So belatedly, another short write-up as this was unusual stalk for me and, to put it rather mildly, quite good (albeit rather brief)!
Now, I have in my entire stalking “career” only ever done 2 paid stalks. The first was with the excellent @redcoat many years ago as I hadn’t at that stage shot a fallow and was keen to complete my UK 6. We were not successful that day, but the stalk/banter was great - I subsequently joined Mike Robinson’s Bathurst syndicate and shot rather a lot of fallow
This second, because as I have only ever shot reds up in Scotland and it being my birthday later this month, my “usual” week on the BASC Arran hinds having gone down the tubes 2-years ago, coupled with the chance reading of @devon deer stalker ’s retirement post up on SD, I thought why not indulge myself 
Indulge being the right word given we have also recently spent a couple of days nearby at Lympstone Manor celebrating my wife’s birthday in frankly dammed decent style, so this was my bit of me time! Ironically, Richard’s place is close to Gidleigh Park where Michael Caines (who owns Lympstone Manor) started and got his first Michelin Star and he regaled me with stories of Michael calling in to the local shop and buying frozen pizza from his son! Gidleigh is also place my wife and I have stayed and similarly enjoyed a couple of years back, also as a birthday celebration. Anyway, back to stalking as this isn’t a fine dining forum (although the Food Porn thread on here does come very close).
The day before we were due to stalk, Richard kindly suggested we slip if possible due to the incessant rain forecasted – I’m very glad we did as when we did get out, the fields were still completely sodden and water-logged – the original day would have been deeply unpleasant to say the least!
A 5:00 am start from Bristol (with an obligatory Greggs refuelling stop part way) saw me rendezvous with Richard just before 7 to drive to one of his many permissions. It was a cold morning touching zero with some thick fog in places as I transited down the M5. Dawn was just lifting as I tried and failed to fit the bolt to my Tikka after we arrived on the ground – then it dawned upon me
I had released the bolt’s spring tension and could I twist the bolt shroud back around, could I hell 
With Richard’s grip and using my Mora to overcome the tension (scratching the newly acquired second-hand black Sterk bolt handle in the process), it finally snapped into the tensioned position. Mental note to NEVER do that again but also to put the Sako tool I have into the bottom of my stalking bag where it could be of some use!
Now Richard had said as we drove over that these Reds were getting very wary, but when he donned his face veil to compliment his full cammo suit and set off in a semi-crouched position I though sh*t, they must be VERY wary. I followed close behind. The first grass field close to the truck was bare but on entering a second field through a narrowed entrance section, we both spotted heat signatures down the far bank alongside a wood. They were slowly transiting right towards sanctuary and alert! Teasingly, the convex slope occasionally hid them, but it also afforded us some cover as we moved back to opposite hedge line and pressed deeper into the field. Barely 50m further on another 2 animals appeared on thermal over to the right, with the original group heading straight towards them. Richard quietly enquired whether I was comfortable taking the 200m plus shot on the clear animal but with an implied “if I was, take it fast”! Ever one to oblige, I quickly mounted the .270 on my sticks, dialled in 200m and, having acquired the animal in the gloom, waited momentarily until the animal turned more broadside, sending the 110gr TTSX on its way. This was followed by a resounding thwack that resonated off the far wood. It stumbled forwards and dropped, I reloaded and, watching the other 5 now exiting stage right sharpish, we made our way down the slope to the animal. Blink test done, I slowly took in what a lump this spiker was! With a fallow and a roe then already in my small chillers, I was ideally looking for a follower or a maiden hind but hey ho, that’s stalking
I would guess we were 600m from where Richard's truck was parked, but all of that was now up hill on sodden, water-logged grass that mired instantly under foot. If I hadn’t fluffed the bolt, maybe we would have had less of a haul
I started the gralloch whilst Richard went back to the truck to collect his deer cart. It was way too wet to drive over those fields and the landowner doesn’t allow quads! I’d finished by the time he returned, the cart was quickly loaded, the deer bungeed on and the slow haul back to the truck started. This was punctuated frequently with stops, as it could only be with 2 stalkers both the wrong side of 60 (and much nearer 70 in my case), but those breaks were very useful to learn more of Richard’s experiences on reds. So too was the chat over a hearty breakfast at a local café having transhipped the red into my car for the relatively short journey back to Bristol.
Loading it into my chiller was emotional, made more so by the spider on @Tim.243 ‘s pulling through the pelvic cavity – bigger spiders required Tim! Larder weight was 66.8 kg; not the heaviest I’ve had in this chiller (75kg fallow buck takes that honour) but I swear this one was physically larger!
I’m indebted to Richard for putting up with my incessant questions that day, for his informative replies, good humour and banter. I can thoroughly recommend his services for anyone looking for similar experiences and I sincerely hope that if my retirement plans do come to fruition, to take him up on some fly fishing too!
Now, I have in my entire stalking “career” only ever done 2 paid stalks. The first was with the excellent @redcoat many years ago as I hadn’t at that stage shot a fallow and was keen to complete my UK 6. We were not successful that day, but the stalk/banter was great - I subsequently joined Mike Robinson’s Bathurst syndicate and shot rather a lot of fallow
This second, because as I have only ever shot reds up in Scotland and it being my birthday later this month, my “usual” week on the BASC Arran hinds having gone down the tubes 2-years ago, coupled with the chance reading of @devon deer stalker ’s retirement post up on SD, I thought why not indulge myself Indulge being the right word given we have also recently spent a couple of days nearby at Lympstone Manor celebrating my wife’s birthday in frankly dammed decent style, so this was my bit of me time! Ironically, Richard’s place is close to Gidleigh Park where Michael Caines (who owns Lympstone Manor) started and got his first Michelin Star and he regaled me with stories of Michael calling in to the local shop and buying frozen pizza from his son! Gidleigh is also place my wife and I have stayed and similarly enjoyed a couple of years back, also as a birthday celebration. Anyway, back to stalking as this isn’t a fine dining forum (although the Food Porn thread on here does come very close).The day before we were due to stalk, Richard kindly suggested we slip if possible due to the incessant rain forecasted – I’m very glad we did as when we did get out, the fields were still completely sodden and water-logged – the original day would have been deeply unpleasant to say the least!
A 5:00 am start from Bristol (with an obligatory Greggs refuelling stop part way) saw me rendezvous with Richard just before 7 to drive to one of his many permissions. It was a cold morning touching zero with some thick fog in places as I transited down the M5. Dawn was just lifting as I tried and failed to fit the bolt to my Tikka after we arrived on the ground – then it dawned upon me
I had released the bolt’s spring tension and could I twist the bolt shroud back around, could I hell With Richard’s grip and using my Mora to overcome the tension (scratching the newly acquired second-hand black Sterk bolt handle in the process), it finally snapped into the tensioned position. Mental note to NEVER do that again but also to put the Sako tool I have into the bottom of my stalking bag where it could be of some use!Now Richard had said as we drove over that these Reds were getting very wary, but when he donned his face veil to compliment his full cammo suit and set off in a semi-crouched position I though sh*t, they must be VERY wary. I followed close behind. The first grass field close to the truck was bare but on entering a second field through a narrowed entrance section, we both spotted heat signatures down the far bank alongside a wood. They were slowly transiting right towards sanctuary and alert! Teasingly, the convex slope occasionally hid them, but it also afforded us some cover as we moved back to opposite hedge line and pressed deeper into the field. Barely 50m further on another 2 animals appeared on thermal over to the right, with the original group heading straight towards them. Richard quietly enquired whether I was comfortable taking the 200m plus shot on the clear animal but with an implied “if I was, take it fast”! Ever one to oblige, I quickly mounted the .270 on my sticks, dialled in 200m and, having acquired the animal in the gloom, waited momentarily until the animal turned more broadside, sending the 110gr TTSX on its way. This was followed by a resounding thwack that resonated off the far wood. It stumbled forwards and dropped, I reloaded and, watching the other 5 now exiting stage right sharpish, we made our way down the slope to the animal. Blink test done, I slowly took in what a lump this spiker was! With a fallow and a roe then already in my small chillers, I was ideally looking for a follower or a maiden hind but hey ho, that’s stalking
I would guess we were 600m from where Richard's truck was parked, but all of that was now up hill on sodden, water-logged grass that mired instantly under foot. If I hadn’t fluffed the bolt, maybe we would have had less of a haul
I started the gralloch whilst Richard went back to the truck to collect his deer cart. It was way too wet to drive over those fields and the landowner doesn’t allow quads! I’d finished by the time he returned, the cart was quickly loaded, the deer bungeed on and the slow haul back to the truck started. This was punctuated frequently with stops, as it could only be with 2 stalkers both the wrong side of 60 (and much nearer 70 in my case), but those breaks were very useful to learn more of Richard’s experiences on reds. So too was the chat over a hearty breakfast at a local café having transhipped the red into my car for the relatively short journey back to Bristol.
Loading it into my chiller was emotional, made more so by the spider on @Tim.243 ‘s pulling through the pelvic cavity – bigger spiders required Tim! Larder weight was 66.8 kg; not the heaviest I’ve had in this chiller (75kg fallow buck takes that honour) but I swear this one was physically larger!
I’m indebted to Richard for putting up with my incessant questions that day, for his informative replies, good humour and banter. I can thoroughly recommend his services for anyone looking for similar experiences and I sincerely hope that if my retirement plans do come to fruition, to take him up on some fly fishing too!
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