NickJ
Well-Known Member
Sit and wait, especially with sika
Find trods or racks and put a camera trap on them to see when they are moving etc
Deer Stalking In Thick Forestry
- Thread starter dan85
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Find trods or racks and put a camera trap on them to see when they are moving etc
Alhamander
Well-Known Member
My patience at sitting & waiting ran out after about an hour and a half and I started stalking again
- probably need more patience!
Alhamander
Well-Known Member
To your No.2 point, yes, as I don't have thermal or a "useful" dog, I think it may be heading towards impossible. Thus, rides & paths it looks like it is, which is fine.
One thing to bear in mind is that a couched deer is effectively viewing from ground level. While you are twisting and turning to get past those horrible petrified branches, or being lashed in the face by green branches you are quite likely to be observed.
Lie up with a dog as your observer, be prepared for prone shots and finally be prepared to ask yourself why the fxxx did I shoot that when even a fifty yard drag is purgatory.
Seriously, like a lot of guys have said know your gaps and gullies if stalking in cover, or consider watching outside edge first and last light. Dog and thermal will teach you that the deer are nearer than you think sooner than you think.
Speaking as an ex Wicklow sitka stalker.
Lie up with a dog as your observer, be prepared for prone shots and finally be prepared to ask yourself why the fxxx did I shoot that when even a fifty yard drag is purgatory.
Seriously, like a lot of guys have said know your gaps and gullies if stalking in cover, or consider watching outside edge first and last light. Dog and thermal will teach you that the deer are nearer than you think sooner than you think.
Speaking as an ex Wicklow sitka stalker.
Stalking in the wood you are entering their world, all their senses have been honed to pinpoint and avoid you. One of their few weaknesses is their movement, you wait they move you now have edged the upper hand....for a moment. The next few seconds decide whether you went for a woodland walk or stalking.My patience at sitting & waiting ran out after about an hour and a half and I started stalking again
Yes and that dog.My patience at sitting & waiting ran out after about an hour and a half and I started stalking again
If it's bored then go sit somewhere else. If it's indicating suddenly waiting is a bit easier. Sika are difficult enough, a self propelled deer radar is very useful.
An Sionnach
Well-Known Member
I found a dog to be invaluable in thick stuff,far better than any thermal as he would indicate deer further than thermal could work with the obstruction of trees and branches
Just followed him as quietly as possible
Just followed him as quietly as possible
Koenig
Well-Known Member
This is a difficult question without actually seeing the ground and knowing you as a stalker.
The ground I shoot sounds similar (sans Sika deer). I would say the following.
Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted: look for footprints, droppings and hair on fences. This shows you where your deer are moving through.
Look for feeding spots.
I enjoy a mixture of on foot stalking and high seats. Safety is paramount: if on foot you MUST know where that bullet is going to end up and it MUST be safe. High seats over high traffic (see above) choke points are safer by design if sited properly.
Stalking on foot can be hard work. How fit are you? Who will come and get you if you break a leg or worse in the middle of your land? If you push through dense undergrowth you’ll inevitably make so much noise that any deer will hear you miles away and be off. You’ll also be bitten to death and end up looking like you’ve e been savaged by a panther! You won’t be able to see much either, even a thermal won’t help much.
Better to consider the wind direction and flit in and out of cover using firebreaks paths and gaps.
Finally. As my old mentor said when I started out in about 2013 and was doing my first solo high chair session.
Him: where do you’d shoot the deer?
Me: sideways on. One third up the front leg into the body mass….
Him: very good, but what I meant was on the fu@£ing track!
The moral of this hilarity being you have to recover what you shoot. Think about the mechanics of that for a minute…dragging reds and Sika through clearfell or dense plantation once done is never forgotten. It’s hateful and potentially dangerous. I know some deer will run when shot, but many drop on the spot. Consider where that ‘spot’ is.
Maybe consider shooting with an apprentice or friend if appropriate. I won’t manhandle reds on my own anymore because I don’t want to injure myself. You should think about this aspect too.
Finally, enjoy what you have, it sounds ideal!
The ground I shoot sounds similar (sans Sika deer). I would say the following.
Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted: look for footprints, droppings and hair on fences. This shows you where your deer are moving through.
Look for feeding spots.
I enjoy a mixture of on foot stalking and high seats. Safety is paramount: if on foot you MUST know where that bullet is going to end up and it MUST be safe. High seats over high traffic (see above) choke points are safer by design if sited properly.
Stalking on foot can be hard work. How fit are you? Who will come and get you if you break a leg or worse in the middle of your land? If you push through dense undergrowth you’ll inevitably make so much noise that any deer will hear you miles away and be off. You’ll also be bitten to death and end up looking like you’ve e been savaged by a panther! You won’t be able to see much either, even a thermal won’t help much.
Better to consider the wind direction and flit in and out of cover using firebreaks paths and gaps.
Finally. As my old mentor said when I started out in about 2013 and was doing my first solo high chair session.
Him: where do you’d shoot the deer?
Me: sideways on. One third up the front leg into the body mass….
Him: very good, but what I meant was on the fu@£ing track!
The moral of this hilarity being you have to recover what you shoot. Think about the mechanics of that for a minute…dragging reds and Sika through clearfell or dense plantation once done is never forgotten. It’s hateful and potentially dangerous. I know some deer will run when shot, but many drop on the spot. Consider where that ‘spot’ is.
Maybe consider shooting with an apprentice or friend if appropriate. I won’t manhandle reds on my own anymore because I don’t want to injure myself. You should think about this aspect too.
Finally, enjoy what you have, it sounds ideal!
When I was on a Scotish lease years ago one day I entered the forest to get to a high seat and was amazed that all the dead branches had been broken off upto head height. It was obviouse that someone had lost a deer and had searched for it up and down the furrows snapping off the branches as they went.
So why not make a track by cutting off the low branches as you go. Alright you will not get a deer that day but there will be plenty more days when you can enter silently and get one if you see what I mean.
So why not make a track by cutting off the low branches as you go. Alright you will not get a deer that day but there will be plenty more days when you can enter silently and get one if you see what I mean.
High or low seats where you have junctions , areas of grass and other fodder , south facing clear areas . Sitting and waiting through peak times ( getting in when its still dark ) settling down with a tree to lean back on is the trick. takes a while to find those consistent producing areas though
walk Stalking in forestry generally means very young trees or old hardwood trees
Took me a long time to learn the patience to do this. Once you do, and are prepared to wait long enough, you seldom go home empty
Sako75Hunter
Well-Known Member
Good thread.
It may well not apply in this case, but if the land isn't flat, finding a high spot can work well as it may allow you to look down on an extensive area from a height and shoot safety without worrying about backstops.
For many years I had a permission of about 30 acres that was mostly covered in thick, youngish sitka, initially about 9 foot high, but with decent openings here and there. In the centre of the land was a high escarpment, which commanded a great view of about half the permission.
I used to go there and just wait, watching with binoculars. Sometimes I'd spot a deer (sika only) within minutes, other times it took longer, and then there were times when I saw nothing. But whatever happened it was always enjoyable to be there with my rifle, sticks, and a thermal flask of coffee.
In the end the trees got too high, making spotting deer much more difficult, and then the land changed hands, passing to an owner who didn't want shooting on his property. So that was the end of that, and I found another spot closer to home.
Some great memories from that place, though!
It may well not apply in this case, but if the land isn't flat, finding a high spot can work well as it may allow you to look down on an extensive area from a height and shoot safety without worrying about backstops.
For many years I had a permission of about 30 acres that was mostly covered in thick, youngish sitka, initially about 9 foot high, but with decent openings here and there. In the centre of the land was a high escarpment, which commanded a great view of about half the permission.
I used to go there and just wait, watching with binoculars. Sometimes I'd spot a deer (sika only) within minutes, other times it took longer, and then there were times when I saw nothing. But whatever happened it was always enjoyable to be there with my rifle, sticks, and a thermal flask of coffee.
In the end the trees got too high, making spotting deer much more difficult, and then the land changed hands, passing to an owner who didn't want shooting on his property. So that was the end of that, and I found another spot closer to home.
Some great memories from that place, though!
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CastleStalker
Well-Known Member
Lots of great pointers to consider.
I can barely do 30 minutes in a high seat without it feeling like toxic shock has gone through me, I prefer to be sat at ground level or stalking on foot.
Just as you are doing I found that I just had to explore as much of my ground as physically possible. Time spent on the ground is hardly ever wasted.
I found that some areas were very easy to work out like the usual open glades, rides, crossings & streams etc but the next area could be very difficult impenetrable Sitka with no realistic way through, or some areas with quite a lot of wind blown which could be very dangerous if your not careful, it would be very easy to fall foul stalking in that alone, only problem there being that the deer love it in there.
Inevitably you eventually get to know the ground and you will work out which areas and methods suit you best, cutting your path a few trees back from the open areas/rides so you have a chance to get in unseen (sometimes) is great advice to adhere to
.
Once in to where I want to be, I like to sit on the ground, back against a tree and let things settle down, watch the edges/open areas, it's amazing what you can see when being quiet for a bit. Also remember to think about extraction, I've made that mistake more than once!
Good luck whichever way you choose to do it..
CS
I can barely do 30 minutes in a high seat without it feeling like toxic shock has gone through me, I prefer to be sat at ground level or stalking on foot.
Just as you are doing I found that I just had to explore as much of my ground as physically possible. Time spent on the ground is hardly ever wasted.
I found that some areas were very easy to work out like the usual open glades, rides, crossings & streams etc but the next area could be very difficult impenetrable Sitka with no realistic way through, or some areas with quite a lot of wind blown which could be very dangerous if your not careful, it would be very easy to fall foul stalking in that alone, only problem there being that the deer love it in there.
Inevitably you eventually get to know the ground and you will work out which areas and methods suit you best, cutting your path a few trees back from the open areas/rides so you have a chance to get in unseen (sometimes) is great advice to adhere to
.Once in to where I want to be, I like to sit on the ground, back against a tree and let things settle down, watch the edges/open areas, it's amazing what you can see when being quiet for a bit. Also remember to think about extraction, I've made that mistake more than once!
Good luck whichever way you choose to do it..
CS
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