Herefordshire Rut......so far

Herefordshire Rut........... so far

This has taken a while to get photos and stuff due to it being manic here at the mo but here goes......

31st July
Went to a perm that boundries another one which luckily is only 5 mins down the road. The farmer has planted a small orchard right next to the wood which we used to have a beat one stand one shoot( sadly no more). The farmer had said he has had roe for a while and was now concerned that they might start fraying his new apple trees.
Have been there quite a few times but with now luck so as the rut might be one I decided to take the buttulo with me. Stalked along the headland around the wood until I got to a dividing hedge which came out from the wood. Plenty of our little black and white friends had been moving in and out of the wood into the wheat but the were 2 places which were a lot taller so I thought I would go up the hedge so I could cover the wood.
Let it settle down for a while and started calling, 5mins later I notice a clump of russet colour grass which wasn't ther before. Bugger me a buck had popped out of the wood. looking through the scope i gave him another call up went his head and i took a low neck shot. good sound came back and saw him drop to the shot.
Gave him 5 mins and went over to the strike piont, could see him kicking his legs so went up tested for eye reflex, stilll movement so knifed in the atlas joint and job done.


Stuff501.jpg


48lbs. never seen so much fat around the kidneys, from the pelvic opening all the way to the diaphragm.

3 firsts that night
1.First buck off this piece of ground
2.First beast to new 30-06 set up
3.First Roe I have called



2nd August
Went to another perm and took a lad out who had never been stalking before so he came out as an observer.He is an auctioneer so might lead to more ground.
Stalked along one hedge up to the wood and made our way along the headland to a piont where we could see the bottom corner of the wood. wiated for it to settle down and gave the call again but no luck this time.
We waited 'till last light . Time up was 10 o'clock this eveing so it was 9.45 and i decided to get our stuff together and head back to the first field to see what was there one the way back to the car.
One last look with the bins reveiled a roe at the bottom corner out in the grass. So I said to my guest wait here and I crawled out of the headland into the field about 6ft so I could see the roe . nothing to be seen . Looked to the right and all i saw was 2 white tips in the gloom of this buck coming up the field. He new somthing was not right, and paused, went for neck shot but he moved . He did this 3 times until he was about 40m away and winded me . off he went so I barked at him. he stopped 70-80m away braodside on. Thump came back. Good sound and he took off for the wood at high speed. **** i thought he has made it over the fence but I didnt hear him go over.
Gave him a good 15mins to lie up. Went to the strike point by this this time it is dark. No pins no paint!!! Doulbe **** I thought. covered the headland up and down for a good 20mins.No sign of him at all.

Now I am getting this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I have a runner in the dark. So retraced our stepps but went further up the headland(which are conservation ones so the grass is 4ft tall > I decided to walk tight against the fence line which had 6ft bracken growing over it , pushed and pushed until I got opposite the strike piont and there he was all tucked up at the bottom of the fence dead!
Dragged him out into the field good entry behind left leg bloody exit just infront of the rear right leg. No blood trail due to the exit had been plugged by the green. So a very quick gralloch and cleaned him out the best i could. He had bleed out inside due to the whole body cavity full of blood and you know what.



Stuff508.jpg


41lbs larder weight

Not a bad start!!!!!!

Jonathon
 
Brilliant account! A pair of very good animals there. Both very prominent brow tines and upper tines sloping forwards. Is that characteristic for the area?

Now I am getting this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach
Know exactly how you feel. Question for the old hands, does that feeling ever go away? Apart from the ones that just drop the ones that run a bit always leave my heart in my mouth regardless of how sure I was about the shot and how many different reactions I have seen. I think that feeling is part of the whole thing and the feeling of relief after finding the carcass and seeing the shot was good is like nothing else!

Alex
 
Well done Jonathon,great write up,youve some nice bucks there,what 30-06 set up did you get in the end ?
Andy
 
Brilliant account! A pair of very good animals there. Both very prominent brow tines and upper tines sloping forwards. Is that characteristic for the area?

Alex
The first buck, if looked at head on. The antler formation is a 'V' shape which the pedicles very close together and the coronets touching. i have taken another one on the next door estate, about half a mile, had the same formation. Obviously same gene pool.
The second buck, if looked at head on. The antler formation is straighter and wider at the base, if looked at side on he has a nice 'S' formation. Also have taken bucks off this area which all have the same formation.
The 2 areas are about 3 miles apart as the crow flies, so it's interesting how different the formations differ.
Will post some pics of the heads when they have dried out after boiling.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Andy
got another T3 in the end. Another jet Z and a 6x42 S+B

Terry, when you are up again this way PM me.

Jonathon
 
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Question for the old hands, does that feeling ever go away?

Alex

I'm not sure I am exactly an 'old hand', but from my perspective after 10 years all I can say is that feeling is still there.

A clean miss is depressing, but when you go to a spot expecting to find a deer and there's nothing there it is truly gut wrenching. That's the time when I'm thankful for having the dog with me. Even if she's not a perfect deer dog she's found shot deer for me a number of times. So far the only unaccounted deer is one muntjac doe shot by a client, but that's still one too many. If that feeling goes away it's time to pack up.

willie_gunn
 
Alex
The first buck, if looked at head on. The antler formation is a 'V' shape which the pedicles very close together and the coronets touching. i have taken another one on the next door estate, about half a mile, had the same formation. Obviously same gene pool.
The second buck, if looked at head on. The antler formation is straighter and wider at the base, if looked at side on he has a nice 'S' formation. Also have taken bucks off this area which all have the same formation.
The 2 areas are about 3 miles apart as the crow flies, so it's interesting how different the formations differ.
Will post some pics of the heads when they have dried out after boiling.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Jonathon

It would be interesting to know where the local stock originated. By North Herefordshire are you talking around Mortimer Forest or further down near Leominster/Weobly?
 
Brilliant account! A pair of very good animals there. Both very prominent brow tines and upper tines sloping forwards. Is that characteristic for the area?

Know exactly how you feel. Question for the old hands, does that feeling ever go away? Apart from the ones that just drop the ones that run a bit always leave my heart in my mouth regardless of how sure I was about the shot and how many different reactions I have seen. I think that feeling is part of the whole thing and the feeling of relief after finding the carcass and seeing the shot was good is like nothing else!

Alex

No it does not my friend, but with a good dog to hand I can say its more reassuring when there appears to be a problem occuring.

Good write up Jonathon, well done.

Best as always

Sikamalc
 
Just an update regaurding the heads...
The left hand head is the second buck and the right hand head was the first buck


Stuff537.jpg


The head on the left weighs out at 515grams and the right hand one weighs out at 465grams.

Another veiw


Stuff538.jpg



Left hand head

Stuff539.jpg



Right hand head


Stuff540.jpg



Thanks for looking again

Jonathon
 
The right hand one has the look of a typical Wiltshire buck with the lovely lyre shaped head with long tines but not as much mass as some with similar length. The downturn of the top tine on each side is a little unusual. Nice heads both.
 
how old would you say these deer are?

Just an update regaurding the heads...
The left hand head is the second buck and the right hand head was the first buck


Stuff537.jpg


The head on the left weighs out at 515grams and the right hand one weighs out at 465grams.

Another veiw


Stuff538.jpg



Left hand head

Stuff539.jpg



Right hand head


Stuff540.jpg



Thanks for looking again

Jonathon

Just curious, any idea how old these bucks are?

Regards
50/50
 
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