Clean Stags moving

Herne

Well-Known Member
On my way home last night having walked the northern half of my land.

I spotted deer in an adjacent field exiting the woodland to the adjacent pasture.

Two were good stags both eight one possible 10 pointer and both looked clean or almost from (400yards).

A bit early for this I am thinking? Although there has been fresh tree damage and deep ground scores on a few rides in the wood.

Stags moving in daylight, well, shooting light! I could barely sleep last night.

Rgds

H.
 
When would you expect stags to be clean? im up in two weeks so hope most will be by then. I was at a deer park in Yorkshire at the weekend and the stags where in various stages from full velvet to clean.

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George
 
Stags seem pretty early this year. I had a three year old red stag clean 1st week August and seen a few other mature stags last couple of weeks of July.

Fallow and Jap Sika still looking tidy in velvet.

Alex
 
There are others with more expereince than me here, but Ithinks it depends upon many factors such as weather and feeding, geography, and in particular age of the deer.

Graoch, where are you headed for in general?

I expect most stags to be completely clear by early-mid September, howver, looking back by mid-late August most of the stags in their "prime" years will be clear.

I would appreciate any other views on this?

Rgds

H.
 
Agree with post re. Sika they seem to be a little later in my (very limited) experience.

Lovely stags in the photos - does a stately home constitute a safe backstop?!!

Make my poor little beasties look puny. Wouldn't like to drag one a mile over the peat hags though!

Rgds

H.
 
Graoch, where are you headed for in general?


Rgds

H.

West coast just south of Fort William

Lovely stags in the photos - does a stately home constitute a safe backstop?!!

Make my poor little beasties look puny. Wouldn't like to drag one a mile over the peat hags though!

Rgds

H.

Actually hard as it is to believe a 2 story stable block come out building type thing and if you think they'd be bad what about this big boy:

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George
 
A lovely part of the world if it is in the Mamore forest, steep though!

He is a monster, you can hang a few jackets on those!.

The hillstags round here avergae just under 14 stone. 17 stone is big, 20 stone is a monster, a 10 pointer is a good head and Royals are very scarce.

Lowland stags tend to be heavy in the body from good grazing but not much better in the antler department unless they have access to agricultural supplements which can make a difference, these ones tend not to last long though!

Rgds

Herne



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George[/QUOTE]
 
Might be an odd beast clean, but have not seen any yet, was out ten days ago with a friend of the lairds, shot an oldish stag that was starting to fray on the tops, everything else we saw was still in full velvet, we won't start with clients in earnest till the second week in September.

George, would think you will find some clean in a fortnight but probably not all, you can't really compare the Park deer to
wild highland beasts.


Alex, same thing would not expect to see a highland stag clean anywhere near as early as that, thats why most
highland estates don't start until September, to allow them to be clean maybe start earlier if you have big numbers to cull
but then you are culling stags in velvet doesn't matter if you are culling because numbers dictate or for venison
but not many clients will pay to shoot stags in velvet.
 
Bogtrotter,

I agree. Early - Mid September for high hill deer, the older the deer the later it sheds generally?

For clarity these are low ground stags mostly, used to easy living and plundering fields at night. They will still have some velvet I suspect, it was dusk and about 400yards away.

Rgds

H.
 
Saw first 2 completely clean Sika stags on my ground on Saturday. Both very heavy in the body and what I would have said were proper mature stags. 2 weeks ago the groups I was seeing, although 8 pointers showed no signs of even starting to clean.
 
Still full velvet here (n. devon) at least the 2 ten pointers I watched last week were; likewise the yearling in my larder.
 
Both the Reds and Sika with me now appear to be clean, and there is some significant Sika tree "thrashing" starting to become evident. I am hoping for a good rut this year, the last couple of years seem to have been a bit hit and miss on my ground.

John
 
The rut went "on" here early Stags holding hinds late September,

Then it all went "off" deer dispersed, I went on holiday stalking Invernesshire got back home and it was all "on" again!

Seemed unusual to say the least.

H.
 
I shot a young spiker yesterday evening and although just a young sika stag already showing signs of the approacing autumn. He just seemed to have that late season 'smell' about him and a slight lengthening if hair round his neck.

I honestlty think if the weather carries on the way it is with us just now we could hear early whistling very soon. A big stag I saw on Sunday took off after a young animal that really had to run for it such was the obvious intention of the stag. Very early for that kind of aggression.
 
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