csl
Administrator
Got home about 2045 last night, absolutely knackered!
We got off to a bit of a slow start, there was sign everywhere but the deer were just not showing, at least not in daylight hours. The unseasonally warm weather was having an effect on their behaviour and also on the bracken which had barely even begun to flatten. A few favourite spots from previous years were useless this year because it was impossible to see any distance in front to sit and wait, and of course stalking through it was harder still.... especially for some of the more 'reduced stature' stalkers
If I remember correctly I think we blanked on Monday, but this didn't dampen our guests' spirits... in fact that first night they decided to drink those spirits which resulted in both Andy (tika.308) and myself being 'clientless' on Tuesday morning. One stayed in bed.... and the other probably should have!
I won't mention names but sikamalc found a large Geordie chap fast sleep in the sphagnum moss
It was now an hour and a half later than we should have left but Andy and I decided to head out ourselves to have a look. I left Andy doing his morning 'constitutional' at the junction of the path (thankfully down wind 
) and took the lower route and after only about 20 minutes spotted a lone sika stag picking his way through the undergrowth below me. After a 30 yard dash (down into the steepest, thickest part 
) one stag down.
After dropping a few hints on the radio while doing the gralloch I managed to coax tika.308 down to help me drag him back up to the track. My previous best - 'giant muntjac' sika spiker now upgraded to 'roe buck sika'.
After that we were hoping things were going to pick up however no more deer in the larder that morning. Later on we heard Jim had got a good sika stag waaaay out the back after being out on the hill several hours and a drag I don't think he or Simon are likely to forget!
My memory is a bit scrambled about the order of what came next but after the first part of the week I don't mind admitting I was a little anxious, however on Weds? tika.308 took Tom up Heartbreak Ridge in search of a red stag we had been spotting holding hinds. I'm sure one of them will tell the tale but the whoops of joy (and manly bonding? ) from atop the ridge could probably be heard down the Glenn. They returned later with a good sized 7 pointer.
Throughout the week a pair had being going over to JAYB's ground each day where deer were seen every day in numbers but, frustratingly, for various reasons of wrong gender, wrong place wrong time, stag standoff, legs falling off sticks, a miss and other various stalker's excuses none were got.
Although the wind and the temperature remained the same on Thursday night something must have have changed because Jim got a red stag on an area which had proved fruitless the previous two days and then on Friday two more deer were taken from that same spot by Simon and Ken, another red stag and a sika stag. Meanwhile, on another area unsuccessfully stalked the previous day Darren got a nice sika stag and Jim got a calf. Tom also got a red spiker the same morning on the hill.
Senior guide 'overseeing' his client's larder work
A likely spot, but no luck that night
Darren and his sika stag
I'm sure others will be along with their own photos and write-ups in due course so I'll leave it there for now, just to say it was a pleasure seeing everyone, both old faces and new and the banter was up to scratch as always.
Thanks to sikamalc and JAYB for hosting, to Sandra for feeding us and tirelessly looking after us and to Mark (Fallow Stalker) for his expert guidance and being someone to talk to about tractors.
Also to my usual room mate Robin, I hope your back is feeling better now - you can't miss another year, the room mate I got stuck with this year is up all night going to the loo, checking his bed for ticks and 'sleep dragging'. I don't think I got more than 4 hours any night!
p.s. I was going to put this in the deer dog training section.... normally sikamalc isn't allowed up on the sofa, but on this occasion Todd let him as a treat!
Oh and no more jokes about the Royal Quad never getting dirty!
Alex
We got off to a bit of a slow start, there was sign everywhere but the deer were just not showing, at least not in daylight hours. The unseasonally warm weather was having an effect on their behaviour and also on the bracken which had barely even begun to flatten. A few favourite spots from previous years were useless this year because it was impossible to see any distance in front to sit and wait, and of course stalking through it was harder still.... especially for some of the more 'reduced stature' stalkers
If I remember correctly I think we blanked on Monday, but this didn't dampen our guests' spirits... in fact that first night they decided to drink those spirits which resulted in both Andy (tika.308) and myself being 'clientless' on Tuesday morning. One stayed in bed.... and the other probably should have!
I won't mention names but sikamalc found a large Geordie chap fast sleep in the sphagnum moss It was now an hour and a half later than we should have left but Andy and I decided to head out ourselves to have a look. I left Andy doing his morning 'constitutional'
at the junction of the path (thankfully down wind ) and took the lower route and after only about 20 minutes spotted a lone sika stag picking his way through the undergrowth below me. After a 30 yard dash (down into the steepest, thickest part ) one stag down.After dropping a few hints on the radio while doing the gralloch I managed to coax tika.308 down to help me drag him back up to the track. My previous best - 'giant muntjac' sika spiker now upgraded to 'roe buck sika'.
After that we were hoping things were going to pick up however no more deer in the larder that morning. Later on we heard Jim had got a good sika stag waaaay out the back after being out on the hill several hours and a drag I don't think he or Simon are likely to forget!
My memory is a bit scrambled about the order of what came next but after the first part of the week I don't mind admitting I was a little anxious, however on Weds? tika.308 took Tom up Heartbreak Ridge in search of a red stag we had been spotting holding hinds. I'm sure one of them will tell the tale but the whoops of joy (and manly bonding?
) from atop the ridge could probably be heard down the Glenn. They returned later with a good sized 7 pointer.Throughout the week a pair had being going over to JAYB's ground each day where deer were seen every day in numbers but, frustratingly, for various reasons of wrong gender, wrong place wrong time, stag standoff, legs falling off sticks, a miss and other various stalker's excuses
none were got.Although the wind and the temperature remained the same on Thursday night something must have have changed because Jim got a red stag on an area which had proved fruitless the previous two days and then on Friday two more deer were taken from that same spot by Simon and Ken, another red stag and a sika stag. Meanwhile, on another area unsuccessfully stalked the previous day Darren got a nice sika stag and Jim got a calf. Tom also got a red spiker the same morning on the hill.
Senior guide 'overseeing' his client's larder work
A likely spot, but no luck that night
Darren and his sika stag
I'm sure others will be along with their own photos and write-ups in due course so I'll leave it there for now, just to say it was a pleasure seeing everyone, both old faces and new and the banter was up to scratch as always.
Thanks to sikamalc and JAYB for hosting, to Sandra for feeding us and tirelessly looking after us and to Mark (Fallow Stalker) for his expert guidance and being someone to talk to about tractors.
Also to my usual room mate Robin, I hope your back is feeling better now - you can't miss another year, the room mate I got stuck with this year is up all night going to the loo, checking his bed for ticks and 'sleep dragging'. I don't think I got more than 4 hours any night!
p.s. I was going to put this in the deer dog training section.... normally sikamalc isn't allowed up on the sofa, but on this occasion Todd let him as a treat!
Oh and no more jokes about the Royal Quad never getting dirty!
Alex
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