Harnser Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 As most of you know I have been into all forms of field sports and rifle and pistol shooting for many years . I shot my first deer , a roe buck back in the early sixtys . I was mentored for field sports by an old friend of the family who was at the time recognised as being one of the top shots at game birds and deer in the country and used to travel the world shooting big game and small game . He was an inspiration to me and a very easy man to get along with although being a very wealthy man there was no side to him and he could mix with anybody . He was a man who had never had a scope fitted to a rifle and allways shot iron sights and was more than capable of killing deer clean at 300 yards over open sights . My first buck was shot at about 100 yards with iron sights on a customised .303 S.M.L.E. owned by my mentor . This has of course changed over the years and very rarely will you see any body shoot over open sights on a rifle . Lots of shooters are prepared to pay more for their scope than for their rifle . Any how , I have shot severall deer over the years and have been fortunate to have been a sport shooter rather than a pro stalker . I know the pressure that stalkers can be under to compleate a cull or to get the meat to the larder ,so I never call my self a stalker , more a pigeon shooter who controls the deer on my farms and shoot a beast or two for the pot . I see two main methods of stalking. Firstly , shooting from a high seat or stalking around the land or through the woodlands looking to locate the deer . In my opinion the high seat is the best option for the novice stalker ,because you are waiting for the deer to come to you and if you sit quiet and still any deer coming to you will pass close enough for a shot and you wont have to worry about back stops as you will be shooting into the ground through the deer from about 20 feet up . This is proberbly the only option you will be allowed if you buy a days stalking unless you are accompanied by the estate stalker . Still stalking through the wood land is my personal favourite as I prefer to look for the deer rather than spend a few cramped hours sitting in a high seat waiting for them to come to me . When stalking through woodland you have got to take your time and make sure you are stalking into the wind or you will be wasting your time and all the deer will walk out the other side of the wood . I will take up to an hour to stalk for a 100 or 200 yards through heavy woodland , go forward a few yards ,stop and glass in front of you ,stop for 10 minutes and then carry on again . When you see a deer take it very easy and try to get into a shooting postion without trees or hedges and bushes in your sight path . When you have seen your deer and you have to try and get closer ,try and keep a tree or a bush or hedge between you and the beast ,this will help you to stay hidden from him untill you can take the shot . Some times you may have to finish the stalk on your knees or on your belly . Much has been said on here about calibres for shooting deer . It really is a matter of choice and I have gone down the .308 road . Thats because I personally think that the 150 grain .308 bullet is just about the best all round bullet for all european deer species , and there is more choice in bullets in the .308 than any other calibre . My second choice of calibre is without a doubt the mighty .270 with a 130 grain bullet , a combination I used for many years on european and north american deer . Well ,thats how I have done it over the years and am still doing it with great success . Remember , the thrill is in the stalk and not in the kill . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 a nicely written piece there Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decoying mad Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 good little read that harnser never shot a deer but still a good read even to a novice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted September 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 good little read that harnser never shot a deer but still a good read even to a novice I am so glad that it hit the spot . Thats what I was intending to do for novice deer stalkers . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 It sounds like you have had a very charmed life in the respect of deer hunting, it seems now you can only qualify to shoot a deer if you have a grands worth of glass on top of your rifle. I myself have been shooting for the best part of 40 yrs, stalking rabbits in the orchards of Gloucestershire and trying to tame the flocks of pigeons. No magnets when I was growing up, shooting has become a very lucretive business and many forget the most important thing of all, and the most interesting, field craft. Driven to a high seat to shoot driven boar, I would rather take up knitting ( well almost ) I recently, well two years ago recently, started to shoot a few deer mainly because of the increasing numbers we have now ( didnt see any 20yrs ago). Learning about deer and how to hunt them is truelly fascinating along with the tools for doing so and reloading the ammunition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 Lovely old job Mick, keep on throshun'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 Best post I've read in a long time on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 Best post I've read in a long time on here. I take it you missed the following gem: That right she said lets get two large glasses of port and a bar of fruit and nut and snuggle down to watch have I got news for you in bed......... how lucky am I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstevouk Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 Cheers mate nice insight to deer stalking in very few words.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 I always enjoy reading your posts harnser, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Nice write up Harnser.Never thought about stalking before and reading your post was a good insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 What's "iron sights" and a "303" What type or range finder were you using in the 60's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 What's "iron sights" and a "303" What type or range finder were you using in the 60's? Mark 1 eyeball . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Remember , the thrill is in the stalk and not in the kill I did some recce 'stalks' to try a find a deer for mate to shoot, armed only with a camera got up really close to some roe on a number of occasions - so can I confirm this statement is true. Sounds an odd thing to say, but it quite nice driving home knowing you don't have to sort a beast out when you get back. Nice piece H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artschool Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Mark 1 eyeball .Harnser . that sounds good, who makes them?leica? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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