7daysinaweek

Arrrgghhh! you got me!

welcome

happy days!

bloomin heck 3 for 1 shot, i am chuffed on 1 for 3 shots, well done jd, great reading as usual.

cracking sport that, nice browny

very sad when your dog goes, it affects you the same as losing a relative. i have had a few dogs in me time and just have to think of the great times together. atb 7diaw

black death!

understandable grandalf, does nothing to reflect the reality of the bunter!

no will never forget that day, ingrained in my memory, just goes to show that you must not get disheartened and just got to persevere and in the end it all comes together and that day it did, it made up for the 4 days and more that i had and all power to the guide who was superb and got me on them.

i got a minstrels egg, my favorite, mmmm! seems like you done well on the choccy egg front.

you've read the book, you've seen the film now eat the cast!

very sad for an animal to go that way.

as you have clearly demonstrated fortune sometimes things can really start off not going to plan,that's the thing when you are reliant on another, or others sometimes you are left waiting and it all comes down to the individual. i used to go lamping with a good friend years ago and gave up quite quickly as he was always late or not turning up, then excuses, excuses. the 4 stalks in staffordshire i went on that i talked about in my first thread really did not go to plan due to weather which had an element being unforeseeable and some foreseeable on both sides. as you say can be a long day, i am looking to do some stalking closer to home also. atb and hope you are getting on some. 7diaw

not sure about my butchering skills but gave my initial best, i am sure a skilled butcher with the correct tools would have produced a 3rd more meat and much more efficient, anyroads practice makes better as they say! here was some of the venison was not fully finished. had to dig out me hacksaw and other odds and sodds to get the job done. will be investing in a good bone saw and fillet knife me thinks. atb 7diaw

ahh i must have anther halve i dont know about, as you say can be a very,very long day, when i got back that evening around 11pm and had to get deer in the garage in my busy street, gun cleaned and away, into shower and never got into bobo's til about one in the morning. i had been up virtually straight for 38 hours less the 2 hours i caught in the day, i was fresh for most of the journey home and just the last 30 mins was feeling a bit wacked, pulled over for 5 mins, some fresh air, stretch legs and drink water then was fine. i was off the next day but it caught up on me over the next couple of days, as said i had one day to recover before back to the grind. am possibly thinking of staying over after stalking when i go back in may. as in my posts above my in laws had a caravan up there until this year and would have been ideal to stay over in, he, ho! was running on adrenaline!

thankyou grandalf!

yes whilst out stalking we glassed several big boy and girls, had one red stag at 230 yards facing us, knew we were there and was eyeing us for about 2 minutes was a wonderful sight to see these magnificent creatures in all their different shapes, sizes and species. will be up again shortly and will keep posted.

I know the area well, i have been to Glen and new Luce also, very nice part of the world and as you say was only up there in august and miss it. some may think it a bit of a drive from Liverpool but i have no qualms jumping in the vehicle and traveling hundreds of miles every now and then. think i am hooked already and can see myself being a regular up there, oh well done on that rabbit today with the cap and ball. there's me chuffed with me shot at 130, pales into insignificance in respect with your cap and ball ballistics, trajectory and marksmanship with the age of the rifle, well done bud

thanks for the comments re the multi-gym chaps, no more muscle beach for me, have not used it for years, keeps the burglars away, they might think an Arnold swarrzy type lives here, hee, hee! as you say bud multi to me means all uses. was up in just outside castle Douglas area up in the Galloway forest park. as jd says had to steady me nerves!

cracking read and pics as usual, yes happy days!

well chaps and chapesses, i posted a thread on here some months back re getting going in stalking and buying my first stalking rifle which i did. http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/323794-helpwhat-would-you-guys-and-gals-do/ anyhow i had several accompanied stalks booked over Staffordshire way since December. went over and done 4 stalks without any joy and was getting a little dispondant and eager to maximize my opportunities and get on a stalk with the schultz. got a high recommendation to go with another chap up in the west coast of Scotland on roe and he was moderately confident he could get me on a stalk. had got a load of practice in with the s&l putting. went out the day before the stalk to check zero. shooting off quad sticks in a bit of wind managed to group 3 out of 3 in a 1.25 inch area and was well happy. thought the proof would be if a shot presented itself as that would be the reality of it and lots of other variables to put into the mix. was having to meet the chap at 05.30 in the morning as i had booked a full day with him, the night before i could not sleep so decided to stay up, everything double and treble checked. rifle,bolt,mag,rounds,insurance & fac doc. set off at 02.15 in the morning and arrived at meeting place at 05.15 chap turned up, introductions and off to the estate 30 mins away, arrived at fantastic scenery and ground. safety discussed and shot for zero check done and moved to different part of the huge estate. after about 45 mins a shot presented itself, a doe approx 70 yards, she was just about to cross a forest road track and was down at the side looking at us front on, the land sloped downward from us and up behind her and was quickly given and agreed the shot was safe with appropriate backstop. bloody hell heart pumping,dry mouth i mounted the rifle to the sticks took aim as she was front on, safety off and she was down, could not believe it. after check of shot placement my guide demonstrated a field gralloch and checking of nodes, messentary and organs for disease etc and was given clean bill of health. carried on till 11am and seen a couple more but no shot presented, back to vehicle, collected roe which had cooled nicely as had been quite cold, had a bite to eat, slept for a couple of hours in the back of my vehicle and back out at 14.30 any how got to 18.00 and walking along forest track again, suddenly shot was on, stalking along edge of track roe doe up on hillside from us, 15 mins to get into position, she was 131 yards out, had to wait til she presented side on for clear shot due to brash. had already assessed safe shot may be on as large bank of earth directly behind her moving up to forest road, heart pounding shot presented itself and down she went, quick reload, safety on and waited then walked up and there she was. shot placement can just be seen in pic mid above shoulder and i could not be happier. the shot was taken from the green treeline at the bottom to where she lay, gralloch undertook and long walk back to vehicle approx 2 mile, returned and collected her. thanks given to my guide for a wonderful and memorable day and will be going back again in next couple of months. i purchased both carcass, and took home, hung for a couple of days, spent a whole day skinning and butchering the two (i am not overlooked at the back of my house so can get on without interruption) never done it before, done zillions of bunters and and other game but never a deer, highly enjoyable and felt the beasts deserved to go from field to freezer under my own steam. already had some burgers, absolutely fantastic and lots of eager family and friends have regrettably relieved me of! long bloody day but well, well worth it. tried to upload the finished jointed carcasses but would not allow. atb 7diaw

well done ud, cracking read, that bit of wet won't bother jess!

jays, stopped lifting gun to the poor old hare over a decade ago,for me they are an animal that epitomises the countryside and are just harrassed at every chance around here in and out of season.they are as wonderful animal as you can get, when you get a few feet from one on the squat and that big golden eye peering at you. in me younger days i used to run a dog and it was one dog, one hare with plenty of fair law for strong winter hare. i now choose not to hunt them at all but that is my personal choice. atb 7diaw

well done, happy days. why do other guns think it's acceptable to leave spent carts and boxes, respect your permissions, it aint hard!