My first successful stalk

As I type this I have a Roe deer hanging in my garage which will be butchered in a couple of days time. I have to say a big thankyou to Ian Farrington for this mornings stalk and for his patience with me.

It took a while to find any deer this morning but then just before 9am Ian spotted 3 in a field about 270 yds away we crept as close as we could behind cover and had a choice of a 200yd shot or crossing an open field with the real prospect of spooking them.


Ian was happy with my shooting ability following a morning on the range two weeks ago so gave me the option to take the shot, even though it was quite long. The deer was butt on to us, so I had the opportunity to get comfortable before it turned side on and gave me the target I was after. I took the shot and was really pleased to see the hit before I the recoil took the sight picture away. I reloaded and we approached the deer, the blood trail from where it was shot was very clear and easy to follow, and we found the deer about 40 yards away dead.

As it was my first kill, Ian did the gralloch explaining the process as he went. It was then bagged and carried to the car for the trip home.

All in all I was really pleased with my shot especially as it was a clean kill and I cannot wait for for my next trip out.

Top marks to Ian both as a host and guide and would highly recommend his services. :D
A photo will follow shortly.

Regards

Matthew the happy hunter.
 
Well done on getting your first deer and I bet your excellent performance at what was approaching the maximum distance it is common to shoot deer at will give you a great confidence boost!
 
As I type this I have a Roe deer hanging in my garage which will be butchered in a couple of days time. I have to say a big thankyou to Ian Farrington for this mornings stalk and for his patience with me.

It took a while to find any deer this morning but then just before 9am Ian spotted 3 in a field about 270 yds away we crept as close as we could behind cover and had a choice of a 200yd shot or crossing an open field with the real prospect of spooking them.


Ian was happy with my shooting ability following a morning on the range two weeks ago so gave me the option to take the shot, even though it was quite long. The deer was butt on to us, so I had the opportunity to get comfortable before it turned side on and gave me the target I was after. I took the shot and was really pleased to see the hit before I the recoil took the sight picture away. I reloaded and we approached the deer, the blood trail from where it was shot was very clear and easy to follow, and we found the deer about 40 yards away dead.

As it was my first kill, Ian did the gralloch explaining the process as he went. It was then bagged and carried to the car for the trip home.

All in all I was really pleased with my shot especially as it was a clean kill and I cannot wait for for my next trip out.

Top marks to Ian both as a host and guide and would highly recommend his services. :D
A photo will follow shortly.

Regards

Matthew the happy hunter.
I take it from your location your guide would have been Ian Farrington please correct me if I am wrong, if so a very worthy guide very helpfull and knowledgeable chap yet to hear a bad report on that man.
Well done Matthew and well done again Ian for putting your man in the right place once again.
 
Thanks for the kind words guys. My first deer was a pretty special experience, the first of many I hope. DSCN8723.jpg

Regards

Matthew
 
Well, I have almost reached the end of this thread.

Since last Thursday when I shot the deer, it has hung for 4 days and then on Boxing day I had my first go at skinning a deer which was very interesting, then my wife and I butchered the carcass. We watched a couple of youtube videos about cutting up a roe deer and then got stuck in. It was suprisingly easy and we were both impressed with how much meat we got.

We tried to make things easy for ourselves so we cut the haunches into steaks, kept the filets whole and also cut the saddles into steaks. The neck, shoulders and off cuts went into a stewing pile. We bagged it into 2 portion sizes all neatly marked up and then straight into the freezer. We did not use every scrap of meat so we had no mince etc. which is a little wastful but we have enough 'good' meat and next time we will plan for burgers mince and sausages.

It was a much easier exercise than I thought it would be and although it took a bit of time we will become quicker with more pracrice. Karen and I are already talking about a deer freezer :D

So for my first kill, apart from the gralloch which I will do next time, I did everything, from pulling the trigger to the preperation for the pot. I know this is old hat for you experienced boys and girls, but for me it has been a really enjoyable learning experience.

As I type this, my wife is out shopping for the ingredients for our first taste of the deer. I think the recipe will be pan fried venison with port and figs and home cut potato wedges. I think I deserve a bottle of Otter Claus from the Otter brewery which is local to me whilst I wait for Karen to return, then a nice bottle of red wine to wash the meal down.

Life cannot get much better than this:D

Regards and happy hunting to everyone for 2012


Matthew

P.s. A final big thankyou to Ian Farrington for his help and guidance with the stalk and gralloch. :thumb::thumb: Top man!
 
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Well done Matthew.

Satisfying isn't it?

I'm just frying up some fresh roe backsteaks as I type this with an onion and some herbs. Young doe (last years rather than this I would say) with a wounded foot.She had obviously had it caught in a fence at some point and lost the hoof although the dewclaw remained. I saw her brother first and watched him for several minutes before she hoved into view behind him. After I shot her he remained nearby browsing for 5 minutes until I gently disturbed him causing him to melt into the woods. Hopefully I'll catch up with him in the summer.
 
I enjoyed reading this. Nice to read about it all the way through to the frying pan.

My experience with Ian was much like yours, good to go out with and lots of information being provided, he probably has the largest collection of hunting videos anywhere, well worth a visit.
 
Many congratulations. I don't think I'll ever forget my first and it felt a long way off at 100 yards, great shot and enjoy the meals!
 
Reading some of the replies where the distance of the shot was mentioned I think I should clarify a little about the range and the rational behind the shot. The range of the shot was not meant to be a boast but just a recounting of the day. Ian got me as close to the doe as we could under cover and he then asked me to practice holding the scope onto one of the white fur patches on the doe's bottom to see if the shot was on. The doe stood still for a few minutes to allow me to practice the hold, and as I was able to comfortably hold the scope on the area I felt very comfortable that I could take a clean shot if and when the doe turned broadside. Once she did turn, she again stood still for a long time so I had plenty of time to readjust my position and then take the shot without rushing.

It was not until I posted the distance here that I found out it was possibly a longer shot than a lot of deer are taken at. In the past, I had done a lot of full bore target shooting at bisley and I was classified an expert shot by the NRA at 1000 yards so the range did not bother me. I knew if I was careful and calm the shot would be good but I have to stress that if I had had any doubts about my ability to cleanly take the shot I would have declined it.

As I had spent time with Ian on the range, he was satisfied with my ability and was happy to offer me the shot which I accepted, my only concern was a clean kill. I suppose I am a little sensitive not to be seen as a wannabe long range shooter, just a good stalker that can shoot well enough to kill deer cleanly.

Anyway, insecurity over, thanks to all of the encouraging replies and I hope to post other successful stalks here. This is a great site and I am learning so much from reading everyone's experiences and advice on here.


Kind regards

Matthew
 
Great read Matthew and congrats on your success. Whereabouts in Taunton are you?
 
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