Six years ago I decided to do a DSC1 course. The venue was just fifteen minutes from where I live, and I enjoy learning and meeting like minded people, so it was an enjoyable experience for me. I learned a lot and met a local deer stalker who became a good friend and mentor to me. I already had some stalking of my own, and because I was keen and doing a good job it wasn’t long before a few more doors began to open locally.
Three years after doing the DSC1 I decided to sign up for the DSC2. I didn’t need it, but I often had friends along with me when I was stalking, and realised that although I enjoyed stalking alone, it was also nice to share the experience with someone else. Having an AW along would surely be the same I thought, and the DSC2 would be another experience which I was sure I would enjoy. I had never paid for a stalk before, so felt that after three years of stalking, the investment was not an issue. I was confident in my ability and liked the idea of proving it by being witnessed and assessed. So in a way it was a personal challenge/test/experience for me, rather than actually needing the certificate. So I signed up. I knew I had three years to do it, which for someone who needs a bit of time pressure to get things done, wasn’t really a good thing!
One year passed by, then another, and yet more time slipped by, busy with my own stalking and work. Until one day I realised I had very little time to get this done before the time was up. So I got in touch with an AW nearby and booked my first outing with him. I’m not going to go in to any details about that experience, but let’s just say it wasn’t a good one. This was a worry, because I realised that picking an AW who I felt I could trust was potentially going to be a bit of a lottery, quite possibly an expensive one. I did some more research online, and through this forum heard some good reviews about an AW based in Cornwall. He’s on here as AWMC.
A few messages were sent back and forth between us, and we arranged to meet at a range so he could see me shoot/check my rifle was zeroed etc. As soon as we met I had that gut feeling that he was a good ‘un! We got on well, he was happy with my shooting, so we arranged out first outing on some ground he manages in Devon.
We met at Exeter services in the dark of a November morning, and I followed him to the place he had in mind. It was an area of clear fell where he wanted me to shoot a roe doe kid, one of two kids with a doe which had taken up residence in the area. Or a doe without kids if we should see one. After talking me through the lie of the land, footpaths, roads etc and explaining that dog walkers frequently used the paths through the wood, I set off through the wood towards the clear fell, followed closely by Simon.
I won’t bore you with all the details, but I did find the doe and kids, and after identifying one of the kids as a doe kid, I was able to get in to position and take a safe and successful shot. After I had gralloched her, talking through the lymph nodes and checks I was doing for disease, Simon asked me a few questions and then told me to gather the gralloch up and gave me a bag to put it in.
“Make sure you get it all in the bag because we need to clear it all away and take it with us.” He said. “We are poaching after all, so we can’t leave any evidence behind”.
His face was giving nothing away, no hint that he was joking at all. There was enough uncertainty in my mind for a moment to make me question what I was doing in this situation. Here I was in the middle of a woodland, with my rifle, a dead deer and a guy I’d only met once before. Anything was possible!
But then he started to laugh and the doubts disappeared and I realised that I could breathe again. He always took the gralloch out from this area because dog walkers didn’t want their pets finding entrails. Perfectly reasonable, and it was nice to know that he had a sense of humour about him, which only added to the enjoyment of our future outings. There was quite a lot of laughter throughout each of our outings; most of it probably too inappropriate to write about here!
When we got back to the vehicles, he produced a couple of venison pasties, made by his wife. I can honestly say they were the best pasties I’ve ever tasted! Every outing he would have a few of these pasties waiting at the vehicle for our return, which was always appreciated and a nice touch I thought.
I’ll not drag this out by describing each of the outings, suffice to say we went out five times to get my three cull reports needed for the portfolio. Simon always played his part and took me to places where deer were present. We saw deer on all five occasions; twice the deer simply saw us before I was able to get a safe shot. During our conversations back at the vehicles while we ate pasties and drank tea, he shared stories and anecdotes about his stalking experiences and life, which I found really interesting and educational. It’s always good to speak to like minded people, especially when they have such a wealth of experience. But at no time did I get a sense of any ‘ego’ or attitude with Simon. He is a real gentleman and I can highly recommend him to anyone else looking for an AW or a stalking guide in Devon/Cornwall.
I’ve had my telephone call from the Assessor, which went well, and have heard from the external verifier to say that I have done it, and am now just waiting for the certificate to arrive. I don’t actually need the certificate, but I’m really glad that I did it. It was a fun experience, more memories to look back on, and another friend made in the stalking world who I hope to keep in touch with. I intend to book an outing with Simon during the hind season, so I can make a weekend break out of it and stalk some hinds on ground he’s got over the border in Cornwall; if for no other reason than it will be good to meet him again; and hopefully enjoy some more of his wife’s amazing pasties of course!
Thanks very much Simon, for making the process so much fun and so memorable. I will look forward to visiting you in Cornwall one of these days!
Three years after doing the DSC1 I decided to sign up for the DSC2. I didn’t need it, but I often had friends along with me when I was stalking, and realised that although I enjoyed stalking alone, it was also nice to share the experience with someone else. Having an AW along would surely be the same I thought, and the DSC2 would be another experience which I was sure I would enjoy. I had never paid for a stalk before, so felt that after three years of stalking, the investment was not an issue. I was confident in my ability and liked the idea of proving it by being witnessed and assessed. So in a way it was a personal challenge/test/experience for me, rather than actually needing the certificate. So I signed up. I knew I had three years to do it, which for someone who needs a bit of time pressure to get things done, wasn’t really a good thing!
One year passed by, then another, and yet more time slipped by, busy with my own stalking and work. Until one day I realised I had very little time to get this done before the time was up. So I got in touch with an AW nearby and booked my first outing with him. I’m not going to go in to any details about that experience, but let’s just say it wasn’t a good one. This was a worry, because I realised that picking an AW who I felt I could trust was potentially going to be a bit of a lottery, quite possibly an expensive one. I did some more research online, and through this forum heard some good reviews about an AW based in Cornwall. He’s on here as AWMC.
A few messages were sent back and forth between us, and we arranged to meet at a range so he could see me shoot/check my rifle was zeroed etc. As soon as we met I had that gut feeling that he was a good ‘un! We got on well, he was happy with my shooting, so we arranged out first outing on some ground he manages in Devon.
We met at Exeter services in the dark of a November morning, and I followed him to the place he had in mind. It was an area of clear fell where he wanted me to shoot a roe doe kid, one of two kids with a doe which had taken up residence in the area. Or a doe without kids if we should see one. After talking me through the lie of the land, footpaths, roads etc and explaining that dog walkers frequently used the paths through the wood, I set off through the wood towards the clear fell, followed closely by Simon.
I won’t bore you with all the details, but I did find the doe and kids, and after identifying one of the kids as a doe kid, I was able to get in to position and take a safe and successful shot. After I had gralloched her, talking through the lymph nodes and checks I was doing for disease, Simon asked me a few questions and then told me to gather the gralloch up and gave me a bag to put it in.
“Make sure you get it all in the bag because we need to clear it all away and take it with us.” He said. “We are poaching after all, so we can’t leave any evidence behind”.
His face was giving nothing away, no hint that he was joking at all. There was enough uncertainty in my mind for a moment to make me question what I was doing in this situation. Here I was in the middle of a woodland, with my rifle, a dead deer and a guy I’d only met once before. Anything was possible!
But then he started to laugh and the doubts disappeared and I realised that I could breathe again. He always took the gralloch out from this area because dog walkers didn’t want their pets finding entrails. Perfectly reasonable, and it was nice to know that he had a sense of humour about him, which only added to the enjoyment of our future outings. There was quite a lot of laughter throughout each of our outings; most of it probably too inappropriate to write about here!
When we got back to the vehicles, he produced a couple of venison pasties, made by his wife. I can honestly say they were the best pasties I’ve ever tasted! Every outing he would have a few of these pasties waiting at the vehicle for our return, which was always appreciated and a nice touch I thought.
I’ll not drag this out by describing each of the outings, suffice to say we went out five times to get my three cull reports needed for the portfolio. Simon always played his part and took me to places where deer were present. We saw deer on all five occasions; twice the deer simply saw us before I was able to get a safe shot. During our conversations back at the vehicles while we ate pasties and drank tea, he shared stories and anecdotes about his stalking experiences and life, which I found really interesting and educational. It’s always good to speak to like minded people, especially when they have such a wealth of experience. But at no time did I get a sense of any ‘ego’ or attitude with Simon. He is a real gentleman and I can highly recommend him to anyone else looking for an AW or a stalking guide in Devon/Cornwall.
I’ve had my telephone call from the Assessor, which went well, and have heard from the external verifier to say that I have done it, and am now just waiting for the certificate to arrive. I don’t actually need the certificate, but I’m really glad that I did it. It was a fun experience, more memories to look back on, and another friend made in the stalking world who I hope to keep in touch with. I intend to book an outing with Simon during the hind season, so I can make a weekend break out of it and stalk some hinds on ground he’s got over the border in Cornwall; if for no other reason than it will be good to meet him again; and hopefully enjoy some more of his wife’s amazing pasties of course!
Thanks very much Simon, for making the process so much fun and so memorable. I will look forward to visiting you in Cornwall one of these days!
