Record Red Stag

[Pete6.5]

I'm lucky to be able to stalk on Exmoor with 2 friends over a large area and both of them have been stalking that area 30 plus years each. They both tell me the good days of seeing big wide heavy stags are very much behind us now which is sad. The very occasional biggish stag turns up now but again not a patch on the past. I'm afraid with all the modern kit about and the stag hounds not having the power of protection they once had we are going to have to have some changes for those days to return.
The people that got hunting with hounds banned for protecting deer really didn't think it through. The deer were never better protected on Exmoor than when the stag hounds were at their peak.

 

[CharlieT]

How right you are. I was out on the quad a short while ago checking sheep just before light and coming up the field towards the road my headlight picked up a pickup laden with stags driving down the road, unfortunately I couldn't get his reg number.

 

[Bowland blades]

That's a beautiful beast.

The Lake District red deer are almost completely unaudulterated with imported blood lines and so it's almost certainly of pure native stock which along with those in the Exmoor area are the longest continuous bloodlines of any English red deer population.

The reds in woodland areas often grow to a much larger size than their moorland dwelling neighbours and those of south Lakeland are also noted for wide spreads with many points. I have a video of a TV programme about the late John Cubby and there is a shot of an absolutely magnificent stag in the woods there at Grizedale.

Interestingly it's also reckoned, together with neighbouring Northumbria, to be the only area in England where roe never quite died out in the wild.

Pretty sure Roe where re-introduced to Windermere from Austria . On the islands then they swam off and gave rise to more gorget patches in Northern England . Not sure about Northumbria but the planting of Kielder was certainly a big draw .
Whatever they are well established now in the urban areas of Lancashire even

 

[Callumc]

That's an absolute beauty.

 

[Callumc]

Paul,

Had this old boy in the Lake District area last year. He was 350lb totally run, so I would imagine he would of been pretty substancial! That is me looking pretty happy with myself!

In the same area a 20 point beaut was wounded by poachers and died, a real tradgedy, they were using 22 cf with night vision and the stag was found a day or so later.

Where do you think the origionated from, I would assume they are native but the body weights are pretty high so I am not sure.

Cheers,

James.

That's a beauty.