Worst location you chose to shoot a deer in

KevinF

Well-Known Member
Folks -

Much enjoying the "How close can you.." thread.

In an exchange of PMs with Dawnraider just now I was caused to relate the following anecdote and it struck me how it might make the beginnings of another fun thread:

I have a pal who lives at Kings Nympton in Devon. I was visiting him three years back and was with him, as an interested observer, when he shot a red deer hind in the boileroom with his 308. She kicked out, and ran 30 metres... straight over the edge of a very steep goil.

It was getting dark...

Half an hour later, we found her at the bottom, some 40 metres from the edge. It eventually took four of us (two more recruited from a warm farmhouse kitchen), a lot of rope and two quad bikes pulling at the same time, to extract her, gralloch out.

My lesson as a bystander (and then roped in, if you'll excuse the pun) was: Think carefully about where you shoot a red deer. It might run...

Anyone else pulled their trigger and then regretted it?
 
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Kevin, at the top of a long bank that runs very, very steeply down to the river avon. I think we lasered it at 237yds, but it seemed much, much longer when dragging a fallow buck back up the hill.

ft
 
Somewhere on one of Flyboy 270's cameras, there is a short video run of Griff's brand new kevlar rope, attached to his quad on full chat, launching a Red Hind, steam catapult style, up a sheer face from a burn, times three!
 
As I said to the lads on Saturday I was out as the boy on Argyll Estates looking for a stag. Well the head keeper could not find one for the guest. I was so chuffed when I spotted a beast lying in the heather. I was just about to say my piece when old Dolly cracked me over the shins with his stick. " I spotted him ten minutes ago but if you want to pull him over the top ( Days before argos and quads) Go ahead. 300 feet down the other side of the hill. I learned from that. Be careful or it csn get painful. Still feel the bruise 45 years later,
Jim
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Inside a green house he preferred the contents to the grass smashed just about every pain of glass in it antlers and glass just don't get along .
 
been so many BAD days although, one morning I intercepted 5 large stags on a restock [I had been after them for a while] after the smoke cleared and my smuggness of dropping them all in quick succession I realised where they fell. 8 hours later countless swear words and a very bent and bruised quad I had them at roadside, I swore then to never look into that burn again!
A week later I saw this big stag down in a restock burn, after the gralloch I thought to myself WHY?

Having dragged up and down many a hill [I quite enjoy dragging deer down hill, it's a very satisfying end to a day] I would happily never shoot another deer on a west coast restock, especially below the road!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Not quite shooting as such but had to dart a 2yr old stag on a sleeting winters day. The stag got to that stage of very nearly collapsing but just managing to stay on his feet when he decided to walk into the lake where the buoyancy supplied by the water enabled him to fight off the collapse long enough for him to paddle his way across to an island about 10 yards from the shore. On reaching land the inevitable happened and down he went. Had to strip off, swim across and pull him back over. Never been so cold before or since.
 
Wild winter's day and shot a hind and calf at dusk across a deep and wide gorge on Skye with an old colleague. When I looked over the edge of the gorge to find a way down and across the height and width of the spate river far below took me by surprise. A tumult of black, frothy, swirling deep peaty water and I had to swim across with rope round my waist, other end held by my colleague, rope up the beasts, swim back and then between the two of us pull them back over the river and then drag them up the steep, muddy, slippery track to the top. ******** decision to shoot them, but it was restock and they had to be nailed.

Other days I've regretted shooting reds in clear-fell areas where they come to for the first flush of green growing back. Lots of deep timber debris left over from the felling and as like as not the beasts will fall through the gaps and get stuck deep down. Dragging beasts through that **** is hell, especially at night when you're falling over everything and trying not to get impaled on branches.
 
been so many BAD days although, one morning I intercepted 5 large stags on a restock [I had been after them for a while] after the smoke cleared and my smuggness of dropping them all in quick succession I realised where they fell. 8 hours later countless swear words and a very bent and bruised quad I had them at roadside, I swore then to never look into that burn again!
A week later I saw this big stag down in a restock burn, after the gralloch I thought to myself WHY?

Having dragged up and down many a hill [I quite enjoy dragging deer down hill, it's a very satisfying end to a day] I would happily never shoot another deer on a west coast restock, especially below the road!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, been there done that.
 
I didn't really regret it, but it was a bit of a drag. Thankfully only a youngish sika.
The photo was taken from where the car was. Arrow where i shot the deer. It was the last day of the season and I've had worse drags.

edi
DSCN0359.jpg
 
Am loving this. Am quite tempted to offer to post a Scotch voucher to the tale that floats my boat best.

:D

Some of these anecdotes make my heavy Devon red hind sound rather tame. The swim is best so far IMHO.

Many thanks chaps. A nice end to the day here.
 
GREAT THREAD .
i will no longer moan to myself when carrying out the odd fallow the mile or so to the car , i have had a good old chuckle at the great extraction tails . keep them coming ....................neil
 
Hmmmmm been there and done that few times.
I like to think I have learnt now though.
I do suffer with back problems, 5 collapsed discs, operation etc etc, I did come to the conclusion with the pigs in the UK wait until they wander to a spot where I could get the Range Rover too;)(it is quite impressive where I could get that Range Rover) as in early days when I was very very keen (stupid) I used to shoot them where I saw them then dragged them to a track.
From the hunting I`ve done so far over here there is only one way to get the deer out and thats to carry them, no access for quad let alone a vehicle:confused::confused: and have to admit I do struggle, I`m laid up this week with a slipped disc again :evil::evil: was from work and not hunting too !!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Last May I spotted a roe buck standing on the river bank. I crawled along the bank and got set up and fired. The buck took a skip forward and leapt into the river. I ran like stink to where the buck had been standing and a little bit further on. I stripped off and stepped into the tail of the pool, waded out to waist deep and intercepted the buck just before he reached the rapids. The buck was dead and I was freezing. Still it was warmer than a previous occasion in the mid 70's. Just before Christmas I shot a duck and had to swim for it when my dog went on strike.
 
A few years ago, I shot two bucks 180m down a 40degree slope, on a warm day I was kn**kerd when I got them back to the top, then the armed police turned up.................
 
Have a good friend in South Africa who, along with two mates were driving a rental van at night when they hit a Kudu bull. Wasn't dead so they shot it. Struggled to get it in through the back door. Drove on and after 30 minutes the "stunned" Kudu woke up and tried to stand up. Horns through the roof and, unable to go anywhere, kicks out. Three "brave hunters" rapidly bail out.....

My brave friend sneeks back to the van, gingerly extracts a rifle and did the job properly. Only option was to pull off the road, cut up the now dead Kudu and dump the meat. They then drove 20 miles and crashed the rental van into a tree after which they set fire to it.

Ticking the Insurance box on a rental contract is a very good idea....:)

Stan
 
Ha Ha some cracking threads here, all of a sudden my 2 fallow prickets last year have fallen into insignificance!! I wont even bother with my tale.

As for "the worse location to shoot a deer" there isnt one is there, all part of this wonderful sport. What I would say is age and experience teaches you well, and sometimes an extra 10 minutes wait sometimes gives an easier extraction.

Great stuff having a real laugh at some of these, remind me to put beach towel on my list of stalking equipment lol :D
 
A few years ago, I shot two bucks 180m down a 40degree slope, on a warm day I was kn**kerd when I got them back to the top, then the armed police turned up.................

bobt - my eyebrows are elevated. More please. Don't leave us hanging!

My latest police story as a sweetener: Two weeks ago, on Sunday, three college lads earning pin money planting hedge whips outside one of our local rural boozers here in West Berks. Police turn up and arrest them for suspected hare coursing. Braver drinkers go outside and mock the men in blue.

If you invented this stuff no-one would believe you.
 
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