First Deer

Dovebob

Well-Known Member
All,

I’ve posted a few times about how things have been going since my DSC 1 so I thought I’d do a post about my first deer.

I’m from the East Midlands but this weekend Mrs DB and I took our Niece camping at Rosedale Abbey in North Yorkshire. On the off chance I rang John Robson from Yorkshire Roe Stalking to see if there was any chance of a stalk. An outing was booked for Saturday evening. I explained that I don’t have my own rifle yet and had not shot a deer. John was very relaxed and said that would be fine.

So Saturday evening came. I met up with John and we headed onto the ground we were going to stalk. John explained that he’d been up there the day before and had seen three Bucks (a pricket, a 4 pointer and a 6 pointer) and some Does.

We had a quick drive round and glassed a couple of woods. John then set up a target. I fired a couple of shots sitting down and one standing, both off sticks. My experience of different rifles is limited but the stainless, synthetic Finnlight seemed pretty good to me and I felt comfortable with it.

We then set off on the stalk. John explained that there would be two phases to it; a circuit around the perimeter of a wood followed by sitting and waiting in a likely spot.

We spent about an hour moving slowly round the outside of the wood. There were fresh signs of deer but all was quiet so we moved onto the spot were we would sit and wait.

We set ourselves up in the undergrowth on a bank next to one of the gullies that cross the area. There was a wood in the background, an area of tussoch grass in the mid ground and an open area in front of us.

I’d only just got myself comfortable when John spotted a doe on the edge of the wood. She was quickly followed by the largest of the bucks that John had seen the day before. The buck started to make his way along the edge of the wood. I was lined up on him but John told me not to rush as he’d make his way through the long tussochs and into the open ground in front of us. The buck obliged and I watched him through the scope as he made his way closer.

He was about halfway through the rough stuff when he stopped and started to look directly at us. I’d been adjusting the sticks and I think he’d spotted movement. At the same time a second Doe appeared from the wood and started running about all over the place. She skipped in and out of the woods a couple of time while the Buck watched us and her in equal measure.

Eventually the doe started to graze and the Buck calmed down and continued towards the open ground. He emerged into the open and I new this was my chance. I could see him but there were some blades of grass in front of the scope and my view was a bit blurry. He took a few more steps and then stopped to graze. John said “take him now” and I squeezed off the shot.

The next few seconds seemed to take minutes to pass. The buck jumped and did a couple of turns, before lying down. John glassed him and seemed happy that everything was ok. We set off across the field.

My heart sank when we got to the buck. He was on his side and there was a wound (which turned out to be the exit) further down his flank than I was expecting. I thought I’d pulled the shot a bit and gone through his gut. John explained that he wouldn’t have gone down like he did if that had been the case. When we turned him over the entry hole was pretty much where it should’ve been and I was very relieved. The gralloch revealed that his rumen, bladder etc. was all intact. His heart had been shredded by the bullet and was in several pieces.

The above is my account of what happened. What I can’t really put into words are the sensations and emotions that went through my mind during the course of the evening. It was a mixture of excitement, apprehension, responsibility, elation and reflection. My main thought at the point of squeezing the trigger was “make sure you do it right and don’t wound him”. At that point I became acutely aware of the brevity and responsibility of the situation in a way that I’ve never experienced before.

Many, many, many thanks to John for an experience I will never forget. I hope there will be many more. If anyone fancies stalking a Roe in Yorkshire I cannot recommend John highly enough. There is more to guiding than knowing the ground and the deer. Quickly assessing the person being guided and giving them confidence is vital and John got the measure of me within minutes - he’s a true Pro.

Apologies for banging on but as you can probably all tell, I’m still very excited and haven’t stopped smiling since. I’m not a whizz on IT but I think John can post some photos in due course.

Cheers,

Bob
 
You bang on till you tire of telling it mate! It's a pleasure to read, as it takes every one of us back to our first beast. You summed up the emotions perfectly. Well done on the stalk, shot and write up. Sounds like you had a top man in John to guide you through it.

I wish you many more, but non will match this one.

Mark
 
well it sounds like you have the bug. now its with you, you wont look back. stalking really takes hold of you and i love every moment of it:)
 
Bob, superb write up. Know exactly how you feel as I took my first Roe buck earlier this year, it was just like the first deer that I had shot. It did take a long while for the smile to wear off.

Ramble on to anyone who will listen and dont stop telling it... It will stay with you forever.

Good luck getting the next one.
 
I shot my first deer over ten years ago now and I can still remember the whole event like it was yesterday. Well done to you and your guide. He is a top bloke. FM.
 
well done bob, im really pleased for you mate, hope you get some photos up for us. i great write up there.
 
excellent write up dovebob!! well done! ime sure it will be on youtube very soon also pictures on this site.john certainly has it all,knowledge,land,and with plenty deer on it too!! you must have been there the day after me,cant wait to see photos/video. :thumb:
 
exellent job i was with you all the way with a big cheesy grin :D you will definately be hooked after that looking forward to the pictures all the best,wayne
 
Here you go lads the edit we had turned the deer over for the camera as he was a little upset at the exit but I assure you it was fine and the liver and diaphram were intact.




I hurried him to shoot as to our right there was a rape field and once in the open the buck could have made good time and the chance lost.
A shot into the near shoulder with the big slow 156's in the 6.5 leave no real damage anyway and it can be trimmed.
WELL DONE YOUNG MAN. ( p.s. the deer do'nt always move on cue like that.)LOL
Think he might be having a few more holidays up here now.

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THIS RIFLE WAS MADE (EMPTY+SAFE) BEFORE ANYONE COMMENTS.......
 
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ah...... i knew it would not take "sir john" long to post!!! i don't know how he gets the time to do it all!!!!:D
 
Here you go lads the edit we had turned the deer over for the camera as he was a little upset at the exit but I assure you it was fine and the liver and diaphram were intact.




I hurried him to shoot as to our right there was a rape field and once in the open the buck could have made good time and the chance lost.
A shot into the near shoulder with the big slow 156's in the 6.5 leave no real damage anyway and it can be trimmed.
WELL DONE YOUNG MAN. ( p.s. the deer do'nt always move on cue like that.)LOL
Think he might be having a few more holidays up here now.

rg2.jpg


robertgardner.jpg


THIS RIFLE WAS MADE (EMPTY+SAFE) BEFORE ANYONE COMMENTS.......
ah yes a point i made about photos with bolts closed to john when i opened my bolt for the photo!! and his reply was "we both know and have seen it is empty and safe,there fore it is!!" and quite true it is i think!! after all Ive never heard anyone been accidentally shot from a photo!!
 
Excellent write up and congratulations. My first deer was in Oct 2008. I shall relate the tale here if thats ok.

I'd been looking forward to my first outing Roe stalking for weeks, practising with of all things my air rifle! I could consistently shoot ragged groups at 30yds off sticks and Id been head shooting rabbits for many years with the air rifle.(an S410 which is a brilliant air rifle but thats another story)
We arrived at our digs, after a 2.5hr drive. My 'guide' (game shoot syndicate pal) probably sick to death by the million questions I was asking all the way ranging from 'will there be many deer there' to ' are we there yet, are we there yet'.
After a quick cuppa and introductions we set off to a quarry where I shot a full bore rifle for the first time (.243 Sako75)......an air rifle it ain't says I! (I think it was a bit more along the lines of 'fook me!')
I had though managed to hit fairly and squarely in the square at 100yds and repeated this with the next two shots. Happy that I could at least hit a paper target my guide told me we would be awake and 5 the following morning and out for 5.30 for my first stalk.
He might have been awake at 5 the next morning, there was nothing about awake for me though, I hadn't slept a wink
After another quick brew we set off.
That bluey black of the sky was giving way to the starts of sunlight as we drove along the estate road. We stopped at a layby and my guide explained that we'd need to wait another 15-20 mins before it was time to start.
Looking up the hill, with a large wood to the left and a gateway about 60yds ahead, it was easy to see the light increasing every minute as we waited.
I'm sure the dog in the back of the vehicle knew better than us when it was time to set off as he became restless and gave a little whine, impatient to get on.
Looking up the hill again at the light increasing seemingly every second now I turned to my guide and says 'those two deer there halfway up the hill, are they what we are after?'. He gave me the most incredulous look and questioned the colour of my testicles and urged me to very quietly get out of the vehicle.
He collected the gun, sticks and dog and we crept on hands and knees to the gateway, keeping low behind a low thin hedge along the track.
As I was passed the gun and sticks the excitement levels where rising as fast as the national debt.
My guide glassed the two deer and told me to take aim on the one to the right of the two and to take the shot when I was ready. They were about 80yds away.
Here goes, crosshairs on target, breath, I said BREATH, now hold and THWWWWACK.
Its at this point that your heart lifts to your throat and you think the worse, did I shoot it cleanly, but before I could think too much about that I was told to take aim and shoot the still standing second deer. Again, THWWWWACK, only this one dropped where it stood.
We waited a few minutes although how I sat still with the amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins I dont know, but wait we did.
Now we set forth up the hill with the dog, my guide told me the first deer had dropped about 30 yds from where I'd shot it and there it was exactly as he'd said. The second deer died where it stood.
Gralloching them it was clear I had pulled slightly back on the first one (Mature doe) (he told me nearly everybody did this on their first deer as the temptation is to go for the largest mass in order to make the hit rather than the correct spot for a heart/lung) but it was clean with no damage to the rumen, the second one (yearling kid) was right through the top of the heart.
To say I was elated is an understatement.

To this day I still get called 'golden B0770ck5' as everytime I'm out with this chap we see/shoot plenty of deer (last two trips seeing in excess of 10 and shooting 7 on each occasion) but none stays in the memory like those first two even if the stalk wasnt the 'classic' stalk I had envisaged (they have since been achieved I'm glad to say)

Tony
 
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement on this - they are much appreciated.

Thanks again to John at Yorkshire Roe Stalking for the experience. It will stay with me for a very long time.

Cheers,

Bob
 
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