45 YEARS STALKING AND I STILL LOVE IT

[mike308]

I'm seventy now and I've been stalking now for 45 years, most of my stalking in forestry in Scotland. I've just returned from a week in Argyle on my lease and the sun actually shone for 7 days, well exept for one day when we had thick fog. I had a great week two roe fawns and a doe plus a red hind. The hind was the result of a very satisfying stalk. I spotted a group of four red feeding near the top of a big hill about eight hundred yards away. the first three hundred were easy out of sight of the deer. The next five hundred were in full view of the deer so it was on my hands and knees crawling through the rushes, nearly to my intended shooting position the hind and calf nearest the top of the hill spotted me but they quietly went over the top of the hill leaving the other two feeding. I got to my shooting position where I could sit down. I set up my trigger sticks and selected the older hind and took a chest shot at about one hundred and fifty yards. the strike was a little higher than expected, still get confused shooting steep uphill or downhill. She dropped on the spot. When I gralloched the deer the bullet had gone through both lungs just above the heart.All I had now was a one and a half hour drag back to the track. For those that worried about using copper bullets I have no problems. I use Fox Classic Hunters 150 grain with 44grain Vit N140.
Loking forward to my next trip in January.
Mike

 

[Stalker62]

still get confused shooting steep uphill or downhill.

I always shoot about 2" lower, if I am shooting up or down.

Well played on still getting out there and doing it.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Old German proverb. Die alte Regel „Bergauf und bergrunter – halt drunter!“

 

[Stalker62]

Old German proverb. Die alte Regel „Bergauf und bergrunter – halt drunter!“

The old rule :-

"Uphill and downhill - stop below!"

 

[EMcC]

I'm 80 next month and have been shooting Deer since I was 14.
My quarry was always Roe and in the early stages the Farmers wanted me to shoot them, so I did and that was what we always said, I'm going out to shoot deer and took the appropriate cartridge to do the job.
I never used the term Stalking until around the 80's when I met other people that shot Deer or when I started to read more books, until then I always associated Stalking with Scotland.

 

[308tikka]

I'm seventy now and I've been stalking now for 45 years, most of my stalking in forestry in Scotland. I've just returned from a week in Argyle on my lease and the sun actually shone for 7 days, well exept for one day when we had thick fog. I had a great week two roe fawns and a doe plus a red hind. The hind was the result of a very satisfying stalk. I spotted a group of four red feeding near the top of a big hill about eight hundred yards away. the first three hundred were easy out of sight of the deer. The next five hundred were in full view of the deer so it was on my hands and knees crawling through the rushes, nearly to my intended shooting position the hind and calf nearest the top of the hill spotted me but they quietly went over the top of the hill leaving the other two feeding. I got to my shooting position where I could sit down. I set up my trigger sticks and selected the older hind and took a chest shot at about one hundred and fifty yards. the strike was a little higher than expected, still get confused shooting steep uphill or downhill. She dropped on the spot. When I gralloched the deer the bullet had gone through both lungs just above the heart.All I had now was a one and a half hour drag back to the track. For those that worried about using copper bullets I have no problems. I use Fox Classic Hunters 150 grain with 44grain Vit N140.
Loking forward to my next trip in January.
Mike

Keep going for as long as you can!

 

[woodmaster]

I'm glad you enjoyed the time in Argyll. I'm a good few years behind you, but hope to still be enjoying the wonderful times stalking gives us. Although you started a little earlier than me. Good job on the hind and thanks for the info on non lead.