Shouting at deer

jack

Well-Known Member
Forgive my ignorance, could someone offer the benefit of their experience.
In my high seat on Friday, after 10 minutes saw a Roe buck 300 yards away at the other end of the wheat field.

It slowly wandered up one hedge until it was 25 yards away. It was not stationary for very long at any time so I took a heart shot at 25 yards and it dropped after 3 yards.

Had I shouted at it , "Oi," or something similar would it have stopped and looked for the noise source long enough for me to head shoot it or would it run.
 
i have often whistled at deer to get them to put brakes on. just to give me a window of opportunity.
 
jack said:
Had I shouted at it , "Oi," or something similar would it have stopped and looked for the noise source long enough for me to head shoot it or would it run.

you will never know the answer to that as you shot it before you tried :evil: :evil:
keep shooting them in the chest mate untill , you hav a bit more experience , then you will be able to answer your own question,
by then you also will of had a chance to observe more of the behaviour patterns of the deer you are shooting at and hopefully hav no mis-haps from rushing a head or neck shot,
but i do recommend shouting OIII at them to stop them before taking a chest shot, could save you a whole heap of probs if you pull one while it is still walking
regards
stone
 
jack said:
Had I shouted at it , "Oi," or something similar would it have stopped and looked for the noise source long enough for me to head shoot it or would it run.

Jack

Also remember that at that distance your bullet would be about 1" - 1.5" LOW at 25 yds?

Thats alot for a head shot and POI would not be the same as POA

RF
 
A whistle or an oi works well on an unsuspecting deer.

I often use a loud bark sound to stop a buck, this even works if you spook deer from cover as well. ;)

Mark.
 
I do not know what experience you have Jack but your post makes me wonder why you would apparently wish to head shoot this buck. Yes you could have shouted/ whistled or whatever whilst your buck was 100yds or so out but having not done so, in my opinion your shot choice and it's result were totally correct. Maybe not as satisfying in your mind as a longer shot but to me the ideal is to dispatch deer in a humane manner. Jack, you achieved this.

I have been stalking for a good few years, have level 1 & 2. To be honest I have difficulty in coming to terms with the seemingly increasing number of stalkers who in my opinion are almost promoting the neck/head shot as the one that must be achieved.

I know that all experienced stalkers will agree that the neck/head shot leaves the largest percentage chance of wounding an animal. So why has the likes of Jack (assuming he is inexperienced) thinking the way he is?

Again if an inexperienced stalker does take on what maybe a very difficult shot and wounds the animal which then takes off, does he then posses the experience to know what to do under this situation.
 
Good advice, IMO, gents.

I would strongly disaggree,however with the point that most experienced stalkers would say that a neckshot, under the correct circumstances, gives a much greater chance of wounding.

I shot my first hind 23 years ago and have worked professionally with deer for nearly 20 years. I have not shot as many as some but would hope that I would be considered as 'experienced'. Length of service does not, of course neccessarily mean that you are doing it right!(I, too have done DSC levels I and II,etc). I would say, however , that I personally have the utmost respect for deer, stalking and deer management is my passion and I always set out to do my job to the best of my ability, as efficiently, and cleanly as possible.

When stalking Red Deer myself, if the situation is suitable I will generally shoot in the neck. I have seen FAR fewer deer wounded with this kind of shot than an attempted chest shot. I am not maligning the chest shot at all, nor am I promoting the neck shot, but for me it works well. Roe are a different story in that the target area in the neck is obviously much smaller.

I would never promote the neck shot as ''the one to take'' ESPECIALLY to the novice. Under the right circumstances, however I beleive it has its place. I know several very experienced professionals who think and do the same, born through experience, and not carelessness or a lack of respect for deer.

Anyway, I better stop as we all know there is another thread running on this..................................... :)
 
just say "HAY YOU " the animal will stop and look in your direction as if to say

WHO ME.


never shout a whisper will do . keep her country .
 
Traveler, I would not disagree with you down to the fact that you, through experience, state "under the right circumstance". You also take into account the large difference between the neck size of a red and roe but I rest my case with Jack's post. What he did was in my opinion a correct option but he still thinks if he had shouted would it have given him enough time for a head shot. A deer startled by a sudden noise like a shout will stop to look but it is also in a split second ready to run. Not in my opinion the right circumstance to go for a head shot. So what makes Jack (sorry to use you like this Jack) think that he should have perhaps gone for a head shot.

In my opinion his thinking is based on belief that the neck/head shot is the "one to achieve".
 
Totally aggree with last post. Under those circumstances the head or neck shot was not the one to take. In fact there are very,very few occasions when a head shot full stop is suitable. I maintain my belief on the neck shot, though, although am in NO WAY promoting it as ''the shot to take'' to anybody, particularly so to a novice.
 
Jack
A a good result I'd say. Shouting can work, but it's usally done to halt a moving beast so as to allow a shot before the animal dissapears from view.Your beast was getting closer (an advantage) an ultimately presented a nice shot. I reckon that the aimpoint is down to the individual stalker taking into account experience, competence and circumstance; as a result you will find that engine room shots are by far the most common as they allow for some margin of error as a result of wind,nerves,distance and so on.

At least you are getting a shot, I've spent the last two weekends trailing round the Highlands getting wet and nowt else.

Regards
 
i also shout i use it on deer and on foxes which are running in the lamp what ever noise you make tho in my opinion it must be short and sharp remember you are not frightening the deer only making it curious
 
Question regarding calling to alert/stop a deer for a shot.

If you call/whistle/whisper (Whatever noise works for you), you are therefore alerting the deer to something being there which it can't (assuming good fieldcraft) see. At this point, is adrenaline not starting to course through its viens inc ase it neds to react quickly to a seen/unforeseen threat?

And does this not taint/tighten the vension up because of said adrenaline?

I've done this on rabbits, hares, squirrels with aview to shooting and eating, and never really noticed any change in texture/flavour to the meat, just wondered if this same process applies to Deer. I recall reading that when shooting a deer (Heart/Lung), that upon removal of the heart, it should be like jelly and not like a rubber ball due to the 'danger' chemicals if the deer percieves a threat?

SS
 
Question regarding calling to alert/stop a deer for a shot.

If you call/whistle/whisper (Whatever noise works for you), you are therefore alerting the deer to something being there which it can't (assuming good fieldcraft) see. At this point, is adrenaline not starting to course through its viens inc ase it neds to react quickly to a seen/unforeseen threat?

And does this not taint/tighten the vension up because of said adrenaline?

I've done this on rabbits, hares, squirrels with aview to shooting and eating, and never really noticed any change in texture/flavour to the meat, just wondered if this same process applies to Deer. I recall reading that when shooting a deer (Heart/Lung), that upon removal of the heart, it should be like jelly and not like a rubber ball due to the 'danger' chemicals if the deer percieves a threat?

SS
 
Gazza said:
Traveler, I would not disagree with you down to the fact that you, through experience, state "under the right circumstance". You also take into account the large difference between the neck size of a red and roe but I rest my case with Jack's post. What he did was in my opinion a correct option but he still thinks if he had shouted would it have given him enough time for a head shot. A deer startled by a sudden noise like a shout will stop to look but it is also in a split second ready to run. Not in my opinion the right circumstance to go for a head shot. So what makes Jack (sorry to use you like this Jack) think that he should have perhaps gone for a head shot.

In my opinion his thinking is based on belief that the neck/head shot is the "one to achieve".

At 25 yards the target is a lot larger than at 100 yards.
The reason for considering a head shot was a reduction in the meat damage to the carcase.
But it was not still for long enough to even contemplate that.
I shoot for my own consumption not to sell.
I have been stalking for just over a year and shot 12 deer, none head or necked.
 
jack said:
At 25 yards the target is a lot larger than at 100 yards.
The reason for considering a head shot was a reduction in the meat damage to the carcase.
But it was not still for long enough to even contemplate that.
I shoot for my own consumption not to sell.
I have been stalking for just over a year and shot 12 deer, none head or necked.

Jack
About one a month aye nice going
It is also good that you are not forced to take head shots and are only wanting doing so, as to save on meat damage
why bother worrying about it ,at the most if you put the bullet through both shoulders , you are normally only losing one shoulder's worth by the time you have cut of all the edible meat (meat for casseroles , stir fry or mince ), i quite regulary put the bullet through the chest or shoulder and still get enough meat for all my needs and a few of the neighbours :)
if you were head shooting as a need too or because of height of cover then that's a different set off rules
yes 25 yards is a bigger target but also can make the nerves a little more shaky to , good luck in your choice of shot and hope you make the right decision for each and every shot
just don't be into much of a rush and when the time comes you will know
ATB
 
jack said:
At 25 yards the target is a lot larger than at 100 yards.
The reason for considering a head shot was a reduction in the meat damage to the carcase.
But it was not still for long enough to even contemplate that.
I shoot for my own consumption not to sell.
I have been stalking for just over a year and shot 12 deer, none head or necked.

Jack if you watch roe deer feeding at any distance they constantly lift/lower their heads to listen and watch for trouble. During this surveillace of their surroundings the body is normally fairly still. For this reason I would always go for a chest shot.

If your rifle is zeroed at 100yds a shot at 25yds at a larger target still has it's considerations. I know my rifle would be firing high at that range so it is not just as simple as bigger target easier hit.

Because I reside and shoot in Scotland I use a 22-250 for roe. A well placed chest shot causes little meat damage but I admit that when squeezing the trigger I am thinking of a humane kill and not meat damage.

As traveller points out there are occassions when a neck/head shot maybe suitable, and I agree the species of deer being hunted comes into that consideration, but knowing when these occassions occur takes experience both in your knowledge of your prey and perfected marksmanship.
 
I have found a whistle to be very good at stopping a spooked deer - often they will stop long enough giving you the chance of a shot.

If the beast is quietly walking in as in this case, I would just do a quiet click of the tongue - just enough to make them pause.

I shot a buck at 25 yards the other night. It was quatering towards me so shot it through the shoulder - and it went straight down - albeit the nearside shoulder was a bit of a mess and heart lungs were completely turned to mush.

I have taken head and neck shots and will do so again, but only where I have plenty of space to take a safe follow up shot if needed - ie on the Scottish Hill.

With Roe on farmland you have to be very careful about ensuring solid backdrop to ensure a safe shot. A chest shot a) gives you much more room for error, b) is generally lower than a neck shot thus immediately gives you a better angle for a safe shot, and c) the bullet will use up a lot more energy in the beast, whereas with a neck shot it goes straight through and keeps on going.
 
Back
Top