mikee Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 a mate of mine popped round last night to see if i would go and have a ride round a new permission he has just obtained with a view to helping him with it, its several thousand acres in south and west norfolk, in 4 or 5 large lumps with two right near thetford, the land owner wants all the rabbits and pigeons controlled along with the deer, we had a ride round a couple of bits near diss and saw plenty of pigeons, rabbits and a few muntjac which looks promising, we then moved to the farms near thetford and within the first 5 minutes we saw two big herds of reds and 5 muntys we stalked to within 40yds of one munty before he winded us, one herd of reds was only about 60-70 yds away in a wood but plainly visible through the trees, there were a couple of mature stags on the edge of the wood and jesus they were ******* huge, the land owner wants them thinned out but how on earth do you move one once youve laid it down, they were like small horses. Ive recently got a .243 but i'm now wondering if its going to be suitable for these monsters or should i put in for a variation for a .270/.308 type caliber mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lez325 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) .243 is more than capable of the task in my opinion - get yourself a 4x4 to move them once shot- thats why I have the Isuzu :blink: Terrific hunting truck Les Edited August 8, 2009 by Lez325 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) a mate of mine popped round last night to see if i would go and have a ride round a new permission he has just obtained with a view to helping him with it, its several thousand acres in south and west norfolk, in 4 or 5 large lumps with two right near thetford, the land owner wants all the rabbits and pigeons controlled along with the deer, we had a ride round a couple of bits near diss and saw plenty of pigeons, rabbits and a few muntjac which looks promising, we then moved to the farms near thetford and within the first 5 minutes we saw two big herds of reds and 5 muntys we stalked to within 40yds of one munty before he winded us, one herd of reds was only about 60-70 yds away in a wood but plainly visible through the trees, there were a couple of mature stags on the edge of the wood and jesus they were ******* huge, the land owner wants them thinned out but how on earth do you move one once youve laid it down, they were like small horses.Ive recently got a .243 but i'm now wondering if its going to be suitable for these monsters or should i put in for a variation for a .270/.308 type caliber mikee Hey if you need a bigger gun with a DSC2 qualified guy at the back of it, I'm your man!!! Seriously congrats on the new permission, well done that man. Anyway, when did a man ever need a reason to get a bigger gun? Edited August 8, 2009 by fullbore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikee Posted August 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 lez i have a 4x4, i was just wondering how, if i shot one in a wood how would i get it out, the things must have weighed several hundred pounds or are they lighter than they look? I'm glad to hear the .243 will be man enough (hope this doesnt spark some huge caliber row) as i didnt really want to buy another rifle mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonk Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Congratz and good luck with the new permission Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev 1 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 You jammee *******.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayfly36 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Get ure self a quad. take you anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 i asked the gf's brother that when he shot a 23 stone boar in a forest in latvia, this was his response... if youll be shooting where you can get a 4x4 in youll be grand, if not id go with what mayfly said, or failing that start hitting the gym a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Well , yes a .243 will kill red deer. But for big lowland reds you are really under gunned with a .243, a .270 would be a much better tool, as would a .308 or any of the 7mm variants. If its population control then do not focus on the stags, it is really the hinds which should be a priority. By all means take a nice stag or two for the wall but after that young staggies and hinds should be the target. I many parts too many stags are taken by stalkers who are focussed on big heads at the detriment to the quality of the herd. You are indeed fortunate to have ground holding such magnificent animals and equally fortunate to be tasked with managing them. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinea Fowl Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Why don`t you get a deer sled, just put the beast on there and pull, you get ones for snow and rough ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinea Fowl Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 One like this http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/13...20&cvt=jpeg http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/13...20&cvt=jpeg http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/13...20&cvt=jpeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross16689 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Check out these old boys- they've got a great way to carry out deer! or search old timer skid biters on youtube! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Sometimes you have to consider carcass extraction before you fire the shot. Once you've got the grallocked the carcass it isn't going to weigh that much that you can't move it, but it will be pretty heavy and hard work! Getting it in the truck can be a right nighmare. A small hand winch and a plank can help if you're really stuck! I'd suggest shooting them with a friend so you can get a hand moving it! Your .243 will be fine for the job. It doesn't sound like the ranges are going to be that great so just make sure you use a good tough and heavy bullet. Barnes TSX are pretty good. They retain 100% of their weight on impact which really helps them drill through, but they still make enough mess to get the animal down fairly quickly. Aren't you the guy that Harnser was looking after? Get him out to give you a hand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 243 will do the job, to be honest a .22 will, hit anything in the vitals with a bullet and it's going to die, the problem is you want to kill and recover it.Expect red deer shot with a 243 to run on, somtimes quite large distances, 500m-1km..............makes you think don't it?You got a blood tracking dog?Personally the minimum I will take them on with is somthing in the 7mm range, and yes I have a blood tracking dog.No point in shooting and loosing somthing.You must allways try to knock it over however this is not allways possible, the shot may look perfect, and 2 hours later as you are still seasrching for the thing you start to wonder. Just my 2 pence worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 A .243 is big enough for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikee Posted August 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 cheers for the replies guys, but your answers have asked more questions, just when you think youve got it sussed someone says something to turn it all on its head, its not my permission i have just been offered the opportunity to help out, i do have a gun dog who would be ok for finding deer well shes found plenty of geese and ducks on the coast so i guess she could find a deer the size of a horse with a coat rack on its head, i got my .243 with a view to popping the odd munty or roe for the freezer and to help out with a bit of foxing, i never really had any designs on big time red management or i would have applied for something bigger that would drop them in their tracks .270, 7x57 .308 or similar, i'm no expert infact quite the opposite but ive researched enough to know that even the bigger gun is no guarantee, correct ammo and shot placement at sensible ranges probably stops them quicker. when you start down a new road you never know where it will lead, i'm just glad ive got the opportunity to help out and have a go. someone posted about trophy heads, well i have absolutely no interest in deer for trophies, if that was the only reason to shoot them i never would, meat, sport and crop/game protection are my only interests in killing anything, the hind numbers are the key to overall deer numbers so its them that need to be controlled, the land is only on the edge of the forest so i guess the reds are fairly transient and the stags will probably get a battering on the surrounding land so i think we will only take the young stags when in season and the hinds when they are in, well i guess we will suss out a plan as time goes by and i reckon ill be asking more questions for you guys to answer. cheers mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Mikee , We did discuss calibre before you applied for your fac . I favoured the .308 as one calibre for deer and you thought that the 243 would be easier to get for your first application . You got your ticket without any restrictions so you went about it the right way . Your .243 is enough gun for the big red stags if used properly . My views as you are aware, are I prefer the .308 for red stags. There is no reason why you carnt put in for a variation for a .308 or .270 . If your friend needs help to control the deer and dosent know any body locally to help I am sure you could enlist some help from this forum . Yes they are big ******* them red stags and even bigger when you have to drag one. you will struggle to drag one on your own . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Harnser, can not agree more that they are big *******, and can be taken with a 243 from an experienced shot with very good shot placement, I however am a fan of the 308 upwards calss, the bigger the load and the bigger the weight of the bullet the better, it leaves deer where they stand and not where they stood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Anyway, when did a man ever need a reason to get a bigger gun? Since I moved here. ;o) Never did I ever think that my wife WOULDN'T be the limiting factor of whether I can buy a gun. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Nice one Mikee, all i'll add is I had a friend who had a house near Ingham so right on the edge of the forest and the reds were fantastic while at the same time huge in comparison to most UK deer species. I'd say get proficient on the smaller species first before you go for the bigger ones! with muntjack and roe you have a lot more room for a bit of buck fever whereas the reds you don't have room for error. Keep the .243 and get some use and experience from it and more to the point use some ammo as that will help your variation if you decide to go larger, though I'm not sure about using much larger guns on muntjack so may be you need another addition to your cabinet!!. The reds in that area do seem to come out of the woods at last light so you may be able to co-ordinate shooting from a high seat onto stubble to make extraction as easy as possible and if the landowner is looking at reducing numbers sounds like you need a game dealer contact Edited August 10, 2009 by al4x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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