2 days with solway stalker

ive just been for a couple of days stalking with colin(solway stalker) on one of the package deals he advertised a short while ago and thought id let you know how it went. first of all i must say a huge thank you to the man himself and ian. both of these guys obviously know the ground well and worked bloody hard in order to get us a shot. on the morning of day 1 we went for a stalk in search of a buck, we didnt manage to spot a buck but it was a fantastic start to the day seeing the local area and getting to know our guide. we were out that evening to look for a boar and find them we did, my friend managed to connect with a young boar which he is still grinning like a silly bugger about. i wasnt so lucky but the boar was guys main reason for wanting to come along so this really made his trip. IMG_0429.jpg on the morning of day 2 we were out the door and heading off to the ground that the reds call home. we went our seperate ways, guy with colin and myself with ian. within minutes i could hear the stags roaring and we began the search. after sneaking across the dead ground and along the tree line and hearing the stag roar a few more times we knew we were close and my smile started to get even bigger and my heart rate rose. edging closer to a vantage point and keeping as low as possible i somehow managed to end up upto my knees in cold, smelly water(i must buy some highleg boots and gaitors) with ever so slightly wet feet. ian called me a bit further forward so i could see the stag and he looked an impressive beast but he was a bit too far to shoot, on the plus side he was heading our way so i was making myself ready when all of a sudden a hind called out and he fled with her. onwards and upwards we went but to no avail. on our way back to meet up with the others ian spotted a nice royal which we started stalking in to but then the wind swirled and he was off never to be seen again. two close calls and i was loving it even without getting a shot. in the afternoon colin would take guy and myself to look for goats and possibly a stag if one presented me with a shot. an hour later it would be smiles all round as we both managed to take a goat. we had quite a lot of time left so colin very kindly said we would go in search of a stag. we were walking along a track near some young trees when guy started getting rather excited and almost shouting about a stag we had walked past! quite how we hadnt seen it is beyond me but there he was, standing broadside at around 160 metres staring right at us, i still couldnt see him!! colin and guy were both trying to tell me where he was but i was being as blind as a bat. all of a sudeen i spotted his antlers, that was it, i was down on the ground with the rifle on the bipod and taking aim, safety off and the trigger squeezed.........the shot was good. he went around 30 yards i would guess before succumbing to the shot. i was ecstatic, my first wild red stag!! i didnt actually realise how good he was until we went over to him IMG_0455.jpg im still grinning like a silly sod now. a fantastic 2 days with colin and ill definitely be asking him for some more outings. colin if you read this then thank you so much mate, youve no idea just how much i enjoyed it. apologies for the naff write up but im knackered out and have all my kit to sort out. cheers guys
 
Good couple of days Ziggy , yours was the best beast in the larder but only by a couple
of pounds , We were right on the top of the hill with Jase and Kev yesterday, (hope Kev does a write up)
he had 2 good stags , Need to rest my legs today , back up there Monday
Nice to meet you both
Colin
 
cheers guys, spoke to rachel on the way back and shes itching to get up there now, i think the photos i sent her may have something to do with it. thanks again for some great memories.
 
hi kev, sorry to disappoint you bud. there was a slight disaster back home. i really couldnt afford to have it stuffed and after much arguing and whatnot ive ended up with just the antlers but ive still got the photos and the memories of a fantastic two days. i hear your trip went really well, so pleased you managed to get your first and second. i cant wait to go back, ive been suffering serious withdrawel symptoms(being a mardy git) since getting back home. was good to meet you all mate and i owe you a celebratory beer.
 
yeah im over the moon pete, genuinely am. when ive got some more cash sorted out i really want to go back and ill give you a heads up and see if we cant kidnap you for a weekend, you would love it. ill give you a call this week and go through it all with you :D. cheers bud
 
ziggy

Sounds like a great trip and that is a cracking stag - makes my one-antlered beast from Sutherland this year look like its in-bred, dwarf, no-mates cousin!

You must have gone out with Colin a few days after I did. Whilst we didn't manage to connect with a boar my mate and I had a grand evening out. Colin is absolutely out of the top drawer, and we'll definitely be booking with him again once we've got the dates sorted for next year.:thumb:

Edit: Pete, you'd love it up there mate - glorious country, lots of deer, pigs and goats, and some of the best river and shore fishing to be had. No further than that long-range shooting weekend we went up for.

willie_gunn
 
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i have to agree willie, you couldnt ask for more from the guy. i think someone was smiling down on me that day. i went with the attitude(like i always do) that id enjoy the trip no matter what, great scenery and good banter are what matters to me and if i had a success then it would be an added bonus, what a bonus it was though! the local barmaid was a nice lass too. i would definitely say though if any of you go up there on the reds to stop at the burger van that colin took us to, you wont regret it. i had a minute steak butty which actually resembled the side of a cow, it was huge and bloody good.
 
hahahaha what can i say colin, im a growing lad. i didnt realise they were going to be that bloody big, i was ready for a snooze after finishing the first, nevermind the second one. it definitely helped me keep my balance a bit more in the afternoon. i may come back up just for the grub. guy ate his piggy on sunday and said it was fantastic.
 
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