Write Ups

Write ups of your recent trips and event reports.
Out again
So the on to fulfill muntjac and fallow orders after pheasant season. We had a full day out and 3 of us managed 3 fallow and 7 muntjac. Christened the new alpex 4k, firstly on a tree stake that proved I should have held high at 50yds… then a fallow with a dislocated shoulder and broken leg with wire cut above its hoof. Successful day but by Christ fallow are hard work to stalk and extract!
An endless piece of string.
A friend has a vested interest in inviting me to his property also the adjoining fields as the muntjac filter through into his well kept garden! Always a good evening if it is a blank trip as he enjoys the time out, he often says "just for once I would be nice to spot one before you do " The doe appeared 20 mins after we pitched up, she was back in cover giving "us" time to shorten the distance with her fate waiting on sticks aa she broke cover. No profit in the top field so I said "you catch up" which turns into a fast walk for the last 15mins of deer light, 2 hares and something larger! East wind was perfect also the hedge gave a good background, he was feeding into the wind also squarer to me much in the same place as the other...
Chinese Frost Deer in the Winter sun
Hello everyone. It's been a while since I posted one of these stories but last weekend's adventure rekindled my appetite for sharing stories. With the game shooting season just ended (I'll come to that at some later point), it was time to head off up the M1 in search of larger quarry, so I went to meet my friend J, having a break from the trials of recent fatherhood (congratulations again!). What better way to recover from regular sleepless nights than to get up at the crack of dawn after all? Unlike the same time last year, this was a beautiful frosty winter's day, the ground was hard rather than a quagmire, the deep puddles were covered in a layer of ice, and we set out into the fields just after 8am. We quickly spotted 5 or 6...
A few months ago Tom from @Chiltern Sporting put a post up about offering a free stalk and some training for a beginner that doesn’t have easy access to stalking. I was lucky enough to be able to take part in this. The experience was fantastic, Tom was really knowledgeable, a great mentor and took me through everything really well. I would really recommend him. I’m a younger guy who’s not from a rural background but everything was explained really well and clearly, and I feel like I have learnt a tremendous amount and it has set me up well for my upcoming DSC1. We met up at mid day, went through a practice shoot with some great tuition, was given a lesson on Roe and general deer ecology and behaviour, followed by a good few hours...
Just in from completing my DSC 2 witnessed stalk. It's funny to be assessed on something you do, day in and day out, the nerves were definitely there. Met the assessor and chatted through what he needed. Had a look at my FAC, rifle, and what gear I had with me; first aid kit, knife, disposable gloves etc. From there I took him up to a spot, to spy an enclosed woodland. Took the Pulsar thermal out and spotted a few stags and some roe, so on we began. As we got moving I settled in to another day in the office. The first beast we saw wasn't shootable due to being near some train tracks, plus the wind was at my back. On we went, up through some trees and I spotted two stags about 150m away. I set up my shooting sticks and watched them munch...
Another purile (sic) tale from the Highlands and Islands...
Warning this post may contain (almost certainly will) puerile content. "Go to Islay" said my friend... "Lots to do on Islay" said my friend... "Lots for your wife to do on Islay" said my friend. Yeah. About that... Long short. I went to Islay. Worse than that, I went to Islay with my wife. I invited my wife. I did not invite Storm Eowyn... Islay is a long way from my wee house. Pretty much it is two days trek. Start with your back to the English Channel and stop when you fall into the water left of Glasgow. At least that is what the AA rout planner says. It was not wrong. Whilst we had planned to stay in the Stonehouse Castle - they had decided to close for the inbound leg of our journey, and so we ended up in a wee B&B in...
It's behind you!
After a muntjac no show yesterday I carried on looking for foxes with one early on looking at me in some scrub, its timing was very good as it watched me deploy the sticks put the rifle on top then soon as my head went to the scope it legged it lol, no matter I will catch up with it, the deer clock timed out so being local I had time to keep looking. One fox on a mission around 200 yards didn't want to stop at all so after calling it pays to have a scan! Big heat source by the ditch behind me, will it leg it? Sticks were close to the line a tiny re adjust down he went. Back out this evning over a very productive 7 acres field for muntjac with an early fox threading the back hedge so I made double time the 170 ish yds and waited a...
First stalk and first Muntjac Buck
I attended my first stalk at the Thoresby Estate on Saturday, On arrival John asked whether I would like go for something for the table or something larger, I opted for something for the table. We headed out looking for a suitable Fallow and although we had eyes on plenty a safe shot was not available, this was the story for the Whole of the morning. Even when my 3 hours were up John continued and tried to get me a suitable chance but it was not in our favour. I wasn’t expecting to go out first time and get a shot and was happy with the morning and the knowledge John has shared. We headed back to the truck and he said he would drive us to another area so I could see the Reds and at least I would have seen the four species at...
Beaters’ Day 2025
My eldest and middle sons hit the requisite number of days to take part in Beaters’ Day. We only have the one suitable gun so they alternated. My eldest thinks he pricked a pheasant (with his 9gram cartridge) and a pricked pheasant was picked lower down the hill… so he’s chalking that up as a kill. Lovely day for it despite a shortage of birds.
The Best ATV 4x4 by Far
The best ATV 4x4 by far goes into semi retirement, gone home to do the odd local stalking job and to pull a flail mower around some paddocks and a Skeet range. Replaced by another quad I bought some 5 years or so ago, a poor buy at the time, which resulted in a strip down, replaced bushes, bearings and a lot of work tidying it up. Should have spent more but ended up doing much more in time 🙄 It’s been mowing paddocks for the last few years, no fenders, stripped down to the frame, so I’ve had some use out of it. More powerful than the Kawasaki, but nowhere near as well made. If I tried taking it where I took the green machine, creating rides through head height brambles etc, all that would have been left would have been a frame 😂...
First fox
First fox with eldest daughter....normally would be swim club tonight but she'd got herself in a mood over a few things and cried off I'm not having you at home doing nowt and forget the homework well go foxing instead. I txt the farmers with land I can shoot over. And decide as iv got a helper il go old school with the white lamp and .222 which works believe it or not folks! 1ST 5 min down the road farm naff all there's a couple of fallow grazing but too late. 2ND farm 5 min up the road also naff all.Shes getting bored and tired of walking and beginning too try my patience with the unnecessary questions and complaints. 3RD farm right next to where I live she can shine the lamp out the passenger window after some...
.....isn't that what we all say when we don't shoot a deer? Any way it was planned for me to visit a friend of mines, permission in Gloucester. He has had this small farm years for ferreting and rough shooting and it has always held a good head of deer, but up until now the farmer wanted them left. Roll on to him seeing forty odd about the place regular he was now keen to cash some in for steaks and burgers. My part in this was to be the provider of the before mentioned. with that in mind we mad a plan for me to head down Sunday to the deepest valleys of wales, meet up with my mate and he would drive me to the promise land. The night before doing a quick kit check- rifle, bolt,binoculars bla bla bla ****!! Where is my range finder...
French boar weekend
Off for another 3 day driven hunt with the association where I am a member. Friday was one long drive for 4 hours - foggy, freezing and not an animal seen by me in all that time - two boar and three roe were shot but that is very poor for this forest and 30 hunters posted out. Back at the hunt house, as everyone ate and drank, the talk went round to low boar numbers this season. Sat morning I decided to be super optimistic - was second from the last in a line of 18 down the side of a forest block. In front of me was quite open woods for about 40 meters and I could see right and left for probably 80+ meters. Was very ready from the moment of being posted as I though good chance a roe would move early in the drive. 5 minutes in I catch...
Reviews: Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10x50
See Review here ALSO Probably, if not, the best low light scope on the market. The Zeiss Victory HT range is phenomenal Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10×50 Courtesy of Zeiss UK and Zeiss Hunting EU I bring to you the Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10×50 Scope with the Rapid Z bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticle. Here is the geeky stuff that everyone needs to know before I start my full in-depth review of the Zeiss Victory HT 2.5-10×50. Magnification 2.5 x 10 x Effective Lens Diameter 37.7 mm 50 mm Exit Pupil Diameter 15 mm 5 mm Twilight Factors 7.1 22.4 Field of View at 100m 14.8 m 4.1 m Subjective Viewing Angle 8.5 ° 2.3 ° Diopter Adjustment Range +2 | -4 dpt Eye Relief...
Danes in Scotland
This trip took place November 2024. We where 3 persons from Denmark, but I can only talk for myself, so this writeup will be how the trip looked from my view. After a successful trip 2023 to the beautiful British countryside of Shropshire for Muntjac with Conh, we wanted to try the Scotland on our own 2024. SD posts for stalking were looked through, and we found an opportunity with Griffon Woodland for unaccompanied stalking on “red females and calves”. A PM was send and soon after Matt from Griffon woodland answered, we could get 2 week of November. Matt was very kind and helped to get the right papers for applying to “visitors firearms certificate”. The application went well, only problem was the police don’t give visitors...
2 Acres Each.
The wind direction in this 6 acre field was quite favourable this afternoon, hedges bare also a good covering of grass. The muzzle of the first doe looked just like a rabbit as she edged her way very slowly up out of the ditch, stopping a couple of times before presenting a shot, quite early on so I nipped the 110 yds got the bleeding under way and settled back in the seat. Second deer was a good 250 yds so out of the seat to close down the yardage, again a doe and in the For the New Stalkers thread a short clip and picture of the young she was carrying. Hung her up and went for a walk to 10 acres just for a look what might be holding in the small wood, no profit there so when to pick her up then make my way back, here we go says my...
We set off out at lunchtime to try for another doe or two, particularly off a sugar beet field which has been really hammered. All the miscreants were there laid up along the face of a spinney ruminating, so a stalk was on. Oh the best laid plans of mice and men. Not a sign that they were aware of us but thirty odd deer just slowly rose and mooched off through the spinney on to our neighbours ground. Wait a while says I but after an hour gave it best and moved on. The hounds were out yesterday so I expected to see deer in small groups but it was not to be. The 125 deer at one end are now hefted to our neighbours land and it would seem they are happy to see them munching on their Winter wheat, been there for a couple of months now. We...
Earlier this year I had decided I would like to shoot a British Wild Boar, and being a total Boar novice, never having seeing one in the flesh, searched Stalking Directory for providers. It became clear that there were not many professional full time stalkers able to offer ground that hold Boar, after all they are very much confined to small geographical areas in Britain. My home location being Mid Wales, the Forest of Dean was of course favourite as it is the closest. I had seen some SD members offering Boar in the FoD but some had been plagued by shooters not paying (appalling behaviour) and had withdrawn the opportunities as a result. Anyway, I looked more closely at the SD Trade Members as I needed a professional guide and had...
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