One of the farmers I shoot for has around 750 acres and rents another 1500, I have vermin permission on the rented land as one of the brothers of the family that own it stalks it. The only issue is he lives abroad so the deer don’t controlled as much as they maybe should be. I dropped a fallow loin off to the farmer and he asked how many I thought needed to come off, I suggested 6-10 roe does would be a sensible reduction. He went on to say he had rent day the following day so would ask again (he’s been trying for years) if the estate would let me thin out the females, I pointed out doe season finished a week Tuesday!!
Roll on to the following Friday and halfway through the morning I got a call, the estate had agreed but I needed to get my FAC and insurance over that day so the land agency could produce a licence running to the 31st. A bit of to and fro and at 1650 hrs the licence was emailed over, once signed I could commence culling. I got home, signed and downloaded it, all good but no shooting on a Sunday, so 4 days became 3!!
@JL Grendel arrived at mine 0500 hrs the next morning, he couldn’t shoot but offered to help spot. We headed to a large field running up into a hill where we’d been seeing 10-15 roe regularly from out side of the boundary. We landed only to find the field had been cultivated that week with no deer in sight. This would mean the deer would be up on the hill and in the valleys in the hill side and the wind would be working against us.
The farm is on the edge of the North Wessex Downs and consists of large flat fields on top of the hills with scrubby valleys running up from the fields below, this sort of thing.
@JL Grendel and I proceeded up the first cultivated hill to the field above the valleys, hoping to catch deer in a shootable position. Not long and we bumped a group of 3 does and 2 bucks, who quickly headed off to the skyline. We continued, checking down each valley and saw another buck and doe, they ran ahead and again didn’t offer a safe shot. We continued around the curve of the hill and as we crossed a dip to move to next part Jason looked back and the Doe and buck had doubled back behind us. The doe was stood broadside on top of a bank with the hill behind, rifle was on the quads, quick range call of 140 yards from my buddy and the .280 barked. There was a solid thud and no reaction at all, she took a few steps forward and as I reloaded to go again, she took two more steps and tumbled down the bank. We went down, a pool of bright, bubbly blood behind her indicated a good lung shot. A quick gralloch and she was stashed in the shade for collection on the way out.
We continued on, this time across the bottom of the hill, checking with the thermal, up into a wooded combe. Nothing immediately obvious other than a muntie buck but as we started to climb the opposite side we looked back saw deer laid up in the cover on the side we’d just walked past. We climbed up, using a rise as cover and as we did 2 roe came running down the hill, one chasing the other quite hard. We got ourselves in position and there was a roe doe standing and buck laid up, with other heat sources in the trees. A bit of repositioning to get a clear path through the twigs and the second doe fell, with the report the others scrambled and a second doe stopped just behind a yew tree. We watched for 3-4 minutes but she knew we were there, I had 2 choices, shoot through the twigs to where her shoulder was, or take a head shot. Range was 110 yards and the .280 is superbly accurate so the headshot dropped her there. She rolled down the hill and spooked another 2 roe that ran off. We gralloched the deer, packed them up in the @Monarch Country Products Sika Sack I got for my birthday and headed for the truck. A good morning and the cull was well under way.
Roll on to the following Friday and halfway through the morning I got a call, the estate had agreed but I needed to get my FAC and insurance over that day so the land agency could produce a licence running to the 31st. A bit of to and fro and at 1650 hrs the licence was emailed over, once signed I could commence culling. I got home, signed and downloaded it, all good but no shooting on a Sunday, so 4 days became 3!!
@JL Grendel arrived at mine 0500 hrs the next morning, he couldn’t shoot but offered to help spot. We headed to a large field running up into a hill where we’d been seeing 10-15 roe regularly from out side of the boundary. We landed only to find the field had been cultivated that week with no deer in sight. This would mean the deer would be up on the hill and in the valleys in the hill side and the wind would be working against us.
The farm is on the edge of the North Wessex Downs and consists of large flat fields on top of the hills with scrubby valleys running up from the fields below, this sort of thing.
@JL Grendel and I proceeded up the first cultivated hill to the field above the valleys, hoping to catch deer in a shootable position. Not long and we bumped a group of 3 does and 2 bucks, who quickly headed off to the skyline. We continued, checking down each valley and saw another buck and doe, they ran ahead and again didn’t offer a safe shot. We continued around the curve of the hill and as we crossed a dip to move to next part Jason looked back and the Doe and buck had doubled back behind us. The doe was stood broadside on top of a bank with the hill behind, rifle was on the quads, quick range call of 140 yards from my buddy and the .280 barked. There was a solid thud and no reaction at all, she took a few steps forward and as I reloaded to go again, she took two more steps and tumbled down the bank. We went down, a pool of bright, bubbly blood behind her indicated a good lung shot. A quick gralloch and she was stashed in the shade for collection on the way out.We continued on, this time across the bottom of the hill, checking with the thermal, up into a wooded combe. Nothing immediately obvious other than a muntie buck but as we started to climb the opposite side we looked back saw deer laid up in the cover on the side we’d just walked past. We climbed up, using a rise as cover and as we did 2 roe came running down the hill, one chasing the other quite hard. We got ourselves in position and there was a roe doe standing and buck laid up, with other heat sources in the trees. A bit of repositioning to get a clear path through the twigs and the second doe fell, with the report the others scrambled and a second doe stopped just behind a yew tree. We watched for 3-4 minutes but she knew we were there, I had 2 choices, shoot through the twigs to where her shoulder was, or take a head shot. Range was 110 yards and the .280 is superbly accurate so the headshot dropped her there. She rolled down the hill and spooked another 2 roe that ran off. We gralloched the deer, packed them up in the @Monarch Country Products Sika Sack I got for my birthday and headed for the truck. A good morning and the cull was well under way.
