For Sika lovers everywhere

JAYB

Administrator
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For those of you that are travelling North for Sika a little later in the year, here's what you might find.

normal_sika_stag.jpg


John
 
Beowulf

I promise to do my worse :eek: But you may be in luck when we was putting the bugger in my chiller my dodgy pins decided to play and I went arse over tit, flat on my back, knocked all the wind out of me, not much give in a concrete floor you know. Now I can hardly move, might be as late as the weekend before I can get out again.

John
 
Bloody hell John!
I hope you are feeling better after your accident? That sounds nasty! I'll have to bring a bottle of 'single malt' medicine for you when I come up North. Until then look after yourself matey. :D
 
I think I am quite bad, I will need a large bottle of "medicine" ;)

John
 
Hope the medicine works!!

Well done John nice piccy, hope you recover quickly from you’re mishap. Single malt always does the trick.
I was wondering, did he take some getting ?

Smithy
 
Hi Smithy,
I'm thinking of ditching my new job (bunch of morons) and getting up to Scotland a little earlier. So we can both help JayB with his medicine! Result!! :lol:
 
Hi Smithy,

I was not going to bore you with the details, as it is on another forum, but here goes. I was very very lucky.
To set the scene we went out first pre dawn and all we saw was 10 hinds so we knocked it on the head until last night. We got on site about 6 O'Clock, parked up and because I am not too good on my pins I drove to within about 300 yards of where we wanted to be. By the time we had struggled into position over this vast distance, it was 6.30. We immediately saw a hind that was running around and seemed to be playing, it then did the Sika thing and just vanished from sight. By now stags were whistleing, the first one was from the left accross the river abour 5-600 yards away, then one away to our right had a go, my turn. So I then broke into song with the caller, it is a sceery elk call but doubles up as a Sika call, I gave what i considered to be a typical Sika three whistle sequence, mind you the first one sounded like a goose after a bad curry. I then spotted a movement, 200 yards away to our left and coming in like a train, he was not shy the curry goose had obviously upset him. He got to within 100 yards and stopped, he was looking hard in our direction. Now, because of the way we were sitting and that bugger coming from where he was not supposed to be, I was going to have to shoot left handed.

Now I did not panic too much as I am one of those peculiar folk who can and quite often do shoot left handed. I am not ambidextrous, in fact I do everything right handed with the exception of writing and using a knife and fork, so I am not completely useless left handed.

Now this is where the luck comes in, first the good luck he turned to his right, giving a clear shot to the boiler room, now the bad luck the left hand shot would have to be off hand, oooer! Now more good luck, I swallowed hard took a deep breath, shouldered the rifle, breathed out, held my breath and took the shot. I heard the shot hit home and the stag took off like greased lightening, he was getting shorter and shorter as he made progress then he vanished in the long grass. My pal, who was behind me, stood up to mark the spot, he said I have my bearings, I replied don't move. Another stag had appeared from the left, he was about 250 yards away going very warily indeed, he was not sure what he was seeing, he didn't like it anyway and ran off. We sat tight for 15 minutes and then went to look for him. There he was dropped just where we left sight of him, about 15 yards from where he was shot. It was now 7 O' Clock.

He certainly was in good condition, never had such a healthy looking stag. The rifle was a CZ550 American in 6.5X55 SE, the load was 129 gr Hornady Interlock, lapua brass, CCI LR primer and 45 grains of H4350.

Now for the Sika revenge, we got him back to my garage and were getting ready to put him in the chiller, discussing the plan of attack for this evening and getting the other buck, I should add these buggers are in fact a nuisance and no matter how hard I hit them, there never seems to be a shortage of them. Anyway about now I started a reverse totter on my dodgy pins and did not stop until I landed flat on my back on the concrete garage floor. I had every bit of wind knocked out of me, I rolled over onto my side and there was the stags head, I swear the bugger was grinning at me. I can now hardly move, my wife had to dry me off this morning after my shower and then help me get dressed. Bloody stalking! I won't be fit to go again until the weekend, but the stags are in a silly mood and seem to like curry and geese.

Stag.jpg


John
 
Excellent John, you should write a book! You really should. I enjoyed that, its made me even keener to get up north! :D
 
Sika are a rule to themselves.

Hi John,
Following on from Beowulf a great recap, thanks for posting, like Beowulf I’m looking forward to our trip, little less distance for me to travel but still going to be great experience,
I live in and around Bowland and even though I have no Sika stalking here I have plenty of access to watch Sika. last night I was watch a fabulous Sika stag going backwards and forwards some distance away from the hinds he is covering, so I waited to see what was going on and sure enough two or three more stags unsure could have been the same one twice appeared, they were not together split up and were irritating the big boy and he his fantastic to say the leased. Light was fading and as I was withdrawing such a commotion, thumping, thudding and cover being smashed, I tried to see but the light was to bad then bang straight passed me 5 yards away full speed one of the stags with another in hot pursuit like I said light was to bad could not tell which was which but it got me going I can tell you, I new they were coming my way but not that close. I regularly watch them they are so interesting, I’m sure they know your there sometimes but just don’t butt an eyelid, last year near to the same ground my son and I walked onto a stag 20 yards’ away he looked stopped and lay down in the white grass unreal we stayed there for half an hour and we gave up. I’ve had them cross the road in front of the car stop in the middle of the road walk towards me and have a minor stand off and they just won’t move.
I’m sure they have a sick sense because if I was armed and stalking I probably would not see another Sika again :eek: :eek: :oops: :D .

Smithy
 
This is a great thread, I'm enjoying both of your posts. There are not enough hunting stories on this site. The ones we do have are better than a good number of the articles in the hunting magazines!

So fellow hunters lets swing the lanterns and breakout the single malt and please tell us of your hunting exploits! :p
 
Hi Smithy,

You should film them old boys, with a camera you still have to get close and make the shot, just no blood and snot to sort out afterwards, but you were still there doing it. Makes you remember when those buggers come rushing past in the darkness just how dangerous they can be. They are completely fearless, driven by their tremendous sex drive with all reason out of the window. All they want to do is fight and f.... the other thing, you know, like a matelot come ashore after 3 months at sea :lol:

I remember reading a story not too long ago about a lady rambler who had tried to make friends with a Sika stag at the wrong time of year, apparently she was making a good recovery in hospital.

Looking forward to seeing you killing machines later on.

John
 
Hi John,
Am I right to assume that we will meet when Beowulf and I make our trip North?. I hope so.
Regards killing machines I don’t think so somehow, but I can only speak for myself.

You are absolutely right; I should take the camera more! And from time to time I do, but this time I had an hour to kill, and it was a last minute thing with this area being close to where my daughter keeps her pony and the Sika are not always about.

Now regards Beowulf’s comment more stories, I am sure when the malt starts to flow there will be plenty stories, One of the better stories I have actually belongs to my mum and dad who looked after pheasants’ on a local shoot part time after he retired, They were on there rounds checking the hoppers and dogging strips when a stag charged the spaniels, talk about a dog being a mans best friend and all that, the dogs were off long gone and left mum and dad pinned behind two spruce trees, and in my dads words “he was going nowhere”. and dads been about bit and knows when its a good time to move or not, Behind them in some boggy ground with new planting were some hinds and after a little time he made is way in that direction stopping every 5 or 6 paces turning is head with a show, they had called me and by the time I got there they were walking down the road laughing but still a bit pail, The dogs were sat at the car waiting. Sorry I have not done this justice my Mum tells it best, there is more but it’s the interaction between mum and dad at the time its so funny now and every time since when we pass the ground the story comes out “Bill (dad) remember when that stag pinned us down”. and you do not want to know what hes says.

Smithy
 
As a 'Killing machine', I'll be glad to get up north and hopefully see less dog walkers and mountain bikers! I have just come back from my little patch after mending a style.
People tresspassing all over the place! The latest was two teenage Polish girls looking for mushrooms. I was having a pee, turned round and they were just stood there! :eek: :oops:
The wife took the rip out of me for escorting them off the land politely, all smiles and laughing. As she pointed out, if they had of been two blokes I would have been doing my nut at them!

If the Mrs wasn't with me I'd have gone mushrooming with the Polish girls! :lol: I know how those Sika stags feel now!!! ;)

I'll be glad when the weather turns a bit colder and the Great British public stay indoors watching X factor. I can get some stalking done then! :p
 
Killing machines

Nice one JAYB. Glad to hear that you are knocking a few Jap's over. I have to say when I was up a few days ago the weatger was very warm, and although the rut was in full swing, the weather didnt help, neither did the midges.

Good to talk with you last night, look forward to seeing you in late November.

Regards
Malc.

ps That's a nice looking hind in Gregor's shop?
 
Yeah you are right about the midges, if they keep biting like they are I shall end up blue dick or whatever it is called.

I have arranged to go out tomorrow afternoon/evening for a final shot at the Sika, well maybe the final, see if the rut is still going, no rhymn or reason to it this year.

I don't know how long it will be until that hind on Winkie's ground get's taken :eek:

John
 
Photo

Hi Stag1933

A great photo.

That's got me thinking that we should have our own mini photographic competition on this site. I know there are a number of keen photographers on this site. I'm sure we could get some prizes from somewhere. I'll give that some thought.

Cheers

Rob
Editor
 
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