Just had my yearly invite to my mates place in Scotland, it was to be a tuesday to fri trip but something cropped up at home so i only managed a couple of stalks and was back home within 24hours.
I am fortunate to have a very good friend that i met on a forum like this, for a number of years now we have invited one another on various swap hunts and have formed a great friendship.
I arrived on his doorstep at 4am and we were on the ground for 4.30, on the way up he was pulling my leg saying is this going to be the medal year ? seen as i have been very unlucky on previous trips missing out on some really good bucks one way or another as they somehow keep giving me the slip
His ground has have an abundance of quality animals with plenty of medals gold and silver taken by himself and one or two other friends.
Anyway the weather had been poor and he had concerns that the deer would be laid up, when we arrived at the gate to the ground i jumped out of the truck to open it and 30yds down the hedge was a huge buck with a cracking head that ran off down the valley barking it head off sh1t !!!!! wasn't expecting that so soon
As we stalked around this stunning area made up of steep gullys a wide valley area and woodland we passed up on a number of beasts, as we glassed over a ridge i spotted a buck partially obscured by dead fearns about 120m away.
The decision was made to go for him as time was passing on and the bigger bucks were keeping out of the way.
I tried to stalk into a better position but just couldn't get a clear boiler room shot, he kept stretching his neck out browsing along the tree line so when i had steadied my breathing and got a sound rest off the bi pod i took the shot through the neck.
I could see a puff of hair from the bucks neck through the scope and he never knew what hit him.
Now the hard bit i had to climb down over the ridge down the very steep gulley and extract him, took nearly an hour of slogging on my own to get him back while my mate watched on at the top with a smile on his face saying thats why i never bother shooting them down there
Back to his place for 40 winks, then a trip to bushware at sterling to pick some bits and bobs up before evening stalk.
My buddy was feeling knacked after his bank holiday festivties so he had a kip in the truck while i did my own thing, i had a brilliant stalk but the wind got up and the deer seemed to keep inside the thick woodland cover, i did bump an exceptional buck but it was not to be "again".
As i glassed the other side of the ground that looks over a marshy area i spotted a lovely animal out in the open, only trouble to get in range i had to crawl out in the open down a steep bank to some gorse for cover about 200m from the buck.
When i got there i watched him for i while, he had a lovely head it looked heavy although not very tall.
It seemed like an age before he gave me a straight broadside, the 87gn vmax did its job and the buck dropped to the shot.
Cheers mate,
I am fortunate to have a very good friend that i met on a forum like this, for a number of years now we have invited one another on various swap hunts and have formed a great friendship.
I arrived on his doorstep at 4am and we were on the ground for 4.30, on the way up he was pulling my leg saying is this going to be the medal year ? seen as i have been very unlucky on previous trips missing out on some really good bucks one way or another as they somehow keep giving me the slip
His ground has have an abundance of quality animals with plenty of medals gold and silver taken by himself and one or two other friends.
Anyway the weather had been poor and he had concerns that the deer would be laid up, when we arrived at the gate to the ground i jumped out of the truck to open it and 30yds down the hedge was a huge buck with a cracking head that ran off down the valley barking it head off sh1t !!!!! wasn't expecting that so soon
As we stalked around this stunning area made up of steep gullys a wide valley area and woodland we passed up on a number of beasts, as we glassed over a ridge i spotted a buck partially obscured by dead fearns about 120m away.
The decision was made to go for him as time was passing on and the bigger bucks were keeping out of the way.
I tried to stalk into a better position but just couldn't get a clear boiler room shot, he kept stretching his neck out browsing along the tree line so when i had steadied my breathing and got a sound rest off the bi pod i took the shot through the neck.
I could see a puff of hair from the bucks neck through the scope and he never knew what hit him.
Now the hard bit i had to climb down over the ridge down the very steep gulley and extract him, took nearly an hour of slogging on my own to get him back while my mate watched on at the top with a smile on his face saying thats why i never bother shooting them down there
Back to his place for 40 winks, then a trip to bushware at sterling to pick some bits and bobs up before evening stalk.
My buddy was feeling knacked after his bank holiday festivties so he had a kip in the truck while i did my own thing, i had a brilliant stalk but the wind got up and the deer seemed to keep inside the thick woodland cover, i did bump an exceptional buck but it was not to be "again".
As i glassed the other side of the ground that looks over a marshy area i spotted a lovely animal out in the open, only trouble to get in range i had to crawl out in the open down a steep bank to some gorse for cover about 200m from the buck.
When i got there i watched him for i while, he had a lovely head it looked heavy although not very tall.
It seemed like an age before he gave me a straight broadside, the 87gn vmax did its job and the buck dropped to the shot.
Cheers mate,
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