Stalking with Robbie

[URX]

Well how could you resist the opportunity to hunt deer on a no result no cost basis?
Superb
So picture a freezing baltic morning around 4.20am and I'm humping all my pre-prepared gear out to the discovery to get to our arranged meeting point near Perth at 6m.
Got everything? gun bolt ammo (various) suitable clothing and boots , coffee and food? yup, all present and correct.
Odds n ends like the right kind of knife, cable ties and a scope that has a min magnification below 12x ...nope, failed...

Ok and we are off....time on dark cold roads passes and finds me stopped in a service station carpark to meet up.
All gear loaded into Robbie's landie (better tyres for offroading than my road biased ones) and we are off. First surprise of the trip 9there were many)
was Bruno the enthusiastic chocolate lab deciding my shoulder made a good place to rest his head for the trip. Got to say he kept that side warm at least

We arrive about 30 mins before dawn and check a few fields for sins of Fallow. Mostly (Robbie) 'look there are a couple' (me ) ' deer where?'
We park up and line up on a couple sitting on a nice stafe backstop of a rise. I could see the doe through my binos (always buy good ones or at times like this you will lack the necessary perfromance) but damned if I could find them in my too target oriented nightforce 12-42x56
Then bump and they are off over the rise before the light is strong enough for me to positively identify the target.

back to the Landie and up to a drop off point for a short range ambush opportunity.
At this point as we are making ready I discover that my carefully crafted homeload .308s wont chamber in the rifle all the way home but the bolt wont lock.
damn

tried some factory soft points I had brought just in case (you can never have too much ammo)
off to a field nearby for a quick zero check and after a few shots to rezero I discover that the homeloads now chamber perfectly.

Warm homeloads from my jacket into veeeeery cold rifle must have been just too tight...just goes to show.. at least my backup plan was ok.

ok we are back on plan but the sun is risisng now and things will be harder.
a pair of Fallow are spotted on the left about 200yds out moving towards cover. we head after them and get an all to brief opportunity to try to get a bead on them at around 50-60yds, not quick enough and they vanish.
Now we park up and trek up the hill to a known hot spot for a looksee.

One is sighted next to a tree, watching us carefully...we are too far out and havent a clear enough shot so we amble away to get a better angle using some dead ground and trees to close the distance down hoping that the doe will think we arent interested.
While we are moving so is the doe which heads into a nice patch of cover...we settle in a ditch just over the crest with a good view of the cover where our doe is lurking.
Then suddenly a low whistle from Rob indicates a Doe off the the left at 90degrees (204yds on the laser) obscured from me by a patch of gorse...
we wait with the rising sun on our backs and a fantastic day developing..we are in among shootable deer with excellent weather a good spot to shoot from and every prospect of bagging one
The the moment arrives .... I have a full side view of a stationary doe ..200yds bang and the doe jumps legs out back and front...definite hit ..it disappears from view momentarily then the head appears facing me..I've reloaded and hit the head just above the nose ..it all over for Bambi

fast forward to yesterday and I spent most of the day butchering the 85 pounds of resulting venison.
my freezer now is stuffed superb

A great day out in good company ...thoroughly recommended.

[Beer Hunter]

Good read

Kev.

[mr smith]

Bruno the enthusiastic chocolate lab deciding my shoulder made a good place to rest his head for the trip. Got to say he kept that side warm at least

Don't mind him resting he's head on my shoulder,well unless he's just gobbled a fresh killed rabbit. Nice write up URX.

[AKT]

spot on m8

[URX]

I almost forgot
Lessons Learned:-
Take a selection of ammo just in case (glad I did)
Take a leatherman just in case (glad I did)
Have a spare gun just in case (glad I didnt need it)
Take the gear you need, dont leave it in the wagon because you're only going 100yds
Bring cable ties for the food pipe and hanging the carcase otherwise your arms'll be very tired by the time the carcase is properly bled
Dont use a target scope, it makes the job harder than it needs to be
Do go with Robbie as you will both have a great time
Book pleasant weather for lying in ditches - it really helps

[Bluelungbutter]

Good write up mate. It'd be boring if everything went to plan.

DunK

[hungryrob]

Great to relive the event, I enjoyed it very much too

I added the pics

[karl86]

sounds like a really good morning. great write up.
dear stalking is something i've always wanted to do.

atb, Karl

[davo601]

Bruno the enthusiastic chocolate lab deciding my shoulder made a good place to rest his head for the trip. Got to say he kept that side warm at least

Don't mind him resting he's head on my shoulder,well unless he's just gobbled a fresh killed rabbit. Nice write up URX.

Rabbit is bad enough but if he's discovered a fresh pile of it's worse....., that breath could stop a charging Rhino at 50 paces.
Good write up, seconded with regard to the recommendation that those that can get out with Robbie for the day should, no Deer no pay but a good day out is always guaranteed.

[hungryrob]

Just for the record chaps, in case y'all get the wrong impression...

I'm no professional deer stalker! I've shot no more that eight or nine deer in my life and only 'stalked' them five or six times. The others were shot at night as part of a licence for pest control.

I'm happy to take blokes I know and trust out for a stalk but I am learning as I go myself; especially for those who know much more about stalking than I do. I do however know the land I shoot on like the back of my hand (all 6500 aces of it) and can get you close enough for a shot most of the time.

I'm kinda hoping that Kev will post the story of my first proper stalk here; it makes for extremely comical reading! To Mark and Doug, thanks for the posts on the stalking, I really enjoyed both occasions immensely

Robbie

[Beer Hunter]

As requested by Robbie, here is the story of Robbie’s first stalk on 25th Oct 2005. This was not the first time he actually shot a deer, but his first proper stalk.

Having promised to take Robbie stalking for a while, we eventually got the weather tonight and went out looking for a Roe.

I was looking to make sure of a kill on his first stalk, so took him to an area where there are always Roe going about and we settled down in some good cover about an hour before sunset. From here we would have a 360 degree view with good backstops in every direction. Normally I'd expect to see deer here within just a few minutes of setting up, but as the light began to drop, I was getting worried that we would draw a blank. I didn’t want to disappoint Robbie as he drove some distance and I’d promised he’d get a deer.

Just as I think it’s now time to move on and stalk the last 30 minutes of light on foot Robbie spots a doe feeding on a bank some 300 yards off. Too far for a humane shot with the .223 he has brought with him. I could have taken the shot there with my .243, but we were out to get him his first deer.
Between us and the bank, there was nothing more than stubble and a few bales. There was no direct way forward without being spotted, so we retreated back behind a hill and stalked round to within a decent distance. Robbie then stalked forward alone unspotted by the deer and took up a sniping position behind a bale. This was within shooting distance, but still a testing shot with a fair left to right breeze. A few minutes pass while he waits for the beast to stand still broadside then bang – whack – the deer hits the deck with hardly a movement. A great shot – picture perfect from my binoculars.

I jump up and congratulate him on a cracking shot and we head off to examine the spoils discussing what he intends to do with the meat.
What happens next is just ridiculous - we get to within 20 yards of the doe, said dead deer jumps to its feet and hightails it over the fence and sprints off 300 yards to the other end of the field. With the air taking on a suitably blue hue, we head off in hot pursuit.
This deer is not for dropping – it turns back and covers another 300 yards before jumping down a 30 foot bank, one ditch, 2 fences, sprints a further 300 yards, leaps another 2 fences and disappears into the distance.
This is not good!
We heard the contact, saw the deer drop like a sack of spuds, but here we are sprinting across fields after an apparently very fit and spirited deer! Now it’s getting dark and the only torch we have would be inadequate for lighting the inside of a bag. This could not be worse!
So, with little choice, we head back to my place to get a couple of decent lamps – it could well be a long, long night!
We both “know” the deer was hit, so in pitch black we start back “exactly” where Robbie watched it drop through the scope. There is no sign of paint or pins, but we widen the search. Five minutes later I literally stumble over a big brown squishy thing – “here Robbie, you know that deer you hit 20 yards over there?” – “you hit it over here numb nuts!”

The shot turned out to have been perfect and the man performed the gralloch cleanly – everyone happy. Time for a beer

Moral of the story – double check the number of deer

Nice one Robbie!

Robbie is pretty modest when it comes to talking about his shooting skills. His knowledge of the land over which he shoots is even better. I'm sure anyone going stalking with him will not be disappointed.

Kev.

[Sidebyside]

What a great write up and a great result, always nice to have an insight of others hunting trips especially stalking as I am only a shotgun man , brilliant stuff .