First Fallow

Great outing with Watermeadow Deer Stalking (Watermeadow Deer Stalking) on Saturday. The guide spotted a group of Fallow couched up digesting breakfast and put my buddy onto a yearling doe for his first deer without alerting the rest of the group to their presence. Just 30m away the guide encouraged my buddy to only take if he was confident and ready. Infantry trained, snap shooting bread and butter of the trade, he needed no second bidding, releasing the shot instantly with spot-on accuracy, right in the centre of the upper neck. Nerves continuing to fire for some time after, the guide put a second shot straight through the doe’s head just to make absolutely sure of expiry, the efficacy of the 150gr Virtus Merlin 30-06 Copper round from Paul at Corinium, beyond any shadow of doubt.

All of my culls to date having been Roe and Muntjac, it finally gave me a Fallow to practice handling and gralloching in advance of my level 2 stalk next weekend. The Watermeadow guide also helped with some great and much appreciated added coaching and experience sharing.

Thankfully a smaller Fallow, the ~30kg Yearling Doe was just light enough to hang from the shelving of the chiller without breaking the shelf. Must now quickly proceed with finding someone to make the metal bar setup planned to cope with the weight of Fallow in place of hanging animals from the racking. The added height of the triangular setup will also enable larger Fallow to fit.

Thanks Watermeadow, really appreciating your ground and expert guiding

 

[VSS]

Nice write-up!
I think you need one of @Tim.243's aitch bone hangers for that chiller.

 

[tjm160]

Cheers Tim and I have noted Tim's hanger's and will very likely reach out for one once I have the triangular setup with bar between to span across the shelf mounting rails on each side of the chiller, raising the height of the bar between to the maximum height of the chiller. If I understand correctly, Tim only provides the hangers. My buddy is learning welding too so has kindly offered to give putting something together a go if I can provide a design, which I'll do once the coming weekend is out of the way.

 

[Hazlett]

What was the Guide's thinking/ your findings on inspection regarding the neckshot? Had the bullet whacked the spine or was it marginally low?

An alternative for your fridge, given the racks on each side, is a 12mm stainless bar -

 

[tjm160]

The original shot had taken out the spine. When I came to remove the head the spine was fully severed and so the head came away from just cutting the skin away.

Approaching the Fallow after the usual wait time, the guide noticed it to be still twitching as is quite normal from head/neck shots. To be absolutely sure it was expired he asked for control of the rifle and put the second round through it's head to make absolutely sure. A judgement call that is unique and personal to each of us and should be respected. Two weeks previous I neck shot a Muntjac that presented exactly the same. The (different) guide I was with (not Watermeadow), commented the continued kicking was pure nerve response and quite normal and that a follow-up shot wasn't required. Blink test with the sticks following and he was absolutely right.

Thanks, yes, could work but what I really want is the same with triangular feet on each side of the chiller to raise the bar a good six inches or so to better utilise the space at the top of the chiller above the top shelf height and give more vertical space to fit larger/longer animals.

 

[tjm160]

I paid £550 for the chiller (now £595) as the cheapest and I felt best option for a dozen or so deer a year; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186754707877

It has an inbuilt fan, is temperature adjustable and is presently chilling at 1.5 degrees. As I have my DSC2 outing(s) next weekend it will be 2-weeks until I can butcher so felt might be best to drop the temperature a little from the more usual 2-3 degrees. Happy to take advice if there is a more preferable approach.

Anyhow, the foot or so of space above the top shelf height shows the space wastage issue I'm seeking to address with triangular brackets that will sit on top of the top shelf slots, raising the height of the adjoining bar much closer towards the top of the chiller. At the moment a big Roe fit's, but with head laying on the bottom of the chiller. It would be more preferable to ensure high enough that it can fit a Fallow and fully hanging.

 

[pazmino]

You could also make something like this out of Unistrut - not my design, I got it off another member on here and replicated it.

 

[tjm160]

Ahh there we go @pazmino that's precisely the type of thing I'm looking for. Can a setup like that be bought off the shelf (so to speak)? Can you help me with any links please?

 

[wytonpjs]

I made one out of bits that I got from BQ a long time ago. To improve access I removed front bar. I've attached another photo from a Gram fridge I bought off here that used plastic boards (you could use chopping/prep) and as simple bar.

 

[pazmino]

Ahh there we go @pazmino that's precisely the type of thing I'm looking for. Can a setup like that be bought off the shelf (so to speak)? Can you help me with any links please?

@tjm160 My copying and pasting skills might well not be up to it, but I listed what you need to make that frame in a previous thread - hoping these links still work:

If you decide to go for it, I bought one of these, two of these, two of these, one of these (I squashed the ends in a vice so they'd fit in the unistrut holes) plus some short M10 bolts and some of these to fasten them into.

 

[75]

It has an inbuilt fan, is temperature adjustable and is presently chilling at 1.5 degrees. As I have my DSC2 outing(s) next weekend it will be 2-weeks until I can butcher so felt might be best to drop the temperature a little from the more usual 2-3 degrees. Happy to take advice if there is a more preferable approach.

You will need to keep an eye on it - those small chillers can run high humidity so may get some mould before the 2 week mark (temp at about 1.5c sounds ok though)

Anyhow, the foot or so of space above the top shelf height shows the space wastage issue I'm seeking to address with triangular brackets that will sit on top of the top shelf slots, raising the height of the adjoining bar much closer towards the top of the chiller.

Get some long s-hooks and hang off the aitch bone not the hocks - doesn't need any fancy solutions. That will save loads of space and arguably better meat quality (the Americans would argue it anyway, they call it "tender hang" method). I'll dig out a pic in a minute of some triangular brackets I made with some simple angle I bought from B&Q.

 

[75]

A very old photo but I needed a temporary solution in a rush - it's a few bits of thin angle from B&Q with threaded bar across the top (I recall it got a spray of radiator enamel as I had a half empty can to hand). A couple of nuts on the threaded bar wound out towards the sides kept the thing from falling out but equally you could glue it in place if it was a more permanent set up. Only a couple of monkeys in that picture but I had decent fallow on it as well.

 

[tjm160]

I made one out of bits that I got from BQ a long time ago. To improve access I removed front bar. I've attached another photo from a Gram fridge I bought off here that used plastic boards (you could use chopping/prep) and as simple bar.

View attachment 465476View attachment 465477View attachment 465478

Cleverly done Peter. The difficulty is that even without the M.E. cognition issues I am sadly to DIY what idiot is to village.

 

[tjm160]

@tjm160 My copying and pasting skills might well not be up to it, but I listed what you need to make that frame in a previous thread - hoping these links still work:

If you decide to go for it, I bought one of these, two of these, two of these, one of these (I squashed the ends in a vice so they'd fit in the unistrut holes) plus some short M10 bolts and some of these to fasten them into.

Brilliant, thanks everso much that is incredibly helpful and appreciated! Whilst utterly crap at DIY I can still do a puzzle (I hope).

 

[tjm160]

You will need to keep an eye on it - those small chillers can run high humidity so may get some mould before the 2 week mark (temp at about 1.5c sounds ok though)


Get some long s-hooks and hang off the aitch bone not the hocks - doesn't need any fancy solutions. That will save loads of space and arguably better meat quality (the Americans would argue it anyway, they call it "tender hang" method). I'll dig out a pic in a minute of some triangular brackets I made with some simple angle I bought from B&Q.

Thanks 75 appreciate the reassurance and steer. I think it was your solution there I saw previously that I was seeking to replicate. Equally, pazmino's approach looks much more readily achievable for my now sadly very simple brain.

 

[75]

Here’s some reds hung from aitch bone - you can see the height gained (compared to the youngster at the back)

 

[Tim.243]

The height saving is there to see.


Same music but 85miles Nth lol

 

[tjm160]

Yes, thanks 75/Tim I can now really see the benefit. I just need to resolve the horizontal bar issue to hang from first as hanging from the shelf as I am at the moment, simply won't take any greater weight.

 

[tjm160]

@tjm160 My copying and pasting skills might well not be up to it, but I listed what you need to make that frame in a previous thread - hoping these links still work:

If you decide to go for it, I bought one of these, two of these, two of these, one of these (I squashed the ends in a vice so they'd fit in the unistrut holes) plus some short M10 bolts and some of these to fasten them into.

Bits ordered, thanks again!!

 

[Nickb]

The height saving is there to see.View attachment 465494


Same music but 85miles Nth lol

The famous larder video , what a legend you are Timmy.