Hi all,
I just wanted to do a quick write up of my day out on roe bucks with Malc at his ground down in Sussex.
Malc had kindly agreed to let me crash at the bothy on Friday night so I duly arrived post work to meet Mark who had just grassed his first roe buck.
After a beer and a catch up we got some kip ready to be up at 4am the next day.
Following a slightly bleary start where Dave and Marcel arrived I headed out into the field with Marcel as my guide for what would prove to be a challenging foot stalk.
We saw a huge amount of activity that morning with nine does spotted plus a couple of bucks. Trying to get close to the first buck we spotted saw us climbing over fences, through streams and under bushes but by the time we got to where we thought we'd seen him he'd scarpered and we had well and truly worked a sweat up!
Some more time passed foot stalking stopping regularly to glass the surrounding areas for any sign of bucks.
Eventually we spotted one couched up with a doe about 200m away in the middle of a barley field - we could just about see their heads peeping out over the top of the crops, and there was no backstop from where we were. Nothing like a wide open space to make you quietly curse deers ability to pick the most awkward spot to park themselves!!
We decided the best approach would be to go down the side of the field shielded by a line of trees and then crawl out as close as we could to see if we could get a shot. The change of angle also provided us with a backstop.
By slowly crawling out using the tractor lines for cover we managed to reduce the distance between us and them to 60m without them spooking - That alone had made this stalk for me!
Marcel got the sticks set up, I got the rifle up and we tried some whistling to get them to stand up. The doe twigged us and gave us a suspicious look but the buck remained blissfully unaware.
After a couple more whistles from us he finally twigged we were there and promptly made off with the doe in toe. As they moved away they moved into deeper crops and we could only see their heads when they jumped so I wasnt able to take the shot.
We decided to follow them so continued using the crop for cover but it wasnt to be on this occasion. As we neared the edge of the crops we saw them again, quickly making their way into some woodland. We went into the woods to see if we could spot them but no luck this time!
We returned to the lodge for one of Malcs legendary breakfasts, some coffee and to pass the time until the evenings stalk. Definitely no afternoon kips had here haha!
In the evening Marcel was once again my guide and we headed out, with Marcel giving me some great stalking tips as we went along.
Marcel spotted a deer behind some trees in the next field over so we stalked over to get a closer look.
When we arrived we realised it was a doe, and at the same time I spotted some ears just poking out above a dip in the ground. We werent sure whether this was a buck or a doe so, with the wind coming in from the side and no way around the deer without spooking them, we decided to wait them out.
As the second deer got up we realised this too was a doe but the wind was still coming from our left across the field so we had no way around the deer without alerting them to our presence - the wait continued!
After 10 or 15 minutes a nice four point buck suddenly burst out of the tree line chasing a third doe - Immediately my heart rate was up as I knew there was a possibility of a shot.
Once we had glassed the buck to make sure it was a suitable beast to take we then had to wait for him to move towards us to provide a backstop and for the does to be well clear of him. Needless to say there were many moments during the wait where Marcel and I were quietly cussing an errant doe that had strayed in front or behind the buck!
Just as it looked like the shot was on we heard someone nearby splitting wood, or something equally as noisy and non-deer friendly! Four pairs of eyes immediately looked towards the source of the noise. Neither of us could believe it, that the chance might be missed after all the care and patience taken so far! I was dreading just one of the deer spooking as if one legged it, they all would!
There was an older doe in the group who had spotted us and given us a good look over and she didnt look particularly pleased about Mr Lumberjack nearby.
After what felt like an age the deer decided the woodsman was no threat and started browsing again. I had the rifle on the sticks and the buck in my crosshairs waiting for Marcel to give the go ahead for the shot, which he quickly did as soon as the does were clear and we had backstop.
At the crack of the rifle going off the buck dropped on the spot, pinned through the shoulders with the 150gr Power Shok I was using. As I recall the range was about 70-80m.
Two of the does scarpered immediately but one remained on the edge of the woods looking to see what had happened. She didnt actually run off until Marcel and I were within 30m of her!
We went to inspect the fallen buck and saw he was a good four pointer in decent condition.
I performed the gralloch under Marcels guidance and picked up some more excellent advice, and then we extracted the buck back to Malcs truck.
Once back at the lodge I got the beast skinned off and partially butchered, and then I packed up the car and headed home to get the kit away and the beast in the freezer - By the time I'd done all of that it was 1am and I'd been on the go for 21 hours, with just a quick kip in the afternoon to tide me over. I dont know how Malc does it to be honest haha!
I just want to thank Malc and Marcel for a really enjoyable day, the craic was top notch as always, and for my first roe buck! It was also great to meet a couple of new faces, Mark and Dave.
Hopefully I will see you soon gents!
I just wanted to do a quick write up of my day out on roe bucks with Malc at his ground down in Sussex.
Malc had kindly agreed to let me crash at the bothy on Friday night so I duly arrived post work to meet Mark who had just grassed his first roe buck.
After a beer and a catch up we got some kip ready to be up at 4am the next day.
Following a slightly bleary start where Dave and Marcel arrived I headed out into the field with Marcel as my guide for what would prove to be a challenging foot stalk.
We saw a huge amount of activity that morning with nine does spotted plus a couple of bucks. Trying to get close to the first buck we spotted saw us climbing over fences, through streams and under bushes but by the time we got to where we thought we'd seen him he'd scarpered and we had well and truly worked a sweat up!
Some more time passed foot stalking stopping regularly to glass the surrounding areas for any sign of bucks.
Eventually we spotted one couched up with a doe about 200m away in the middle of a barley field - we could just about see their heads peeping out over the top of the crops, and there was no backstop from where we were. Nothing like a wide open space to make you quietly curse deers ability to pick the most awkward spot to park themselves!!
We decided the best approach would be to go down the side of the field shielded by a line of trees and then crawl out as close as we could to see if we could get a shot. The change of angle also provided us with a backstop.
By slowly crawling out using the tractor lines for cover we managed to reduce the distance between us and them to 60m without them spooking - That alone had made this stalk for me!
Marcel got the sticks set up, I got the rifle up and we tried some whistling to get them to stand up. The doe twigged us and gave us a suspicious look but the buck remained blissfully unaware.
After a couple more whistles from us he finally twigged we were there and promptly made off with the doe in toe. As they moved away they moved into deeper crops and we could only see their heads when they jumped so I wasnt able to take the shot.
We decided to follow them so continued using the crop for cover but it wasnt to be on this occasion. As we neared the edge of the crops we saw them again, quickly making their way into some woodland. We went into the woods to see if we could spot them but no luck this time!
We returned to the lodge for one of Malcs legendary breakfasts, some coffee and to pass the time until the evenings stalk. Definitely no afternoon kips had here haha!
In the evening Marcel was once again my guide and we headed out, with Marcel giving me some great stalking tips as we went along.
Marcel spotted a deer behind some trees in the next field over so we stalked over to get a closer look.
When we arrived we realised it was a doe, and at the same time I spotted some ears just poking out above a dip in the ground. We werent sure whether this was a buck or a doe so, with the wind coming in from the side and no way around the deer without spooking them, we decided to wait them out.
As the second deer got up we realised this too was a doe but the wind was still coming from our left across the field so we had no way around the deer without alerting them to our presence - the wait continued!
After 10 or 15 minutes a nice four point buck suddenly burst out of the tree line chasing a third doe - Immediately my heart rate was up as I knew there was a possibility of a shot.
Once we had glassed the buck to make sure it was a suitable beast to take we then had to wait for him to move towards us to provide a backstop and for the does to be well clear of him. Needless to say there were many moments during the wait where Marcel and I were quietly cussing an errant doe that had strayed in front or behind the buck!
Just as it looked like the shot was on we heard someone nearby splitting wood, or something equally as noisy and non-deer friendly! Four pairs of eyes immediately looked towards the source of the noise. Neither of us could believe it, that the chance might be missed after all the care and patience taken so far! I was dreading just one of the deer spooking as if one legged it, they all would!
There was an older doe in the group who had spotted us and given us a good look over and she didnt look particularly pleased about Mr Lumberjack nearby.
After what felt like an age the deer decided the woodsman was no threat and started browsing again. I had the rifle on the sticks and the buck in my crosshairs waiting for Marcel to give the go ahead for the shot, which he quickly did as soon as the does were clear and we had backstop.
At the crack of the rifle going off the buck dropped on the spot, pinned through the shoulders with the 150gr Power Shok I was using. As I recall the range was about 70-80m.
Two of the does scarpered immediately but one remained on the edge of the woods looking to see what had happened. She didnt actually run off until Marcel and I were within 30m of her!
We went to inspect the fallen buck and saw he was a good four pointer in decent condition.
I performed the gralloch under Marcels guidance and picked up some more excellent advice, and then we extracted the buck back to Malcs truck.
Once back at the lodge I got the beast skinned off and partially butchered, and then I packed up the car and headed home to get the kit away and the beast in the freezer - By the time I'd done all of that it was 1am and I'd been on the go for 21 hours, with just a quick kip in the afternoon to tide me over. I dont know how Malc does it to be honest haha!
I just want to thank Malc and Marcel for a really enjoyable day, the craic was top notch as always, and for my first roe buck! It was also great to meet a couple of new faces, Mark and Dave.
Hopefully I will see you soon gents!
. He ain't bad for an old crock
