After living in the UK for 13 years, actively pursuing stalking for more than 6 years, waiting 18 months for a shotgun certificate, jumping through all of the hoops for months and months on end for my FAC, knocking on doors and asking around, joining this great forum, completing DSC 1, and almost giving up hope....I have finally taken my first roe buck on my first small bit of permission! What a journey! Ive seen recent posts on this section with a similar sentiment....difficulty getting a toe in the door unless you are blessed with one of the big three, Money, Land, Connections. Some things ive learned along the way...
1. It was worth it! It was a pain in the neck, especially coming from the States where I grew up hunting and fishing in a totally different culture. Ive never felt like such a fish out of water. There is a totally different approach to game here and it took a while to adjust. This feels like only the beginning and I will keep going. What a feeling it is to feed my family with a beast I was able to stalk myself. Its like harvesting your own firewood for the stove, but times 10!
2. I couldnt have done it without the support of a few people who understood my plight and also understood the importance of getting more people involved in stalking and shooting in general. Specifically a couple of people on this forum (you know who you are!!!) Because of the money being thrown around these days, there seems to be quite a lot of suspicion of everyone. I thought at first the offer of free assistance and labor on stalks and syndicates (with no intention of taking a spot shooting) there would be people biting my hand off, but quite the opposite! Many folk seemed to take offence? Thankfully again to the few people who reached out, it was just the encouragement and guidance I needed to learn how to go about things the right way.
3. Man I need to practice more gralloching! Dozens of hours of you tube does not make up for the real thing. It was helpful to get started, and I managed to get it done in the end, but man I really need more time on the tools and in the field! Its specifics like this that I feel mentorship would do wonders for people like me. Someone who could dress a deer with their eyes closed left handed, these are the ones who would be best placed to take newbies like myself out for some personal guidance.
4. Butchering...(soon). I will probably spend the next 12 hours emersed in Scott Rea videos, and it will still take me 12 hours after that to get the meat packed and in the freezer! Again, its all part of the process and I love it. Getting to know your game, your cuts, what to look for, how to prepare, and getting the kids involved as well. They'll be excited to eat the burgers they all helped prepare. What an experience it is for a young person to see exactly where there food comes from. Not may people these days can say that.
I hope to continue to get to know folks on here and across the country and share stories, stalks, recipes, and continue to grow this great pursuit in the right way. Happy hunting folks!
1. It was worth it! It was a pain in the neck, especially coming from the States where I grew up hunting and fishing in a totally different culture. Ive never felt like such a fish out of water. There is a totally different approach to game here and it took a while to adjust. This feels like only the beginning and I will keep going. What a feeling it is to feed my family with a beast I was able to stalk myself. Its like harvesting your own firewood for the stove, but times 10!
2. I couldnt have done it without the support of a few people who understood my plight and also understood the importance of getting more people involved in stalking and shooting in general. Specifically a couple of people on this forum (you know who you are!!!) Because of the money being thrown around these days, there seems to be quite a lot of suspicion of everyone. I thought at first the offer of free assistance and labor on stalks and syndicates (with no intention of taking a spot shooting) there would be people biting my hand off, but quite the opposite! Many folk seemed to take offence? Thankfully again to the few people who reached out, it was just the encouragement and guidance I needed to learn how to go about things the right way.
3. Man I need to practice more gralloching! Dozens of hours of you tube does not make up for the real thing. It was helpful to get started, and I managed to get it done in the end, but man I really need more time on the tools and in the field! Its specifics like this that I feel mentorship would do wonders for people like me. Someone who could dress a deer with their eyes closed left handed, these are the ones who would be best placed to take newbies like myself out for some personal guidance.
4. Butchering...(soon). I will probably spend the next 12 hours emersed in Scott Rea videos, and it will still take me 12 hours after that to get the meat packed and in the freezer! Again, its all part of the process and I love it. Getting to know your game, your cuts, what to look for, how to prepare, and getting the kids involved as well. They'll be excited to eat the burgers they all helped prepare. What an experience it is for a young person to see exactly where there food comes from. Not may people these days can say that.
I hope to continue to get to know folks on here and across the country and share stories, stalks, recipes, and continue to grow this great pursuit in the right way. Happy hunting folks!
