Well a few months after passing my DSC1, THAT miss on fieldsports TV and 15 stalks and highseat outings I finally shot my 1st solo deer today!!
It seems that I may just be learning the more I go out as I decided to re-visit the spot I wrote about the other day where I spotted the Roe deer. There is a particular crossing point that seems very busy and today was no exception, although I did think I'd missed the chance yet again at one point.
I slowly stalked around some lakes on the permission into a position where the wind was in my face which was perfect to approach the spot again. As I got about 200 yards away from the crossing I spotted a munty doe on the ride to the left around 20 yards past it bobbing in and out of the vegetation along the edge. She was slowly heading my way so I got up onto the sticks and thought I'd wait for her to get into range as I still had 30 - 40 mins of decent light left. She disappeared into the undergrowth, then I saw what I assumed was the same doe walk across the crossing point I was headed for, followed by a buck, then a few seconds later a youngster!!
This is where my inexperience showed as I thought the way they were yomping across meant they were on a mission to get to a certain feeding area on the adjacent land and one of them was the doe I was watching. I decided to head for my now favourite spot which has the crossing 80 yards from a big bush that breaks up my outline nicely. I got the sticks up and lowered my roe sack to the floor and it was at this point that I realised that the 1st doe I had watched had not actually been one of the 3 that had crossed just before. She was actually 40 yards to my left with a buck and the last I saw of these 2 were their tails aloft bounding through the cover away from me!!! Mental note for the future, once you get into position have a good look around before assuming it's clear and playing with your sack!!
After cursing myself and thinking that was game over I settled in and switched back on just in case. I decided to give the buttolo a go after being shown a technique by Uncle Norm to try to imitate a fawn calling for it's mother. It may be coincidence, but I am going to claim a perfect piece of calling, as 10mins after the 2nd series of calls a Munty doe appeared out of the brambles about 70yds to the front right of me along the ride unaware of my presence (for the time being!!)
As I had my Limulus (TM) quad sticks aiming down the center of the ride, I had to pick them up and move them around by just a smidge to get into position on the doe. (The only real issue with them as they are steady as a rock!) As I set them down one of the legs rested on one of those hollow weed stem things. I had her in my sights waiting for her to turn broadside for the ideal shot as she was front on but quartering slightly, and as I rested on the sticks further the hollow stem gave way and let off the slightest of cracks! Just enough for her to look up and stare straight at me!! I knew at this point I wasn't going to get the ideal shot so took aim front center of her chest with the thought that the bullet would still hit the vitals, and had a chance of not going straight on and breaking the guts. She dropped on the spot to the shot but I re-loaded just in case. I gave it a few minutes as I could hear something else in the same area and thought they might be like busses, but with the light starting to fade I thought it best not to attempt my 1st gralloch in the dark!
It turned out to be a good choice because when it came to opening her up the bullet had gone in where I aimed, made a mess of the vitals on the way through, expanded on hitting the rib cage behind the front leg but not produced an exit hole. All this shock had (as I have read it can do) seemed to have popped the diaphragm and sucked the rumen into the cavity and burst it open!! Lets just say it's a good job it wasn't going to a dealer and was for my own consumption. I did start to take a couple of pics and thought about doing a step by step of my 1st gralloch but with the failing light and the smell I knew it wasn't a good idea!! In the end I did a partial skinning/field butchering job too and cut through the spine just below the backstraps to keep the rear end and discarded the rest.
So there you have it, sorry I went on a bit, but I wanted to share the whole experience with you guys as without a lot of help on here I wouldn't have managed it,
Cheers
Stratts
It seems that I may just be learning the more I go out as I decided to re-visit the spot I wrote about the other day where I spotted the Roe deer. There is a particular crossing point that seems very busy and today was no exception, although I did think I'd missed the chance yet again at one point.
I slowly stalked around some lakes on the permission into a position where the wind was in my face which was perfect to approach the spot again. As I got about 200 yards away from the crossing I spotted a munty doe on the ride to the left around 20 yards past it bobbing in and out of the vegetation along the edge. She was slowly heading my way so I got up onto the sticks and thought I'd wait for her to get into range as I still had 30 - 40 mins of decent light left. She disappeared into the undergrowth, then I saw what I assumed was the same doe walk across the crossing point I was headed for, followed by a buck, then a few seconds later a youngster!!
This is where my inexperience showed as I thought the way they were yomping across meant they were on a mission to get to a certain feeding area on the adjacent land and one of them was the doe I was watching. I decided to head for my now favourite spot which has the crossing 80 yards from a big bush that breaks up my outline nicely. I got the sticks up and lowered my roe sack to the floor and it was at this point that I realised that the 1st doe I had watched had not actually been one of the 3 that had crossed just before. She was actually 40 yards to my left with a buck and the last I saw of these 2 were their tails aloft bounding through the cover away from me!!! Mental note for the future, once you get into position have a good look around before assuming it's clear and playing with your sack!!
After cursing myself and thinking that was game over I settled in and switched back on just in case. I decided to give the buttolo a go after being shown a technique by Uncle Norm to try to imitate a fawn calling for it's mother. It may be coincidence, but I am going to claim a perfect piece of calling, as 10mins after the 2nd series of calls a Munty doe appeared out of the brambles about 70yds to the front right of me along the ride unaware of my presence (for the time being!!)
As I had my Limulus (TM) quad sticks aiming down the center of the ride, I had to pick them up and move them around by just a smidge to get into position on the doe. (The only real issue with them as they are steady as a rock!) As I set them down one of the legs rested on one of those hollow weed stem things. I had her in my sights waiting for her to turn broadside for the ideal shot as she was front on but quartering slightly, and as I rested on the sticks further the hollow stem gave way and let off the slightest of cracks! Just enough for her to look up and stare straight at me!! I knew at this point I wasn't going to get the ideal shot so took aim front center of her chest with the thought that the bullet would still hit the vitals, and had a chance of not going straight on and breaking the guts. She dropped on the spot to the shot but I re-loaded just in case. I gave it a few minutes as I could hear something else in the same area and thought they might be like busses, but with the light starting to fade I thought it best not to attempt my 1st gralloch in the dark!
It turned out to be a good choice because when it came to opening her up the bullet had gone in where I aimed, made a mess of the vitals on the way through, expanded on hitting the rib cage behind the front leg but not produced an exit hole. All this shock had (as I have read it can do) seemed to have popped the diaphragm and sucked the rumen into the cavity and burst it open!! Lets just say it's a good job it wasn't going to a dealer and was for my own consumption. I did start to take a couple of pics and thought about doing a step by step of my 1st gralloch but with the failing light and the smell I knew it wasn't a good idea!! In the end I did a partial skinning/field butchering job too and cut through the spine just below the backstraps to keep the rear end and discarded the rest.
So there you have it, sorry I went on a bit, but I wanted to share the whole experience with you guys as without a lot of help on here I wouldn't have managed it,
Cheers
Stratts