Well after all the really useful and educational tips on stalking fallow on my new piece of ground, I can now report my first successful outing. The weather being pretty awful today I wasn’t planning to go but then I had a conference call at lunch cancelled so I thought sod it, may as well go and try and see what movements of the deer are like in the middle of the day.
It was raining a little bit and quite windy on the way there so I was expected them all to be tucked up somewhere nice and warm - well not quite.
I travelled dressed rather like someone from benefits street as I was intended to wear waterproof ridgeline trousers over tracksuit bottoms as I was so cold last time I went. I certainly wouldn’t want to be seen dressed as I was! I backed the car into the nominated parking spot on the edge of the field, making sure to keep it hidden by the two hedgerows just in case any deer were about. Before getting changed and wellies on etc I slithered in my crocs (yes, crocs, I am 40, married with two young daughters and more concerned about comfort and convenience than style, but they are at least leather topped real brand ones, not Aldi versions...) to the end of the hedgerow and scanned with the binos. Deer!!!!! Four fallow does stood on the edge of the wooded valley bottom.
Really rather over excited I crept back to the car and as quietly and carefully as I could got my rifle out, got the sticks out the boot and loaded my old classic BSA CF2 in .243 with a similar vintage fixed mag BSA scope on top which I still cannot convince myself to change as it’s such lovely clear glass. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I crept to the edge of the hedgerow and could still see the deer and they hadn’t detected me. Sticks out, rifle levelled and the unmoderated BSA let 100gr of lead go - the selected doe flopped on the spot.
On the shot, the rest of the herd appeared out of the woodland - about 50 more fallow stood out in the field looking at me. I knew and had been warned on here there may be a chance of a second deer so I’d already immediately cycled the bolt and was ready in case a follow up shot was needed on the doe or for another beast. They milled around a little, not seeming too spooked by the first shot and I waited carefully to ensure a safe broadside shot without wounding another member of the herd. I selected another doe, lined up and squeezes - “click”! Silly sod in my excitement had clearly not fully cycled the bolt as I had just dry fired and empty chamber. At this point I decided to leave it to one deer (and I’m bloody glad I did).
Having marked the spot where the doe had fallen, I went all the way back to the car (about 5m) and got changed, put my wellies and waterproofs on, leaving the binos at the car I slowly moved down the valley with the rifle. I had been told not to approach a downed deer too quickly or in view of the herd if they hung about - what I couldn’t see until I got over the rise of the valley was they were still there at the end of the wooded valley, including a nice albino buck. I had already been seen so I slowly moved into the cover of the wooded area and they seemed to not be bothered by my presence. I found the doe easily and she was very dead. Back to the car and locked the rifle away and then back to extraction
She had fallen down into hawthorn and brambles so once I had dragged her out of there I did a field gralloch - successfully, she was pregnant as expected. Then came the part I was warned about - my only extraction method was my shoulders and as I was warned fallow are bloody heavy. Let’s say my heart was pumping when I arrived back at the car and I was very pleased to have not taken a second deer.
She’s now been skinned and butchered enough to fit in the small fridge in the garage.
The round passed through the top of the heart and had severed the aorta - is this a hilar shot or not? She literally flopped straight over, no attempt to run. The round went straight through, entering chest and out the other side but with minimal meat damage, just clipping the far shoulder.
so instead of going at silly o’clock, or staying late for last light and freezing, I am more successful going in the middle of the day and wearing crocs - maybe I’ll have started a new stalking trend.
thanks for the continued tips on here chaps, I still have a lot to learn but I am pleased with my first fallow. Oh I forgot to add, not that it matters but measured on Google maps it was ~125m so the old BSA remains very accurate.
It was raining a little bit and quite windy on the way there so I was expected them all to be tucked up somewhere nice and warm - well not quite.
I travelled dressed rather like someone from benefits street as I was intended to wear waterproof ridgeline trousers over tracksuit bottoms as I was so cold last time I went. I certainly wouldn’t want to be seen dressed as I was! I backed the car into the nominated parking spot on the edge of the field, making sure to keep it hidden by the two hedgerows just in case any deer were about. Before getting changed and wellies on etc I slithered in my crocs (yes, crocs, I am 40, married with two young daughters and more concerned about comfort and convenience than style, but they are at least leather topped real brand ones, not Aldi versions...) to the end of the hedgerow and scanned with the binos. Deer!!!!! Four fallow does stood on the edge of the wooded valley bottom.
Really rather over excited I crept back to the car and as quietly and carefully as I could got my rifle out, got the sticks out the boot and loaded my old classic BSA CF2 in .243 with a similar vintage fixed mag BSA scope on top which I still cannot convince myself to change as it’s such lovely clear glass. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I crept to the edge of the hedgerow and could still see the deer and they hadn’t detected me. Sticks out, rifle levelled and the unmoderated BSA let 100gr of lead go - the selected doe flopped on the spot.
On the shot, the rest of the herd appeared out of the woodland - about 50 more fallow stood out in the field looking at me. I knew and had been warned on here there may be a chance of a second deer so I’d already immediately cycled the bolt and was ready in case a follow up shot was needed on the doe or for another beast. They milled around a little, not seeming too spooked by the first shot and I waited carefully to ensure a safe broadside shot without wounding another member of the herd. I selected another doe, lined up and squeezes - “click”! Silly sod in my excitement had clearly not fully cycled the bolt as I had just dry fired and empty chamber. At this point I decided to leave it to one deer (and I’m bloody glad I did).
Having marked the spot where the doe had fallen, I went all the way back to the car (about 5m) and got changed, put my wellies and waterproofs on, leaving the binos at the car I slowly moved down the valley with the rifle. I had been told not to approach a downed deer too quickly or in view of the herd if they hung about - what I couldn’t see until I got over the rise of the valley was they were still there at the end of the wooded valley, including a nice albino buck. I had already been seen so I slowly moved into the cover of the wooded area and they seemed to not be bothered by my presence. I found the doe easily and she was very dead. Back to the car and locked the rifle away and then back to extraction
She had fallen down into hawthorn and brambles so once I had dragged her out of there I did a field gralloch - successfully, she was pregnant as expected. Then came the part I was warned about - my only extraction method was my shoulders and as I was warned fallow are bloody heavy. Let’s say my heart was pumping when I arrived back at the car and I was very pleased to have not taken a second deer.
She’s now been skinned and butchered enough to fit in the small fridge in the garage.
The round passed through the top of the heart and had severed the aorta - is this a hilar shot or not? She literally flopped straight over, no attempt to run. The round went straight through, entering chest and out the other side but with minimal meat damage, just clipping the far shoulder.
so instead of going at silly o’clock, or staying late for last light and freezing, I am more successful going in the middle of the day and wearing crocs - maybe I’ll have started a new stalking trend.
thanks for the continued tips on here chaps, I still have a lot to learn but I am pleased with my first fallow. Oh I forgot to add, not that it matters but measured on Google maps it was ~125m so the old BSA remains very accurate.
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no no no ! Does not matter how much you dress them up their still croc’s
