My first deer, courtesy of colonel.

First of all I would like to thank Dave (colonel) and his wife for their incredible hospitality, and for an experience I will not forget.

Having packed the night before I was in the car on and my way at 0845, ready for an 1100 meet with Dave at a service station near a local range.
At this point I will mention that since getting my Tikka I have not had the chance to even fire it so I needed to zero it first.
Dave had arranged for me to use a local shooting clubs range where it proved a half hour slot was enough to get me getting 3 rounds dead centre and all touching at 45yds. Which would be about 1” at 100, or so I am told.
After this we headed to Dave’s house where he made me lunch and we talked about the day ahead. He was prepared to take me out twice but unfortunately due to other commitments I was unable to stay over, so the pressure was on.

After a 50 minute drive we arrived at the site.
After prepping our kit Dave showed me his thermal scope (which later proved to be worth its weight in gold) as we were scanning around he spotted what he thought was a Muntjac 50yds from the car, I looked through my binoculars and confirmed I could see it.
“Get your rifle then” I looked at him in disbelief, I couldn’t believe we had been on the ground for less than 2 minutes and I already had a Muntjac broad side on stationary, within 50yds.
As I turned round to get my rifle which was on the tailgate I can appeared down the byway and proceeded to park next to us.
Damn! What were the chances of that happening? We agreed it would be a bad idea to shoot with them within 5yds especially as they were mired with a DSLR with a long zoom.

We left the Muntjac alone crossed the railway we had parked next to and turned off the byway.
We set off, Dave reminding me that I needed to be slow.
After a short distance we saw movement as a Muntjac rushed through undergrowth 50yds to our 2 o’clock.
Dave moved into the wood to flush him out toward the clearing, leaving me on the sticks covering its exit.
After 5 minutes Dave returned, no Muntjac to be seen...

We moved on, following the dyke, that ran beside the railway.
A train passed, and my thought moved to how surreal it is to be slow close to people on their commute and if the passengers had noticed 2 men wandering beside the train line with high powered rifles. Just as I was getting lost in these thoughts Dave stopped and deployed his sticks, ready for my rifle. As I moved to place my rifle on them, Dave held up his hand, he wasn’t ready. As he scanned the area for the heat source he had just seen. We we moved slowly onwards, a Muntjac darted out of the reeds next to the dyke less than 15yds away.
Another opportunity missed.

We pressed on, scanning with the thermal as we moved forward. Across the line, Dave spotted a what would turn out to be a CWD, I glassed it and confirmed it was a CWD, unfortunately no shot, we moved closer, trying to get into a position we for us to take a shot.
By the time we found vantage point to look into the field it had vanished.

Dave now handed me the Thermal and suggested I my want a go.
We pressed on checking out the thermal signatures seeing fleeting glances of Muntjac and CWD but no shot.

As we prepared to cross the railway line I spotted some thermal signatures, a flight of ducks that took off, but something else. A couple hundred yards away, a deer, broad side on, and something else.
Dave said to leave my day sack as we’d be coming back this way and we moved forward. Me convinced I had seen something, moving scanning with the thermal, as it came in and out of view.
The deer had moved behind the bend in the dyke I thought.

About halfway to the bend Dave said he would go back to get my stuff, as he had decided for us to move to a different high seat.
He told me to press on and gave me the sticks.
I continued moving forward and scanning.
20yds from the corner I found 3 heat signatures, one clearly a deer broad side on, I glassed it a Muntjac staring at me, just across the dyke. As I struggled to set up the sticks in the direction I had seen, i couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

The next few seconds happened almost on auto pilot.
I found the Muntjac in my crosshairs staring at me, I moved the cross hairs to his shoulder and released the shot.
My optic flipped up and settled where he had been standing but where had he gone? I reloaded quickly and looked back, nothing.
I grabbed the thermal and scanned, a heat source was there, as were the other two.
Dave then appeared on my shoulder as a second Muntjac ran across the shot site, I should have been ready for the second.

I handed Dave the thermal and we realised the heat signature seemed to have gone.
Sh*t, I’ve injured it, I thought, nightmare.
Dave confirmed we couldn’t see it, and we needed to get to the shot site fast.
Easier said then done, I ran down the dyke to a large fallen tree that was acting like a bridge, crossed than ran up to the shot site, entering marsh.
All the time working out where I was standing and looking for points of reference I had taken without thinking.
As I came into a slight clearing I saw a Muntjac run away from me, small, fast and under a holly bush.
As I was about the follow it up, I saw it, exactly where I thought he would be 5 yards to my left.
My Muntjac, panic over.

I walked over, and checked for his blink reflex, stone dead.
Although I was lucky. As it would later turn out he appears to have moved forward as I fired. The shot fortunately smashing though his spine, the power of a 150g .308 Whitetail doing its job. The exit wound being big enough for me to stick my arm through.
The bad part being I had desiccated his gut.

We performed the gralloch, as best we could a shitty bloody mess falling out. Dave assured me the legs loins and neck were salvageable.

After the gralloch, we hot tied and bagged him and set off for the high seat.
Once there, we set up.
Across the next hour we saw through the thermal, a plethora of Muntjac and CWD within 150yds, none of which could be seen through my Hungarian S&B 8x56 in the fading light, their natural camouflage blending them in the goose grass perfectly.

As we climbed down and walked back we confirmed we had seen a total of 15 deer that day, possibly more.
Although I didn’t get to shoot a CWD, as well I had seen one, which I had never done before; but most importantly I had shot my first deer.

Once back at Dave’s, arriving to the smell of Muntjac Bourguingnon, which his wife was cooking. Which tasted as good as it smelled.
While we waited Dave butchered my Muntjac and as promised, I got all 4 legs the neck and loins.

Before long it was time to say my goodbyes, and reflect whilst-on my drive back.

I would like thank Dave again for his incredible offer and his hospitality, they say you will never forget your first and I certainly won’t. The day confirmed that deer stalking would be something I want to continue and I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

Every story needs photos.

Where he fell.
And poached eggs with pan fried tenderloin for breakfast.



 

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Nice write up!
One to remember. No matter how many more deer you shoot, the first one is extra special.
 
Fantastic! Great write-up. Well done to both you and Dave.

Kind regards,

Carl
 
Salute to the Colonel for his excellent efforts as host, and congratulations to you on the first (of many) deer.
 
Is there a way to edit posts. Despite typing this out first and spell checking it. I have spotted a few to many auto corrects for my liking!

Thank you all for your kind words.
 
Well done and a nice first muntjac buck . Be worth getting the head cleaned and mounted as not only is it your first but everytime you look at it , it will bring back the great memories of the trip,
 
Well done and a nice first muntjac buck . Be worth getting the head cleaned and mounted as not only is it your first but everytime you look at it , it will bring back the great memories of the trip,
I've got as far as overboiling it so his nosr came apart so will be using some glue!
 
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