaned him out and took him to the room next to the cold store on the farm. Im a very happy bunny indeed a really interesting first buck and a text book stalk and no hich ups so Im over the moon :-D George

Thanks again to everybody Im really over the moon with it. We had some for tea last night and it tastes great and I've now coloured up the antlers with some potassium permanganate and they look alright, well im happy with them anyway considering its the first set of antlers i've coloured and i dont have any normal ones for reference and they actually look a little better in the flesh. George

Heres how the buck is looking so far he was a nice representative buck under the velvet and it look nice now its cleaned up. George