Definitely got that WRONG - I do prefer Muntjac!

So, readers may recall that prior to Christmas I went out after roe chasing cull targets, only to end up with 3 muntjac. A week later, I then had a lump of a Fallow from a group that had suddenly appeared in a location new to me, and I was lamenting the struggle to manhandle that by contrast to muntjac. Well yesterday, I caught up with the remains of that group once again and instantly regretted pulling the trigger!



I haven't been up to these permissions for a few weeks due to my wife's birthday celebrations, mine and a quick trip down into Devon to bag a red. The weather here has been driech, the ground absolutely sodden and after much umming and argh'ing as to which day this weekend would possibly be driest, I set off mid-afternoon yesterday to go have a look around. With 2 deer in the chiller (and the need to process all I shoot), I wasn't necessary looking for an animal, more a chance to catch-up on some jobs, relocate a trail camera and to say hi to the landowners, dropping off some processed venison.

So to the first permission, a lengthy good humoured catch-up with the landowner but then, it started to rain - bugger! Better get a shift on, so I head out through the top of the garden into the first field lamenting as I did that I was sadly out of condition - too much good food AND wine! To be honest, I was paying more attention to the wood line off to my right a field over when literally within a few steps, I saw a black lump further on up in the field off to my left, close to the fence line. As the thermal was in my hand I raised it immediately and yes, there was a stonking great fallow standing broadside I didn't bother with the binos (new Draco's on test), mounted the .270, steadied and squeezed. Thwack - it lurched forward and dropped. Instantly, the one set of antlers I had seen at its feet in the scope became 3 more monsters as they stood and bolted away up the field. Seeing it was on the ground, I turned on my heels and headed back towards the corner of the wood I had just emerged from to see where they ran. I had barely covered half the ground when I suddenly realised that they had turned and were now running towards me. I quickly mounted again but, thought better! They were less than 50m but still running when they saw me and turned, heading back to the top of the field and out of sight without stopping. I don't do running shots but more importantly, I couldn't handle 2 of these monsters in either my car or chillers! They will be there another day as these were the same animals from those I had taken the animal in that second link!

Manhandling the beast back to the car was emotional as was loading it, unloading it again and doing the gralloch at the second farm. Boy was I pleased that commonsense stopped the temptation to squeeze the trigger again!

 

[Tim.243]

Think of the paintwork

Think of the fun, we don't worry abt paint work

 

[FISH BOY]

Nice buck - well done - lol never again…

Shot a 38kg dressed pricket yesterday - a toddler in comparison but can’t get the truck close, so the carry out was emotional.

Shooting the big ones or multiples certainly takes it to the next level of effort.

 

[VSS]

I'm definitely on that page Tim but these were all the same size - an interesting group of young mature fallow. As I said before, I'd hate to see the dominant one that pushed these out!

View attachment 458567

I hasten to add that the pricket wasn't with them this time but I have seen him recently on trail cam.

View attachment 458570

We had 12 fallow to extract yesterday morning, and the worst of it was the mud! Everything, including the deer, getting plastered in the stuff.
Would have been a rewarding job on a dry day, but as it was it was just a damned hard slog.

 

[Tim.243]

Learn to shoot the little'uns!
Yearling fallow does

Try harder Tim
2x57kg dressed weight so at best 120+

 

[VSS]

Try harder Tim
2x57kg dressed weight so at best 120+

Those big lardy ones aren't the ones I want for venison. Too much waste.

 

[wytonpjs]

We had 12 fallow to extract yesterday morning, and the worst of it was the mud! Everything, including the deer, getting plastered in the stuff.
Would have been a rewarding job on a dry day, but as it was it was just a damned hard slog.

I feel for you!

 

[Tim.243]

Those big lardy ones aren't the ones I want for venison. Too much waste.

Not that Tim it is getting them out lol,

 

[VSS]

Not that Tim it is getting them out lol,

If I don't shoot them I don't need to get them out
I tend to only shoot what I know will make the best venison.

 

[Tim.243]

If I don't shoot them I don't need to get them out
I tend to only shoot what I know will make the best venison.

Then the game dealers would be empty and your market is very much limited, if they are in an enclosure not so but being picky with transient deer then Ray Charles is playing pin the tale on the donkey.

 

[VSS]

Then the game dealers would be empty and your market is very much limited, if they are in an enclosure not so but being picky with transient deer then Ray Charles is playing pin the tale on the donkey.

You do you, I'll do me.
I can be as picky as I like with the wild fallow, just as I can with my park deer.
Chiller is full at the moment, so I can't be doing too badly. (And no, they didn't all come out of the park. Most are wild deer).
And the market appears to be limitless. Just had another big order for venison come in, since my last post in this thread.
And right now I'm butchering a lovely wild doe. 38kg larder weight. The one I posted a photo of a week ago. Beautiful!

 

[Tim.243]

You do you, I'll do me.
I can be as picky as I like with the wild fallow, just as I can with my park deer.
Chiller is full at the moment, so I can't be doing too badly. (And no, they didn't all come out of the park. Most are wild deer).
And the market appears to be limitless. Just had another big order for venison come in, since my last post in this thread.
And right now I'm butchering a lovely wild doe. 38kg larder weight. The one I posted a photo of a week ago. Beautiful!

Pick any 12 you like, come and shoot them, (when they are safe to shoot)

 

[matty779blue]

I got one of these from Germany that fits on a tow bar. Awesome to run the quad around to pick up even large deer.

 

[VSS]

Pick any 12 you like, come and shoot them, (when they are safe to shoot)

View attachment 458629

I might just do that one of these days, but right now my chiller is full so no need

 

[Tim.243]

I might just do that one of these days, but right now my chiller is full so no need

Bring your own cart and hoist as a few ditches on the way back

 

[Klenchblaize]

Shooting them; even "getting them out" if we are going to be honest, remains the easy part compared to what the fooook one does with them once off the rolling meadows of Kent & Sussex or even the Lowlands of Essex unless you're Tim.243!

K

 

[Tim.243]

Shooting them; even "getting them out" if we are going to be honest, remains the easy part compared to what the fooook one does with them once off the rolling meadows of Kent & Sussex or even the Lowlands of Essex unless you're Tim.243!

K

This short vid got a few laughs in the Watts App group... all done in the best possible taste

 

[The Singing Stalker]

I knew I had to go and start some exercise when I shot a roe buck and had to drag him through a load of nettles to get clear so I could do the gralloch.
My neck was so hot and red you could have fried an egg on it. I had planned to go out foxing after but as I was swimming in a pool of sweat, I decided to go to the home for a shower then off to the pub before I had a heart attack.

I’m somewhat fitter these days. But still have the strength of a kid. Luckily, most of my ground is easily accessible. Even with the car, but I am considering a fold up cart for when it is not.
Keep this up I will need a second car to follow me with all the kit.

 

[75]

Not as large as my biggest (75kg larder) but this was big enough!

View attachment 458549
Note the use of your hanger Tim

Aww cute. That's a nice wee size

 

[Dan Newcombe]

This isn’t a dig at the OP at all, more an observation.

Seem to see a lot on here that people wouldn’t shoot multiple fallow because of the work involved and (as importantly) chiller space.

Can’t help but this this is probably a significant reason populations are getting so out of hand down there, simply not shooting enough.

I get that chiller space is important but I get the overall impression that people aren’t wanting to drag multiple fallow as part of their hobby - and in my view they should really be trying harder. We should also have community larders that are open for registered / qualified people to use.

 

[wytonpjs]

This isn’t a dig at the OP at all, more an observation.

Seem to see a lot on here that people wouldn’t shoot multiple fallow because of the work involved and (as importantly) chiller space.

Can’t help but this this is probably a significant reason populations are getting so out of hand down there, simply not shooting enough.

I get that chiller space is important but I get the overall impression that people aren’t wanting to drag multiple fallow as part of their hobby - and in my view they should really be trying harder. We should also have community larders that are open for registered / qualified people to use.

Dan, I agree completely I would shoot more, and to an extent could have manage a second or third on this trip but I have to process all I shoot as I have no AGHE within sensible distance. As a result, I have to process all I shoot and a week ago, I had to bring online a third freezer to hold my processed stock. Sadly, unlike @VSS, my venison isn’t flying out of the door as fast as I’d like so for me, it’s a self-limiting circle. My observation is that actually, my shooting, processing and sales rate is very well suited to the culling capacity of the land I can shoot so there’s a sort of balance.

I’m off next weekend to Sussex to assist a colleague on a fallow cull - 36 deer shot in 2 LL and FL sessions is fairly typical. Thankfully, he does have an outlet for most of those although he has minced many straight into dog food. The numbers of fallow there are mind boggling and he admits he’s not making a dent in the numbers, nor any money. Moreover, the effort he has to put in to achieve that regular cull is staggering and I for one couldn’t do what he does.

We need more appetite for the product and routes to market - end of!