Never been deer stalking

[grandad of the woods]

So as the title suggests never been, don't have the money or time for the ds1 yet, so what suggestions would you give to someone looking into this,
For instance

When your out about and you see 3 or 4 deer standing there all on the perfect spot. What are you looking out for in each particular animal that helps you decided what one your going to take, (I'm not talking about there positions or angles ect just the animal it's self)

Are you looking at age and why, Are you looking for animals with defects/ injury's to allow the healthy ones to love longer to breed ect

Any advice would great, tried a brief search around and from alot of it was American people with the attitude or shoot anything that moves if you get one you get one kinda thing

Thanks for any information

 

[bottletopbill]

Don't leave until late in life as i did I am 68 and just on my first few stalks.
It does not cost much folks with take you out with out DSC1.

Like most folks money is tight.
But you don't need all the toys at once

Done my dsc1 and large game and meat .

Had some great help from three great men who have shown me the basic and for me to learn hands on so many deer in Kent.

But not on my perm are you shooting to lower the numbers or for food

 

[Mike1979]

On the point about selection a lot depends on the ground you have and what you are hoping to achieve.

If you manage a large estate and you are the only person who controls deer that will be very different to having a block of 200 acres with people shooting on all sides. If the landowner wants all the deer shot then shoot as many as you can or if its part of a cull plan then you will have set numbers of the various age groups, sex etc.

Where are the deer going when they are shot? Game dealer or own consumption. How are you going to recover them?

Not an easy one to answer.

 

[Mike1979]

Meant to give an example...out yesterday morning after a particular fallow buck. Game dealer only had room for a pricket. Could have shot 3 decent bucks but I didnt see the one I wanted to shoot (part of an informal cull plan) so I left them for another day

 

[VSS]

So as the title suggests never been, don't have the money or time for the ds1 yet, so what suggestions would you give to someone looking into this,
For instance

When your out about and you see 3 or 4 deer standing there all on the perfect spot. What are you looking out for in each particular animal that helps you decided what one your going to take, (I'm not talking about there positions or angles ect just the animal it's self)

Are you looking at age and why, Are you looking for animals with defects/ injury's to allow the healthy ones to love longer to breed ect

Any advice would great, tried a brief search around and from alot of it was American people with the attitude or shoot anything that moves if you get one you get one kinda thing

Thanks for any information

Which one to shoot is going to depend entirely on what you're trying to achieve.
For example:

For population reduction: Concentrate on culling females.
To clear deer out of a fenced area: Shoot everything you see, until they're all gone.
For quality venison: Shoot young males and barren females.
For good heads: Shoot animals with poor heads.
For herd health and welfare: Shoot the old, the lame and the sick.
For crop protection: Shoot the ones that are damaging the crop.
To increase the population: Concentrate on culling males.
To keep the landowner happy: Shoot whatever he wants shot.

And so on, and so on.....

 

[Subsistence]

Which one to shoot is going to depend entirely on what you're trying to achieve.
For example:

For population reduction: Concentrate on culling females.
To clear deer out of a fenced area: Shoot everything you see, until they're all gone.
For quality venison: Shoot young males and barren females.
For good heads: Shoot animals with poor heads.
For herd health and welfare: Shoot the old, the lame and the sick.
For crop protection: Shoot the ones that are damaging the crop.
To increase the population: Concentrate on culling males.
To keep the landowner happy: Shoot whatever he wants shot.

And so on, and so on.....

Hi @VSS could you expand a little more on the quality venison part. I'm primarily after good venison. Obviously I'm not targeting horrible rutty stags, but why young males and barron females in particular. My assumption was youngish animals would be better, however it was just that, an assumption

 

[VSS]

Hi @VSS could you expand a little more on the quality venison part. I'm primarily after good venison. Obviously I'm not targeting horrible rutty stags, but why young males and barron females in particular. My assumption was youngish animals would be better, however it was just that, an assumption

Young males (prickets) will be tenderer and less strongly flavoured than adult males.
Likewise yearling does (ie, not yet having reared a fawn, so barren).
Barren adult females will not be run down through the strain of rearing, so again better eating quality than adult females that are rearing offspring.

 

[grandad of the woods]

So to answer some of the questions I'm down in Kent don't have a lot of perms and don't get a great deal of time to shoot, I shoot for food, and haven't yet got into the realms of shooting for pest control so when I go out on the pigeons or the rabbits a shot enough to keep the freezer stocked and for some dog food (little sproker loves it)

So initially the dear stalking. Will be for me to take one or maybe 2 a year purely for food consumption,
Ethically if this is the right word for it lol

I don't want to reduce the deer I quite like them

Don't need to shoot for crop protection (not causing any major damage

Don't want to slow the breading process as such

.....so in my head I was thinking I should be shooting old bucks or old does and if that is correct what distinguishing details let me know what time after
Again I'm really new at this and can tell the difference between a roe and a fallow and muntjac.
I'll assume and "damaged" deer will be limping staggering or just look in poor health but if they are all healthy, am I looking at size or colours size of antlers ?
I hope I'm being clear don't explain things very well lol

 

[Klenchblaize]

I have a strong feeling the Op is 'struggling' with the hunting gene! Indeed, I was convinced his post was one I might encounter on the Bushcraft UK website!

In my book you either wish to hunt deer (with a rifle) or not. All this talk of beast "selection" is for pussys or at best someone who's never encountered fallow deer!

That's not to say it's unimportant what rifle chambering and scope mounts one uses in such endeavours!

K

 

[Tim.243]

So as the title suggests never been, don't have the money or time for the ds1 yet, so what suggestions would you give to someone looking into this,
For instance

When your out about and you see 3 or 4 deer standing there all on the perfect spot. What are you looking out for in each particular animal that helps you decided what one your going to take, (I'm not talking about there positions or angles ect just the animal it's self)

Are you looking at age and why, Are you looking for animals with defects/ injury's to allow the healthy ones to love longer to breed ect

Any advice would great, tried a brief search around and from alot of it was American people with the attitude or shoot anything that moves if you get one you get one kinda thing

Thanks for any information

If it is in season and safe then shoot it.........
1 You have been given permission to shoot deer so the owner wants them/some shot.
2 If you shoot it have you the capability to deal with it "know what you are looking for" (Clean it out-Transport-Cold storage)
3 Did you consider 2 before getting permission to shoot the deer.
4 Understand with the number of deer what you are looking at could well be the tip of the iceberg.
Next doors land

 

[grandad of the woods]

If it is in season and safe then shoot it.........
1 You have been given permission to shoot deer so the owner wants them/some shot.
2 If you shoot it have you the capability to deal with it "know what you are looking for" (Clean it out-Transport-Cold storage)
3 Did you consider 2 before getting permission to shoot the deer.
4 Understand with the number of deer what you are looking at could well be the tip of the iceberg.
Next doors land

Like say never done it befor and well I assumed there would be some kind of etiquette on. What deer to shoot what age ect but well seems to be if you see deer shoot it lol

 

[Basil H]

Just a few days ago the OP was on here talking about getting into wildfowling. Does he shoot or is he a dreamer ? Get on and do it mate !

 

[VSS]

Like say never done it befor and well I assumed there would be some kind of etiquette on. What deer to shoot what age ect but well seems to be if you see deer shoot it lol

1) Do a population census.
2) Make a cull plan.
3) Show it to the landowner (smoke & mirrors).
4) Tear up the cull plan.
5) Shoot whatever deer you see.

 

[Klenchblaize]

What deer to shoot what age ect but well seems to be if you see deer shoot it lol

Unless it's Park fallow that assertion is not far off the mark in 2025.

The days of considered management as will will be found in the likes of Arthur Cadman's delightful " Dawn, Dusk & Deer" are all but a distant memory.

K

 

[grandad of the woods]

I have a strong feeling the Op is 'struggling' with the hunting gene! Indeed, I was convinced his post was one I might encounter on the Bushcraft UK website!

In my book you either wish to hunt deer (with a rifle) or not. All this talk of beast "selection" is for pussys or at best someone who's never encountered fallow deer!

That's not to say it's unimportant what rifle chambering and scope mounts one uses in such endeavours!

K

Hahahaha I was on that site for a while untill realised fair few people on there are "elitists hahaha I just wanted to check the etiquette, don't wanna be one of those people that other shooters look at and think ..... What a dick. Haha

Just a few days ago the OP was on here talking about getting into wildfowling. Does he shoot or is he a dreamer ? Get on and do it mate !

Yes m8 bit of a dream my life style is hectic to say the least, my shooting life is just starting to begin really lol

 

[Tim.243]

Like say never done it befor and well I assumed there would be some kind of etiquette on. What deer to shoot what age ect but well seems to be if you see deer shoot it lol

You asked for response's so you got mine
Swap it around with a pigeon/rabbit permission and when the farmer asks how you got on..........
Well I saw quite a few but was not sure which one to shoot

If you do shoot one can you meet Q2 ?

 

[Tim.243]

Unless it's Park fallow that assertion is not far off the mark in 2025.

The days of considered management as will will be found in the likes of Arthur Cadman's delightful " Dawn, Dusk & Deer" are all but a distant memory.

K

What about A C losing his boot when out with J Charlton on the way back from fowling

 

[Klenchblaize]

What about A C losing his boot when out with J Charlton on the way back from fowling

JC gace stutzens a less than good name! Ask the late Richard Prior if you doubt me!
K

 

[Mike1979]

So to answer some of the questions I'm down in Kent don't have a lot of perms and don't get a great deal of time to shoot, I shoot for food, and haven't yet got into the realms of shooting for pest control so when I go out on the pigeons or the rabbits a shot enough to keep the freezer stocked and for some dog food (little sproker loves it)

So initially the dear stalking. Will be for me to take one or maybe 2 a year purely for food consumption,
Ethically if this is the right word for it lol

I don't want to reduce the deer I quite like them

Don't need to shoot for crop protection (not causing any major damage

Don't want to slow the breading process as such

.....so in my head I was thinking I should be shooting old bucks or old does and if that is correct what distinguishing details let me know what time after
Again I'm really new at this and can tell the difference between a roe and a fallow and muntjac.
I'll assume and "damaged" deer will be limping staggering or just look in poor health but if they are all healthy, am I looking at size or colours size of antlers ?
I hope I'm being clear don't explain things very well lol

Personally, if its purely a case of shooting them for food and you are shooting a couple a year, shoot the youngest ones that are in season. If you shoot old animals the meat will not be great but your choice entirely.

Injury is obvious (limping, hanging legs etc) or poor overall body condition is another good reason to take a deer (but just be careful if you intend to eat it as there may be a reason for the poor body condition).

 

[Dickie]

Plenty of good guides on here get some outing booked and see if it’s for you or not.
If it isn’t then you’ll probably find some venison local to you on giving up the game.