Level II stalk

I had my first level two witnessed stalk last tuesday.
I'd booked the AW and the stalking permission a couple of days before and spent the next couple of days worrying about what questions I'd get, whether my stalking was up to the job, I guess everything everyone else things of prior to their first witnessed stalk.
I collected the AW from his house and was informed that the stalk began from the moment I picked him up.
He then went on to ask various questions about the land we were to stalk on, what the target species and age group etc I was after. What arrangements had I made for the carcass etc etc .
I thought I managed to answer the question quite well.
Arrived at the ground at 7.30 as it was just starting to come light. The chap that has the permission then arrived and would be joining us for the stalk. Two was going to be difficult enough in the woods and three even more difficult.
Upon arrival at the start point I unloaded the gear I wanted to take into the wood with me. I'd carefully been through everything I'd be likely to need the night before and placed everything either in the roe sack or in the pockets of my coat.
Heavy drizzle was to be the order of the day, which I dont mind stalking in as it seems to make things a little easier.
I unloaded the rifle, sticks etc and loaded the magazine, had a minor heart attack when I thought I'd left the bolt at home then placed the bolt in the rifle but didnt put one up the spout just yet.
After checking the wind direction I decided on the route we would take and set off to the downwind side of the wood.
With the wood to my right and walking below the headland to keep us hidden from the entry point into the wood I krept to the top and glassed the first pretty open part of the wood to make sure I wasnt going to bump anything once we crested the headland.
I then informed the AW I was going to load a round and engage the safety as we entered the wood.
I began to stalk the wood which is a mixture of hardwood trees in a fairly steep valley with a small burn running through the bottom.
I kept just below the skyline on the eastern edge of the valley and glassed periodically for any signs. There was a lot to indicate deer presence with beds and recent crotties showing there were a few about.
After about 20 mins it was suggested that I might be better half way down the valley but I disagreed as I knew the land and the number of downed tress through the centre of the woods. I did consider moving to the bottom of the valley and following the stream as this would allow me to see both sides of the valley but could leave any deer spotted skylined so decided to continue as we were.
Another 10 mins and I stopped dead, a buck and a doe went bounding away, I put the gun on the sticks in case they stopped but they were off over a small ridge. What a shame says I (it was something like that I'm sure) As they hadnt barked I thought there was a good chance of catching up with them further on so continued to quietly stalk.
Another 10 mins and another dead stop, there was a nice buck ahead, about 70yds away and some movement in a holly bush just above him.....another buck, fgs. We stayed and waited for them to move off so I didnt disturb anything further on. !5 mins stalking later and I stopped dead again, glasses up.....another buck! about 60yds away and looking down to his left down the valley. I'm thinking hmmm, is he looking at a doe? We waited and sure enough behind a tree lying on the ground is his doe with a yearling does about 15ft away from her also laying down.
Getting to my hands and knees I made my way to two fallen trees without raising the alarm and lined up on the yearling.
As she was quite happy laying there I put the crosshairs on her neck and pulled the trigger.
I immediately reloaded having observed the reaction to the shot as the doe rolled down the hill with no motor controls at all.
We then chatted about how long to wait, how to approach the downed animal etc when to my amazement the buck returned with the doe in tow only 40yds away!
I decided not to take the doe as I'd taken the yearling and another doe the week before from the same area and I'd rather shoot another yearling than the 2-3 year old pregnant doe.
After 10 mins we made our way down to the very dead doe and proceeded to follow best practice confirming death and then bleeding and grollaching the deer. Mesenteric lymph nodes looked healthy.
I then safely extracted the kill to the car and into the blood box for transportation to my larder at home.
Back at home I removed the head and legs and went through the head showing the sub maxillory and retropharyngeal lymph nodes too.
I'd kept the pluck and went through the portal lymph node too and inspection of the heart and lungs.(we'd done this at the grollach site but went through it again in the larder)
Several more questions followed regarding larder and Health and Safety regulations and then my AW was taken back to his home.
Just two more to do now then its submit portfolio time.

The chap that has the permission was pleased I'd decided not to take the pregnant doe as there are plenty more yearlings to take and we dont want to reduce the population too much just yet as the numbers are building up nicely and there is plenty of food for an increase in numbers.

Brilliant day with plenty of deer showing and a good result for my witnessed stalk.
 
Honestly, I think too many people get hung up on the test side of things. Surely the whole point is that it is supposed to be a training process. You gradually build up a portfolio of evidence showing your competency in a set of different skills. Once you have sufficient experience and competency in each of the skills, you get some AW stalks done and if you show all the competencies at the same time, it gets signed off. The main point is that it is a process, you get 3 years to do it, and people shouldn't expect to rush through it and get signed off in the quickest/cheapest way possible, unless they are already fully competent.

Just to add - alot of people pay for stalking trips. If you just plan these with an AW and understand that a few of them will be for training purposes rather than the final test, then that puts it in perspective. What is it, £130/year? about 3-4 boxes of factory loaded cartridges on top of what you would pay for stalks through the year anyway. Yes it might be alot for some folks, but it isn't statutory, so only do it if you want to.

Hurrah!!! Someones got it! Good explanation Jabalihunter. Just another point to add, you can actually do it over six years as evidence gained up to three years prior to registration is valid. JC
 
Thanks, Wolverine.

Frankly, the fact that it's NOT government ordered is a 'plus' from my perspective. We 'over here' are forced to take the government 'education' if we want to participate in certain public hunts. It galls me, but I do it so I can have access to what should be mine by 'right'. Choosing to advance one's "education" is a damn-site better than having it forced on you by government regulation.

I can see the DSC 'system' is at risk for abuse by the 'administrators', and I can see that some government and quasi-government entities could be wielding it as a club. Still, as long as it's not government mandated, there is opportunity to get the 'abusers' by the throat and strangle them a bit.

Thanks,
Paul
 
Wow, cant believe the interest this has generated.
I had a 'training' witnessed stalk prior to going ahead with a real witnessed stalk and only went for progression after being informed I was ready for the real thing. The 'practice' stalk was with a different AW and different land.
In response to the suggestion to stalk further towards to bottom of the valley, I took this as a question about stalking rather than a request to try it i.e. the AW checking that it was me leading the stalk and that I was the one with the knowledge about the ground, he may also have been looking for the answer regarding seeing deer but not being able to take a shot as it would be more likely that any deer seen would be skylined.
I was happy and comfortable with the selection of a neck shot and knew it to be within my capabilities, I had preread the accompanying information with my portfolio and knew that 'head shots were not encouraged'.
There was an ulterior motive to taking the neck shot in that it would make the grollach and identification of the necessary lymph nodes easier.

I have another AW stalk booked for the 12 Feb with a different AW again. I believe by using different witnesses that I will gain the most from my DSC2.

IMO we now live in a society that requires 'certification' of capability for just about every activity we partake of. It means diddly squat whether this is seen in the misguided application of draconian legislation for the granting of a firearms certificate or just the whimsical nature of someone in a position of power, we have to conform to this requirement or not be allowed our FAC. We (shooting types) are becoming progressively more marginalised and must accept that the privalege to pocess a weapon comes with a certain amount of testicular ache.
 
JC I think you are incorrect about managing to do it over 6 years.You can do stalks with an AW prior to registration but when you register the first stalk is where your 3 year time limit starts,ie do a stalk in April 2009,register in April 2010 still got 2 years to complete other stalks,this is my understanding of it anyway,another point an AW has no right to take a candidates portfolio away for a month,it is after all the candidates portfolio and not the AWs,candidate paid money for registering not the AW,cheers
 
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we have to conform to this requirement or not be allowed our FAC. We (shooting types) are becoming progressively more marginalised and must accept that the privalege to pocess a weapon comes with a certain amount of testicular ache.

Nice one Limulus, the more competent he better when the crunch comes, and it will.
 
Second stalk yesterday.
Saw 15 deer and only had the opportunity to shoot three.
2 were roe bucks (one an absolute cracker) and the only doe skylined so no shot.....bugger.
Thats 2 AW stalks signed off but no grallochs.
Going to have another go in two weeks time.

In edit: we saw five roe in a field next to the wood on the way out from the permission, four bucks and a doe. We chose not to shoot the doe as that would be rabbit style shooting, not stalking
 
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Your ICR should be filled in with you present,ie after the stalk,that's what I do anyway,that way there is no falling out with one another or the candidate can't be held to ransom by an AW,best to fill in there and then when everything fresh in the mind anyway
ATB

I have been talking to a chap down here who, with 3 mates, have been up to Scotland to have AW stalks with the same AW.
4 months later none of them have had their Portflios returned, the AW in question said he would "tidy" them up and post them back straight away, for £100 per outing they should have got a professional service.

I told him to report the AW to DMQ Ltd, the lad said that the AW was bragging about being "authorised" by Barony College so should they contact them instead?

They are now considering getting new portfolios and starting from scratch, a bad experience for new lads to the sport just trying to do things right.
 
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