Stalking Into Deer Too Early?

[VSS]

The moon makes a big difference to fallow grazing patterns. If it's full moon and clear skies they'll graze overnight and be gone before you get there in the morning. And won't come out in the evening either, until after shooting time.

 

[Loki]

Hi

Edgar James (RIP), Head Stalker on Longleat for many years, never seemed in any hurry to move the Deer Control Unit Team on to their designated areas in the mornings, always seemed to wait until a good hour after daylight. Probably right as whenever we arrived in the allocated area, deer were well on the move.........

Eventides you were advised highseats, to move to and between.

Make of this what ye will.

L

 

[geoshot]

If you have the luxury of being able to choose your times then do as already suggested by others and try getting to the high seat(s) much earlier and then give things time to settle
Or
Go at a completely different time
I've noticed over the years that deer in heavily hunted areas start to "get a bit jumpy" or even avoid areas typically frequented by us in early morning/late evening
Fallow are notorious for becoming more & more nocturnal when pushed hard
In hard pressed areas I have seen deer out and about midday(ish) too, I adapted my habits to suit, including getting into a high seat around 10am to be ready if something moved by midday or early afternoon
There's no easy answer, but as Stalker62 said, the very first part of the day when the day shift takes over from the darkness crew is a magical time - probably my favourite

Whatever you do, good luck
And keep us informed, especially if anything works or, just as important, doesn't

 

[75]

Thanks for all the inputs!

It seems that I am on the correct way but need to go further! I used to get ready in high seat before or at the legal time, 1 hour before sunrise which is still very dark. After bumping into deer, I set the alarm 30 minutes earlier but still bumped into deer! Like said, it seems still not early enough! Next time I go, I will try to get in high seat 1 or even 2 hours before the legal time to see what happens!

It depends on your ground but if fallow have a lot of pressure from dog walkers / shooting etc they will go virtually fully nocturnal, so there may be no such thing as "too early"!

I used to shoot a fair few in Berkshire with lots of public access and they'd only ever come out of thick cover right on (or after) last light - often too dark for a shot. We used to have much more success in a seat on the wood edge at first light waiting for them to come back from where they'd been feeding. However, they'd often be seen during the day in big groups lying out in the sunshine on pockets of land that wasn't shot and they knew they wouldn't get disturbed!

I learnt the 20 minutes rule when shooting squirrels with an air rifle years ago. That's why I tried to get in the high seat about 20 minutes before the first light. But what I did not know was that Fallow, not like squirrel, started feeding way earlier than that.

See my point above - they might be feeding all night and coming back for shelter at first light. Depends a lot on your ground and where the shelter and food are (often good shelter lacks good food and vice versa). A few trailcams would be helpful to figure out their patterns and also look for well used paths they've been using and crossing points for streams / fences etc.

4) get into the highseat, or your chosen sitting spot and then just chill out for 20 minutes to half an hour. Even better just doze off.

I can think of worse plans than falling asleep up a ladder with a loaded rifle, but not many...

 

[Heym SR20]

It depends on your ground but if fallow have a lot of pressure from dog walkers / shooting etc they will go virtually fully nocturnal, so there may be no such thing as "too early"!

I used to shoot a fair few in Berkshire with lots of public access and they'd only ever come out of thick cover right on (or after) last light - often too dark for a shot. We used to have much more success in a seat on the wood edge at first light waiting for them to come back from where they'd been feeding. However, they'd often be seen during the day in big groups lying out in the sunshine on pockets of land that wasn't shot and they knew they wouldn't get disturbed!



See my point above - they might be feeding all night and coming back for shelter at first light. Depends a lot on your ground and where the shelter and food are (often good shelter lacks good food and vice versa). A few trailcams would be helpful to figure out their patterns and also look for well used paths they've been using and crossing points for streams / fences etc.



I can think of worse plans than falling asleep up a ladder with a loaded rifle, but not many...

It’s why i cannot stand ladder type highseats. They are dangerous IMHO.

 

[Chiyuan]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! It does give me some ideas how to do better in the wood.

Unfortunately, due to the distance, the work, the family and all other stuff happening globally, I cannot visit the wood as often as I want. The best chance is to visit every 2 or 3 weeks if I'm lucky. So some of the ideas look very reasonable but just not work for my specific situation.

I definitely will try some ideas next time I visit the wood and report back how it works, or not.

 

[75]

The best chance is to visit every 2 or 3 weeks if I'm lucky.

That's not the end of the world tbh - you can go too often and the fallow will just move elsewhere. Going less frequently but hitting them hard when you're there is a good approach with fallow. Can you coordinate with others who shoot there (if there are others?) and agree to be there at the same time and cover a few seats at the same time?

 

[bogtrotter]

I've always found in good weather by all means get into your seat in the dark forget anything you bump just get in the seat. An hour after first light is the time that deer start to move in my experience and that is when I've shot most of them. In winter I have shot more Roe between 10am and 2pm than any other time as they need to feed throughout the day. Evening is generally the best time to sit in a seat and usually more productive than morning for most species.

This mirrors my experience

 

[nathan22]

Get there earlier.

For a morning outing (my preference) I am often in my seat by 0400 hours. I use the TI just to see and study what is about.

Eat my wrap. Drink some coffee. Watch the world come alive.

It is (for me) the nearest thing to Heaven on Earth watching the sun rise from a High Seat; enjoying the peace and solitude.


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Exactly this, its not just about the deer, only problem with me is i probably smoke about 10 fags beofre the sun comes up may beed to invest in a bigger coffee cup

The OP why dont you use your thermal on the way in? If there is a deer staying about wait and shoot that one when its light enough if legal