Last light/Iffy shots at deer

[teyhan1]

When is the right time to call it a day when stalking?

I have read a couple of threads lately about shots on partially obscured deer/ last light shots. It leaves me with a feeling of 'are we that desperate for a deer that we will risk injuring it?'
Both threads have been from high seats (very steady rest) and both within very hit-able distances. But both have been at last light.
Modern optics must play a role in this, always pushing the boundaries of light gathering capacities further and further. But at last light small branches and woody plants can disappear. Light calibres do not fair well against them.
Then there is the chance of recovery. As the days grow warmer, the amount of time a carcass can be left before becoming unfit for consumption becomes shorter. So if a carcass is left over night it can often not be eaten anyway.
Finding a deer (even if well hit) in near darkness often takes significantly longer, unless it is in the open. Even in the open, if there is stubble, distances are difficult to assess and in my experience are nearly always underestimated. But at least you have the opportunity to go round and round until you find the animal, as well as having had the chance to see it drop, if it has dropped?

So when is the right time to call it a day?

 

[mchughcb]

30 minutes after sunset. If you lose the beast, that's what the tracking dogs are for. I mark my shooting spot with one of those boating LED units. I wait another 30 minutes before heading out. I walk to the strike point and mark that. Then go back and get the teckels or the GWP.

 

[finnbear270]

I am unfortunately unable to have a deer dog, as we are adopters of Greyhounds & Lurchers, Mission control won't countenance it,but for choice it would be a Teckel (Dream on)... so I pull out from wherever I am on an evening, before dusk sets in, most times I am on the ground with a mate who has a very accomplished deer dog, but I still restrict myself to that amount of remaining light I deem workable.

 

[Pine Marten]

There is certainly a risk involved. How much you're prepared to take it depends on circumstances I suppose, with the welfare of the deer (strange choice of words but I mean killing it cleanly) being the paramount concern. I haven't shot a lot of deer, but two have been properly at last light, indeed I would say at first dark, at that stage when I can see much more clearly through my binos or scope than I can with the naked eye, and where a shot results in a momentary lighting up of the area with a sheet of flame. The first was a muntjac buck with Willie_Gunn which we'd been trying to approach for a while and it was essentially double or quits. It was looking like quits until it turned to look at a doe who appeared out of nowhere. The only negative consequence of shooting at last light was that until we walked up to it, we didn't know that its' antlers made perhaps rather more, erm, expensive than I had budgeted for. I'd add that W_G's dog Fallow was with us.

The next one was a CWD buck in February with Sikamalc. Same thing again, the deer turned up in a field at first dark, and we both didn't dare take our eyes off it because we didn't think we'd find it again. In that case, it made it 20m, but because of the darkness we couldn't find it until the next morning. Luckily it was freezing over night so the meat was recoverable (apart from a bit of haunch that went into a fox) when we did find it. However, the same happened as above: it turned out to be a probable silver medal!

So in my case, shooting at first dark has only hurt my wallet, but I'm aware that there's added risk involved. I guess that if my opportunities weren't so few and far between, I'd probably forego the risk, and maybe my guides would too. But I've also demonstrated several times that I won't take shots that I don't think I can make successfully. So it's a risk, but a calculated one.

I'd add to this that I've done a lot of wildfowling too, and that happens by its' very nature almost always at last light. It's the same thing, there comes a point when it's clear that even if you did shoot a duck, you'd never be able to find it, so you pack it in and put your gun away. At which point the world around erupts into a storm of quacks of derision...

 

[Buchan]

That's a neat phrase PM "First Dark"! I agree that optics can fool you to thinking there is more light than you need.

 

[bogtrotter]

The law says one hour after sunset, that is official sunset time, depending where you are in the country but in the North especially and in summer time it's quite possible to see to shoot well beyond that official time, consequently
some shots taken at last light are illegal.

 

[teyhan1]

In that case, it made it 20m, but because of the darkness we couldn't find it until the next morning. Luckily it was freezing over night so the meat was recoverable (apart from a bit of haunch that went into a fox) when we did find it.

This is exactly what I mean. It only went 20m and there were two of you looking and still no luck.

 

[Hereford]

I think, as others have mentioned, that the need to take the shot outweighs a little common sense at times.

You really only need to lose one in the dark to not make the same mistake again - happened to me 4 years ago - if I see one when its too late now I think, "you lucky bugger! See you again!"

 

[Pine Marten]

This is exactly what I mean. It only went 20m and there were two of you looking and still no luck.

I know, that's why I thought I'd relate the story. I suppose we took a calculated risk that it was a completely reasonable shot to attempt, and indeed it was. It was in a mostly barren field so there was no question of that deer running off to hide in a thicket or a wood, there was no cover. It's a little deer so had it been hit anywhere, it wouldn't have made it to the edge of the field. As it happened, we could find no pins, no blood, no evidence of it having ever been hit except that Malcolm had seen it apparently go down just over the low ridge. So we came back at dawn for it, still couldn't find any evidence that it ever been there and wrote it off as a clean miss, unlikely as it seemed to both of us. And them Malcolm almost tripped over it, exactly in the spot he'd seen it go down the evening before, covered in thick frost.

So was it an ideal shot? No. But not an unreasonable risk, and it all ended just fine. I think that if I had been on my own, I wouldn't have taken the shot, and neither would have Malcolm. But with a stalker and a spotter, two pairs of eyes and Malcolm's experience, it was fine.

 

[nun_hunter]

I can see deer clearly through my scope in the last 30 mins or so of light, enough to make an accurate shot. when I take the scope away and look through the mk1 eyeball I can see naff all so for me even though shooting it is on, finding it myself is debatable.

 

[NigelM]

A really difficult one to answer. You can't do it on time because of longitude and latitude, and nights with full cloud cover you will loose the light much quicker than those when you have a clear sky and a full moon.

My personal reference is that it's time to pack up as soon as I start wondering if I can see into the shadows or not when using the bins. This is usually about 20 minutes before proper dark, when you can't see properly to take a shot, but that 20 minutes makes sure I can find the beast in a bit of light having given it 5 minutes to expire. Leave it much later and you are definitely looking for deer in the dark which isn't really ideal.

And I hate gralloching with a head torch!

An advantage I have is that the dog stalks with me so is immediately on hand if needed. If I didn't have him to hand I would probably pack up 10 or 15 minutes earlier.

I couldn't tell you if this is "legal" or not as I have never really looked at sunset time before I have gone out. I will check on Friday.

 

[norma 308]

Got to within 50 metres of a fallow deer on Sunday evening it was mizzling , glasses foggin light fading by the second it had no idea I was there ,i wanted to be sure it was male !it was a knobber no spikes checked for a pizzel was going to shoot double checked the pizzel and for whatever reason it looked up and was off .it ran on 150 yrds burst through the hedge and the shot was on but I couldn't see a pizzel at that distance so no shot it may well have been a doe I had no idea .
last light shooting you need to be double sure of your surroundings yr quarry and yr kit . A small branch twig or bush and a wounded animal !

 

[caorach]

This is exactly what I mean. It only went 20m and there were two of you looking and still no luck.

I've shot deer in broad daylight and had trouble finding them. Actually the deer I had most trouble finding was shot about 4 hours before sunset. Given this my view is that it is better to shoot them in the dark as they are easier to find.

I am, of course, joking to make a point which is that sometimes things go wrong, sometimes I get lucky and either way it isn't my place to tell anyone else when to shoot their deer. I balance up all the factors, shoot the deer and then get on with sorting things out as best I can and I don't believe that anyone has a magic formula.

 

[teyhan1]

I too wouldn't dream of telling someone when to shoot and when not to.
I too have made mistakes and am only seeking to diplomatically tell people that they need to be careful.
If you shoot late IMO it is not IF it will go wrong it is WHEN it will go wrong.
There is always another day and YEARS on I still remember my mistakes and try to not make them again.

 

[Shadrach2986]

I always try to get within a good distance when I stalk, say 100m. If I can't see it with me own eyes at that distance then I tend to not bother taking the shot, like others have said there's always another day.

 

[Dawnraider]

I probably shoot at least 50% of my deer in those last 20 mins of light,if close to a woodland edge they get it in the shoulders if not then normal shot placement,i don't take deer to a game dealer so not worried if i lose a bit of meat and i always have a dog, think i would shoot a lot less if i packed up early which would make for unhappy farmers.

 

[Si]

I've done a few grallochs in the car headlights or with a mate holding a torch.... not ideal and on one occasion I cut myself quite badly through rushing. I always prefer first light stalks for this reason, plus you can get home in time for supper with the carcass safely cooling in the chiller.

 

[John_R]

I always prefer first light stalks for this reason, plus you can get home in time for supper with the carcass safely cooling in the chiller.

I far prefer the mornings too, and also by staying on into mid morning I have got lucky.

 

[dlz90]

I painfully remember wounding a very fine fallow buck as the result of a poor shot taken in really bad light it was as dark as near could be, in fact looking back at it now it was a terrible shot to take which required a very protracted and arduous follow up to dispatch him, it taught me a valuable lesson the bitter hard school of experience is just that bitter hard, it is something I sincerely hope I do not repeat in my lifetime but every shot we take no matter how well thought out can lead to an unexpected result for me when you struggle to see clearly with your naked eye you are probably well past the time to leave.......

 

[JH83]

Hard to say, if I'm with the dog and a good torch it's certainly a good bit later than without. I shoot some sika,both near home and north of the border, and they tend to show very late especially in disturbed areas. I had to leave a belting stag in the rut, he was well over 200yards and on the forest edge, even though I had the dog etc I couldn't take the shot...to tough a beast, full of adrenaline, too late, too close to cover! These are some points to consider when making the call.