Doug does it again!

[hungryrob]

Another stalk, another doe

Well done Doug; looking forward to the full story

Here's the pics:

[davo601]

Must be serious carnivores in you're house if you needed more meat all ready.

[URX]

oooo my god do I look fat in that 2nd pic

Thanks to Robbie for another great (and successful) day out
A superb run of highs and lows including the deer that wont stay still ...now you see them now you dont, foxes and deer ...herds that move suddenly for no apparent reason...sadly a deer victim of a tragic accident ...an incident with a car alarm ...and finally when is a scope no hope....

Full write up to follow once I've caught my breath. Just finished skinning the doe and its now hanging cooling nicely time for a beer

[URX]

Must be serious carnivores in you're house if you needed more meat all ready.

well lets just say the second freezer is now filling nicely

[DAVO]

nice shooting lads, its good to get a freezer full, just banged 75 phesants in mine, and a roe doe, rgds davo.

[hungryrob]

nice shooting lads, its good to get a freezer full, just banged 75 phesants in mine, and a roe doe, rgds davo.

I've still got your hat!

[Top*Shot]

Looks like you had a great day's stalking there.

I cant make out what the rifle is that you used ?

[hungryrob]

I cant make out what the rifle is that you used ?

That's been the joke the last two times he's been out

I was legging it up a hill after some deer to turn and find Doug rambling along behind with 20 kilos of rifle slowing him down and I'm no spring chicken!

Bloody accurate mega heavy gun in .308 cal is the type

[URX]

Well, its another day another deer

We met up at a more civilized 6am-ish in the usual carpark of a motel chain and loaded into the landrover (mine this time) as the last outing blew up the axles on Robbie's shooting wagon.
My Landy is more comfortable but is also my run to work and everything else motor so I was a tad nervous I'd bend it in some way. Its on road tyres and its only 4 years old so I'm still precious about the paintwork.

Anyway we arrive on the shoot still before dawn but as the sky is lightening to that pale colour where everything is shades of grey….lovely.
Weather was pleasant too with not much cloud and hardly any wind though the temprature dropped as we drove up onto the moorland.
Windows open and the outside temp dropping to 2 degrees meant turning the heating up full and switching the heated seat on (passenger one doesnt work, sorry Robbie)

Trundling over the moor we spot a couple of Roe of the the left then a pair of fallow are spotted on the rise off to the left.
A mad fumble to get my overly heavy cannon out of the car and rest gently on my all too bendy dentable bonnet and the deer have ghosted away down to circle round behind us.
They are heading into the wind and looking to get onto high ground to observe us from above. Back into the Disco and tour for a bit looking for them as the flurries of snow start.
We head round to have a quick zero at a sutiable spot and both guns are shooting pretty much as needed. After a couple of clicks to the left mine prints a 1"ish group with soft points at 100yds with no effort.
Still on factory after the debacle with the 'too tight' sako/nosler homeloads which didn’t like sub zero conditions.

Off round to another spot to try and catch the deer we spot some more and move towards them uphill. Bump and they are off …we leg it (slowly as I'm feeling like a train at this point) up the hill and see nowt as the ghosts have disappeared back to the otherside of the hill. At his point the idea of a stalking rifle with a sporter profile barrel and a much lighter can & scope is starting to make good sense. My pss .308 is nice and accurate shot prone but is almost unusable for a standing shot due to the weight of the barrel & T8. (note to self have a word with the FEO at renewal about getting a light hill gun with an 8x56 and a Ase )

Plod off back to the disco again and head round to the base of the hill where we nobbled the last fallow couple of weeks previously. Stopped for lunch of some looooovely duck on a cheesy roll and some mincepies. Wife made the coffee this time so it was strong and drinkable unlike my effort ;-)


Once we have fueled up' its time to 'off road' and head up the hill as far as my slippy road tyres will take us. Which in low box was actually quite a way up the hill (phew). Parked up and movbed off on foot.
Some fallow spotted on the hill …too far to be remotely shootable and they've seen us and are moving slowly away to a bracken patch with the Matriarch leading the younger three. We circle back to try and get withi shooting distance but they are having none of it and gradually disappear over the horizon after standing watching us 8-( then we make a gruesome discovery. A deer has entangled one of its hind legs in the top two strands of wire…dead and one leg partially stripped by a fox. Shame to see it end like that as some suffering will have been involved. It has been dead no more than a day or two but how long its hung in the wire unable to get free is less easy to estimate. One of the two foxes we saw earlier (unfortunately not in shooting range/backstop unsutiable) has probably ended the deer's suffering….if it was lucky. The fallow are now long gone so we park up on a wall to survey the valley and see if any deer can be seen.
A herd of 11 fallow is spotted in afar away field on the otherside of the valley. The wind is blowing towards them so we'll have to circle in behind them and stalk up through some woods to get within range.
Back to the Disco and a few miles down the road we turn off into a wood. We are going to have to sneak along a track then pop up over a gate post to get a 200 yard ish shot.

Bruno is left in the car and we lock up as the disco is parked near the main road and visible. The field we are looking to sneak up to is screened by trees for maybe half a mile so we start off and get half way there when the car alram starts braying (echoing around the hills) *&*&^*^%^*&(** unprintable words later and we have grabbed the dog out of the car …. The ultrasonic alarm thought bruno was a chav trying to break in so warbled merrrily away till we got close enough to turn it off.
Dejavu…we are off back down the lane to the field with spirits low as the deer must have heard the alarm and that will surely have bumped them on.

Wahey!!! They are still there feeding unconcerned with heads down munching … Slide the rifle onto the top of the gate post and scan the herd…which one gets it …10 silver grey and one with a stand out white coat. I pick the one closest that’s side on and doesn’t have another deer behind it…. Backstop is ok…deffo got one in the chamber and focus is set….all ready….no pressure just hurry up and shoot before something happens

Bang

And its down

Another day another deer

Post script, the nice fat fallow has visited the butcher and now resides in the freezer as various bags of high quality mince, stewing cubes, steaks and rolled joints for roasting….time for tea

Thanks again to Robbie for a 100% success record on finding and stalking into shootable range of tasty deer….

[willie]

Great, I keep telling myself that I`m not interested in the stalking / rifle thingy and then another great right up serves to kindle my interest Sounds to good to be true Is it really that simple it all sounds a bit technical for me.
Nice to know your freezer is full, should see you ok during the credit crunch. Must catch up with some of you guys, you
could enlighten me in the finer points of rifle shooting did I just say that

[humperdingle]

How much is the stalking again Rob? I'm getting a severely itchy trigger finger at the prospect of some deer!

[URX]

you wont be disappointed top day out and bargain price

[hungryrob]

How much is the stalking again Rob? I'm getting a severely itchy trigger finger at the prospect of some deer!

70 pence a pound...

You're looking at £70 for a medium doe and £80 for a biggun. No charge if you don't shoot one.

Bucks are much much more...

But there is an absolute heart stopper there at the minute.. I can't help but gasp ( ) every time I see him.

[humperdingle]

How much is the stalking again Rob? I'm getting a severely itchy trigger finger at the prospect of some deer!

70 pence a pound...

You're looking at £70 for a medium doe and £80 for a biggun. No charge if you don't shoot one.

Bucks are much much more...

But there is an absolute heart stopper there at the minute.. I can't help but gasp ( ) every time I see him.

Nice, sounds reasonable. I'm seriously contemplating the variation to .223 or similar, so might need some suitable quarry in a bit!

[hungryrob]

Nice, sounds reasonable. I'm seriously contemplating the variation to .223 or similar, so might need some suitable quarry in a bit!

Get it sorted, you know it makes sense

If you want a stalk, I may have a morning free in a couple of weeks. You can use my rifle.