Red deer drag out

hi,

just thought i would share my experience with you.
was in the high seat yesterday morning for 0545.
i waited till 0730 to see my first beast a small roebuck at about 50 yards.
i was not looking to shoot any roe this visit and as usual what do i see a roebuck.
needless to say with xhairs on him i pondered the shot but decided a deals a deal.
i waited till 0800 and nothing my toes where freezing as i have Wellingtons on, thats another story, thanks uttings.
at this point i pondered the move out and trek up the hill for the deer. i did hear two roaring beasts at approx 0700 so i felt i could get lucky up the hill. the only thing stopping me was the boots, i just did not want to walk up the hill in Wellingtons....
anyway i said to my self give it till 0830 frank and away you will have to go....
at 0815 my toes where just too cold and i looked up to the sky and said please one more look and please let there be a deer there please....
well as they say let god be my witness there he was a young stag, 198 yards away.
one antler longer than the other. a gift. i said my thank you and got ready for a shot.
for ten minutes i watched him, he was coming up the hill towards me very slowly.
i was unable to see his body and there was no shot. then he stood on a small hill and provided me with my shot approx 140 yards. he jumped up back feet out and ran cross the ride and down the hill approx 40 yards in total. as i lost sight i see him swagger. upon locating him picture one i was as happy as a man can be. a gralloch later and rope attached i started the drag out. as i started the drag i cursed myself for not letting him get closed before i shot him ha ha. half way up the hill i had to leave him. i needed to get lighter, loose my sticks bag coat etc. i went back to the van and collected a mesh net i have for covering the roe, i tied up the red pictures 3/4 to allow easier dragging. some 90 minutes later hes in the van.
note 1, allow the beast to get closer
2, bring a friend to shoot reds
3, if no friends bring a quad

atb f

View attachment 2790

no space for pictures 2/3/4 need to delete some get back to you
 
Last edited:
The reality of the Red Deer Frank ask DL he enjoyed 2 hour + drag it mush have been his smoking that got in his way .lol

Excellent beast to shoot .do the time on the ground get the prize.
 
But dont you feel great when everything is tucked away and you just sit back contented. Well done frank and nice rightup
 
here goes pictures included

hi,

just thought i would share my experience with you.
was in the high seat yesterday morning for 0545.
i waited till 0730 to see my first beast a small roebuck at about 50 yards.
i was not looking to shoot any roe this visit and as usual what do i see a roebuck.
needless to say with xhairs on him i pondered the shot but decided a deals a deal.
i waited till 0800 and nothing my toes where freezing as i have Wellingtons on, thats another story, thanks uttings.
at this point i pondered the move out and trek up the hill for the deer. i did hear two roaring beasts at approx 0700 so i felt i could get lucky up the hill. the only thing stopping me was the boots, i just did not want to walk up the hill in Wellingtons....
anyway i said to my self give it till 0830 frank and away you will have to go....
at 0815 my toes where just too cold and i looked up to the sky and said please one more look and please let there be a deer there please....
well as they say let god be my witness there he was a young stag, 198 yards away.
one antler longer than the other. a gift. i said my thank you and got ready for a shot.
for ten minutes i watched him, he was coming up the hill towards me very slowly.
i was unable to see his body and there was no shot. then he stood on a small hill and provided me with my shot approx 140 yards. he jumped up back feet out and ran cross the ride and down the hill approx 40 yards in total. as i lost sight i see him swagger. upon locating him picture one i was as happy as a man can be. a gralloch later and rope attached i started the drag out. as i started the drag i cursed myself for not letting him get closed before i shot him ha ha. half way up the hill i had to leave him. i needed to get lighter, loose my sticks bag coat etc. i went back to the van and collected a mesh net i have for covering the roe, i tied up the red pictures 3/4 to allow easier dragging. some 90 minutes later hes in the van.
note 1, allow the beast to get closer
2, bring a friend to shoot reds
3, if no friends bring a quad

atb f

View attachment 2795View attachment 2793View attachment 2792View attachment 2794

thats better
 
The reality of the Red Deer Frank ask DL he enjoyed 2 hour + drag it mush have been his smoking that got in his way .lol

Excellent beast to shoot .do the time on the ground get the prize.

man how i want to shoot a full grown stag but i dont think i ever will due to the extraction... honest 350/400 yards is all i had to drag him, mind most of it was up a hill but whow it was hard.
thanks f.
 
In my brief experience of shooting Reds single handed I would add 4: Shoot the beast as close to a vehicle track as possible!

How did you manage getting him into the back of the van? My first stag took a bit of wrestling to get into the back of my car.
 
In my brief experience of shooting Reds single handed I would add 4: Shoot the beast as close to a vehicle track as possible!

How did you manage getting him into the back of the van? My first stag took a bit of wrestling to get into the back of my car.

hi,

i lifted his head on first whilst still wrapped then straddled him and lifted him in inch by inch ha ha....
if i was to shoot red more regular i would fit a winch inside the van, £65 well spent i may add if i did.

atb f.
 
Nice write up & pics Frank. A good beast to take. I dont have this problem only having roe on my ground. I do dream of shooting my first red stag one day though! I can only imagen the effort that it took to drag him. How much did he weigh? How far did you have to drag him?

ATB

Rob
243sako
 
Rob,

i only had to drag him approx 300 meters, but, the heather on our land has not been burnt for five years minimum and i had to drag him up hill.
mind i say hill but only say 20 meters gradient but i was walking dead when finished.
as for weight i dont have scales for him but when i butcher him on Wednesday i will weigh the meat only and advise you of that.

f.
 
well done frank, he looks very much like my first deer i shot with a member off the site in devon. nice write up. look forward to meeting you next weekend
 
Good write up Frank and great result mate.;)

I`ve had a few of those drags myself mate, so know where you are coming from.:doh:

wadas
 
i only had to drag him approx 300 meters, but, the heather on our land has not been burnt for five years minimum and i had to drag him up hill.
mind i say hill but only say 20 meters gradient but i was walking dead when finished.

Thanks for sharing Frank, what ever you do don’t shoot big stags on clear fell, they are real b*astards to drag off that stuff, the last big one I took I dragged it along a drainage ditch walking in the water, it was easier than pulling it over the brash. My mate also had some fun with his quad, he hit a stump and bent the front suspension while trying to get to a stag, it took two of them over them 5 hours to get both quad and stag back to the track.

Best of luck on your next trip.


Tahr
 
Well done Frank! Great story and I am glad you had some success. I know how you feel about dragging these boys. Had to drag one out of the forest last week that weighed 20 stone. Only for a couple hundred yards to the quad - but I was wrecked! ATB Bill.
 
hi guys,

many thanks, i dont have scales that i can use for him, shame, i will butcher him tuesday night and let you know what it comes in at.
i am guessing close to 8/9 stone maybe

thanks for all the replies

f.
 
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