Any help advice much appreciated !

Acm

Well-Known Member
Hi there , I've Been shooting rifles for ten years and I like to think I'm allright at general vermin control being a farmer is part job part hobby .I shoot foxes n rabbits over about 2000 -3000 acres of arable , grassland and woodland . I'm extremely keen to get into deer stalking and I've gotten a few hundred acres of roe rich land approved . I shoot a .308 . I'm new to this game and so far this season I've had one successfull stalk out of 5 which I'm quite happy with :)

Basically I'd really appreciate your best tips and advice , once I get so I'm more confident I'd like to try my hand at some of the other species but at the moment it's mainly roe .
 
Thank you , I struggle to get my head around deer habits , I'm used to shooting foxes and therefore never bother during daylight hours , whereas deer are always there , you just have to find them , am I right in thinking they are most active at dawn and dusk as that's when I've been doing most of my stalking
 
This is what I was advised when I first started stalking....Move little, look a lot!

I like going out after it has rained to look for fresh slots. That way I can concentrate my efforts on areas that the deer have been recently.

First and last light are key times, so go out before first light and if you are stalking in the evening don't go until it is too dark to shoot.

But most of all enjoy yourself!

Best of luck,
Peri
 
This is what I was advised when I first started stalking....Move little, look a lot!

I like going out after it has rained to look for fresh slots. That way I can concentrate my efforts on areas that the deer have been recently.

First and last light are key times, so go out before first light and if you are stalking in the evening don't go until it is too dark to shoot.

But most of all enjoy yourself!

Best of luck,
Peri
Thanks just this evening I followed a mature buck at about 150 yrds for about 50 mins in the rain before he spotted me , I never thought the shot was safe . But previously this week I have overlooked a couple who have then gone crashing throu the undergrowth , frustrating . Whereabouts are you in west Sussex ? I'm close to the Surrey border
 
Try and get out on a few paid days with a professional stalker as you will learn a lot.

Save the cash and make the time to go to Scotland for red deer on the hill, hinds in the winter can be relatively inexpensive and as much sport as stags but for me it is hard to beat chasing red stags on the hill in September just for the whole experience. No matter how many gadgets and fancy bits of gear people tell you are necessary just ignore them, put the money saved into an account and use it for a day or two at red stags.
 
Try and get out on a few paid days with a professional stalker as you will learn a lot.

Save the cash and make the time to go to Scotland for red deer on the hill, hinds in the winter can be relatively inexpensive and as much sport as stags but for me it is hard to beat chasing red stags on the hill in September just for the whole experience. No matter how many gadgets and fancy bits of gear people tell you are necessary just ignore them, put the money saved into an account and use it for a day or two at red stags.
Im intending on going to Scotland perhaps next year but I'm really hoping to hone some skills before then . Thanks for the gadget advice . I'm trying not to be one of the "all the gear , no idea " types as I so often see people fall into that trap in pheasant shooting !
 
you dont need lots of gear rifle , bullets , knife thats about it if your just getting a few for yourself . I would say build a few highseats , their good for foxing this time of year and if you take notice you will find where your roe are traveling and learn their habbits
 
As Caorach said, get out with a professional stalker, also get your DSC 1 done and get some of Richard Priors books on Roe, the more you learn about your quarry and their habits the more successfull you'll be. Don't forget it's also about managing them.
 
Thanks for the advice , please dont think I just want to go about plugging everything Though !

I am just up the road from you, as one of my main areas is near Horsham. Drop me a PM and we can swop details and by all means come over and we can go over any concerns you may have.

ATB

Sikamalc
 
Others have already posted some good advice, but here's my two-penn'th.

What I would say, and this will be obvious to many, is that roe stalking in the South is a lot different to stalking stags on the Hill, so enjoyable as it is heading North you'll probably get more practical help for your type of stalking by going out with one or two commercial stalking organisations down South and seeing how they do things.

My pointers would be as follows:
  • Time spent on reconnaissance is rarely wasted. Too many stalkers only look out for deer when they're stalking and are then surprised when they have blank outings. By and large, deer are creatures of habit, and so long as they have sustenance, shelter and security they will have little reason to wander off their territories. So get familiar with your ground, the deer that are on it, and the habits of those deer. It sounds like you are already doing that by looking for slots, but you'd be surprised how few people notice deer tracks, fraying, fence jumps, etc. They are all good indications of deer's habits, and recognising them can help when you're next out stalking.
  • It's an old adage about successfull stalking but still true; If you see the deer first, you have to make a mistake - if the deer sees you first, the deer has to make a mistake. If you can see a deer before it sees you the odds of a successful stalk are in your favour, that's why observation when stalking is everything.
  • When your using your binoculars, don't just look for deer, look for parts of a deer. If we're stalking in the open then the chance of us seeing the whole deer are obviously greater, but in woodlands seeing the entire beast is often the exception. If you're stalking woodlands you'll notice that there are very few horizontal lines in Mother Nature so always check them out to see if, for example, it's a deer's back. Similarly, the shape of deer's ears and hind quarters are very distinctive, so become familiar with looking for them.
  • Think slow. The fault of most novices is that they stalk way too quickly, so end up bumping more deer than they actually see. However slowly you're stalking, I'd bet good money it's not slow enough. Most of us make the mistake of rushing to get to our favourite spot, but those are our favourite spots, not necessarily the deers. All deer have to be somewhere, and they're as likely to be where you are as where you're not.
  • Deer see us move, and we see deer move. I'd say it's a toss-up between scent and movement as to which attracts the deer's attention first. We can reduce the chance of the deer winding us by stalking into the wind, so taking that as a given it will be movement that will most likely give you away. So any movement when stalking should be careful and considered. If you're in the woods then try to pick a vantage point 15-30 yards ahead, move there slowly and then spy. Then repeat the above. Also, if you're moving the chance of you spotting other movement is minimised, whereas when you're static anything else that is moving becomes that much more obvious.
Every time you go out can be an education, however many years you stalk, but most of all just enjoy it!

willie_gunn
 
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One piece if advice, ok maybe two, keep a log of what you shoot. Date, calibre, sex, age, location, weather and general notes. Its good fr management to see what you had at what times of year in what weather conditions, but it is lovely to look back on it and remember each cull etc etc.

Last but not least, enjoy it!
 
From my very limited experience;

-putting the time in to know where they are likely to be when you are likely to be out will not be time miss spent. Time on the ground is what will get you results

-If you are stalking woods go tree to tree, a 6ft brown stump is easily spotted but if it's attached to a 30ft oak them not so easily seen!

-Tread softly like you're after rabbits, I ditched my heavy boots in favour of some battered dessie combats with boot liners that are silent to move in yet keep my feet dry.

Like you I farm, though much smaller so notice the runs they use. They topple alot of my walls, some of which I now leave slightly lower so it keeps them to this route so I can set a high seat if I'm not up for a long walk.

Most of all - enjoy!!
 
you dont need lots of gear rifle , bullets , knife thats about it if your just getting a few for yourself . I would say build a few highseats , their good for foxing this time of year and if you take notice you will find where your roe are traveling and learn their habbits
+1 on the highseats even if you dont shoot a deer you will be suprised at how often you can greet old charlie with a bullet from your elevated position.
 
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