Good morning gentleman,
After my 4th outing I finally managed my 1st roebuck.
I had seen a few in recent visits but could not get a comfortable shot on one (it was walking broadside a more experienced stalker may of shot it)and the other one was in an adjacent field and walked past me 50yds away oblivious to my presence!, this beast was larger than the one I took but I do not have shooting rights to said field!.
On one visit I stumbled apon a muntjac doe at 70 yds I let her go as she didn’t look pregnant and in a return visit I spied her with a large fawn in the same location so I was glad I left her!
I also Sneaked up to two young fallow prickets and was able to observe them from 50 yds all of this was on the same farm in Essex.
Anyway after all of that yesterday morning at 5.45 I managed my first Roebuck. Initially I startled it from a pond hole which it took off from and bounded off inito the distance across some barley fields barking in annoyance at my intrusion. Soon after a lengthy and silent walk annoyingly with the wind at my back I creeped around a wooded copse and caught up with the beast who had calmed down and was browsing in the corner of the barley field about 400 yards from our previous encounter. I set out my sticks and shouldered my rifle- I studied the animal that was now 70 yds Away and was in awe of it for a few minutes,hesitant to pull the trigger. I’m not normally a nervous person but nerves was getting to me on this occasion! He suddenly stopped browsing and started to look slightly agitated so I composed my self and squeezed the trigger, thankfully he dropped on the spot , I breathed a sigh of relief,reloaded and waited. After a few minutes I walked towards him and there he lay in his magnificent glory the bullet had done it’s work and passed straight through the engine room. Now I had to extract him and proceeded to drag him for a good 500 yds I take my hat off to you hill stalkers as it was bloody hard work with him let alone a big red stag!.
I met my friend at the yard and we performed a suspended gralloch which went nicely and examined the carcass with the deer initave advice. On inspection of the bullet entry I had missed the heart but completely destroyed everything else in the vicinity.
So by 9.30 I was home, skinned him and butchered him immediately In order to fit him in my small game fridge in the garage to cool (I don’t have a purpose built larder or chiller and didn’t fancy leaving him hanging in this heat).
Whilst butchering him it was apparent that the 75g SST had damaged quite a bit of meat around the entrance and exit wound-to much in fact and I won’t be using this round again on deer as I’m Not a fan of neck/head shooting either. Luckily both shoulders were fine so I had hanunches,tenderloins,loin that runs from pelvis to shoulders and the shoulders. Sadly the front half of the cage and lower portion of neck had been quite damaged. Do not fear though NONE of this beast is going to waste and rightly so-obviously my family and I are having all the prime cuts,the damaged meat and carcass has been portioned into freezer bags for the ferrets, the pelt for fly tying and the head will be mounted.
Thankyou for listening to my ramblings.
Tom
After my 4th outing I finally managed my 1st roebuck.
I had seen a few in recent visits but could not get a comfortable shot on one (it was walking broadside a more experienced stalker may of shot it)and the other one was in an adjacent field and walked past me 50yds away oblivious to my presence!, this beast was larger than the one I took but I do not have shooting rights to said field!.
On one visit I stumbled apon a muntjac doe at 70 yds I let her go as she didn’t look pregnant and in a return visit I spied her with a large fawn in the same location so I was glad I left her!
I also Sneaked up to two young fallow prickets and was able to observe them from 50 yds all of this was on the same farm in Essex.
Anyway after all of that yesterday morning at 5.45 I managed my first Roebuck. Initially I startled it from a pond hole which it took off from and bounded off inito the distance across some barley fields barking in annoyance at my intrusion. Soon after a lengthy and silent walk annoyingly with the wind at my back I creeped around a wooded copse and caught up with the beast who had calmed down and was browsing in the corner of the barley field about 400 yards from our previous encounter. I set out my sticks and shouldered my rifle- I studied the animal that was now 70 yds Away and was in awe of it for a few minutes,hesitant to pull the trigger. I’m not normally a nervous person but nerves was getting to me on this occasion! He suddenly stopped browsing and started to look slightly agitated so I composed my self and squeezed the trigger, thankfully he dropped on the spot , I breathed a sigh of relief,reloaded and waited. After a few minutes I walked towards him and there he lay in his magnificent glory the bullet had done it’s work and passed straight through the engine room. Now I had to extract him and proceeded to drag him for a good 500 yds I take my hat off to you hill stalkers as it was bloody hard work with him let alone a big red stag!.
I met my friend at the yard and we performed a suspended gralloch which went nicely and examined the carcass with the deer initave advice. On inspection of the bullet entry I had missed the heart but completely destroyed everything else in the vicinity.
So by 9.30 I was home, skinned him and butchered him immediately In order to fit him in my small game fridge in the garage to cool (I don’t have a purpose built larder or chiller and didn’t fancy leaving him hanging in this heat).
Whilst butchering him it was apparent that the 75g SST had damaged quite a bit of meat around the entrance and exit wound-to much in fact and I won’t be using this round again on deer as I’m Not a fan of neck/head shooting either. Luckily both shoulders were fine so I had hanunches,tenderloins,loin that runs from pelvis to shoulders and the shoulders. Sadly the front half of the cage and lower portion of neck had been quite damaged. Do not fear though NONE of this beast is going to waste and rightly so-obviously my family and I are having all the prime cuts,the damaged meat and carcass has been portioned into freezer bags for the ferrets, the pelt for fly tying and the head will be mounted.
Thankyou for listening to my ramblings.
Tom
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