scrumbag
Well-Known Member
Well, today I got my DSC2 cert through the post.
I did my first ever deer stalk with @sikamalc and shot my first ever deer with @IanF. So, it seemed rather fitting I did my 3 DSC stalks with those guys.
1st of November was a Friday and saw me drive down from SW London to Holmbush to meet Malc.
After a brew and a chat we piled into Malc's truck and did a short drive to a woodland block. Did a dainty hop over the ditch, loaded up and off we went.
Stalked down a few rides, quite a warm and muggy morning so the deer seemed to start moving late. A munty darted across the ride infront of me but nothing like a shot presented. Set up and waited to see if anything else popped out. A fox came down the ride towards us. We were frozen. Now, I grow up in N Wales which grows 2 things: Lambs and birds for shooting. You could say my desire to shoot foxes is strong. Anyway, this fox kept coming... I was starting to sweat and I could feel the thumb wanting to go for the safety... Eventually the fox made us and left... It goes against the grain to let a fox walk but given this was an assessed stalk, needs must...
We upped sticks and headed to a spot where 2 rides intersected and was in the general direction of a fallow buck we could hear grunting. Popped the rifle on sticks and waited. Not long and another munty darted across infront of us - I was praying that was not going to be the story of the morning. Couple of minutes later and a mature fallow doe crosses the ride in front. Swing round and there are some yearlings followers: Low whistle and one's stopped clear: Crosshairs, drift back behind leg - bang! Good strike and a double foot kick: We could be in business - but wait there's more. Deer bounced into a patch a rhodedendrons... a several acre patch of rhodendrons...
Waited a few mins, then went down to look for the impact site on the ride. Bit of trouble finding blood. back to the shot site looked down, tried again and found a good patch of blood with pink lung tissue. "Good deer is likely down and likely dead" was my thinking. Now just a question of where. It was raining a fair but started training a decent blood train that started to peter out... bugger. Well after a lot of quartering back an forth, found the deer about 70 yds from where it was hit having run in a semi circle around the exit - couple more steps and would have been back on the ride. Approached a very dead deer and noticed some of the lung had blown through the exit.
Did a quick inspection, a couple of Qs from Malc and back to the larder for a gralloch - I mainly shoot munties and had forgotten how heavy even a small fallow can be! Fortunately gralloched worked well enough and 1 in the bag...
TBC...
I did my first ever deer stalk with @sikamalc and shot my first ever deer with @IanF. So, it seemed rather fitting I did my 3 DSC stalks with those guys.
1st of November was a Friday and saw me drive down from SW London to Holmbush to meet Malc.
After a brew and a chat we piled into Malc's truck and did a short drive to a woodland block. Did a dainty hop over the ditch, loaded up and off we went.
Stalked down a few rides, quite a warm and muggy morning so the deer seemed to start moving late. A munty darted across the ride infront of me but nothing like a shot presented. Set up and waited to see if anything else popped out. A fox came down the ride towards us. We were frozen. Now, I grow up in N Wales which grows 2 things: Lambs and birds for shooting. You could say my desire to shoot foxes is strong. Anyway, this fox kept coming... I was starting to sweat and I could feel the thumb wanting to go for the safety... Eventually the fox made us and left... It goes against the grain to let a fox walk but given this was an assessed stalk, needs must...
We upped sticks and headed to a spot where 2 rides intersected and was in the general direction of a fallow buck we could hear grunting. Popped the rifle on sticks and waited. Not long and another munty darted across infront of us - I was praying that was not going to be the story of the morning. Couple of minutes later and a mature fallow doe crosses the ride in front. Swing round and there are some yearlings followers: Low whistle and one's stopped clear: Crosshairs, drift back behind leg - bang! Good strike and a double foot kick: We could be in business - but wait there's more. Deer bounced into a patch a rhodedendrons... a several acre patch of rhodendrons...
Waited a few mins, then went down to look for the impact site on the ride. Bit of trouble finding blood. back to the shot site looked down, tried again and found a good patch of blood with pink lung tissue. "Good deer is likely down and likely dead" was my thinking. Now just a question of where. It was raining a fair but started training a decent blood train that started to peter out... bugger. Well after a lot of quartering back an forth, found the deer about 70 yds from where it was hit having run in a semi circle around the exit - couple more steps and would have been back on the ride. Approached a very dead deer and noticed some of the lung had blown through the exit.
Did a quick inspection, a couple of Qs from Malc and back to the larder for a gralloch - I mainly shoot munties and had forgotten how heavy even a small fallow can be! Fortunately gralloched worked well enough and 1 in the bag...
TBC...
only to find Scrummy has written up his stalks for his Level 2 with me.
