Steyr 243. Yes you are right, when I started stalking back in the dark ages
land was not easy to get even at that time. I was fortunate in that I was introduced to stalking by someone who was a hill keeper, and shot my first deer a red hind with his 308, we still see each other, and very occasionally stalk togther, but not these past 2 years as he has had some family problems.
What people must also consider is that to attain permission and access to ground does not happen overnight. My small business guiding clients over what is now a great many acres with all the species, has taken over 20 years!! a great deal of hard work, time and not to mention a certain amount of my money, which I work bloody hard for. These things are not given to anyone, and a great deal comes through treating people fairly and being honest. I will not bang on about it too much, but this attitude by stalkers, OHHH i dont agree with trophy hunting. So if you had nice piece of Roe stalking, you would not consider taking an old mature buck with a large head that had come to the end of his life
you would rather see him die with his teeth worn down and his carcase feeding the crows and foxes
Well you are not managing your deer correctly then are you if your answer is yes.
If you decide to sell it to a client or to give it to a friend who you owe a great favour too what is wrong in this.
To give you some idea of the costs involved, this past season in one months stalking with clients, I racked up nearly £1800 in diesel alone, and have now put nearly 14,000 miles on my truck in 7 months. Who pays for this then
plus the upkeep of the vehicle, let alone the hire vehicles I and the other three professional guides who stalk for me used.