Deermanagement
Well-Known Member
Back in 2012 I started to contemplate the future of deer stalking. Up until then, my only real developments in the previous 30 years was to improve my glass, clothing, and move to twin sticks where I’ve used the same set for maybe the last 25 years.
So little change until this time, I learned how to find and stalk deer effectively, and considered myself pretty good at it. Then around 2012, and the general use of thermal spotters, had me start to consider the future, one in which a huge amount of skill was being removed from the art of stalking. It didn’t take me long to come to the idea that the future of deer stalking was muntjac, as they generally stayed in cover, making them a more difficult option for those actually stalking, and certainly the drive by poacher.
More recently it’s been day/night scopes that threaten the future of deer stalking. Having used the best Swarovski glass for many years, depending on conditions, it meant shooting up from 30 mins to a maximum 1 hour after sunset, the same before sunrise. These scoped now enable so called stalkers to shoot right up to the 1 hour mark, with many continuing to do so after the 1 hour was up. I’m always suspicious of this activity when photos are posted in complete darkness so often. There’s no skill in shooting after dark, any muppets can do it. Similarly, stalking with a thermal in areas where deer are “not so wild”, again, any muppets can do it. God forbid they should have to stalk with just normal glass
So just a few reasons I still think the future is in the little muntjac. This is the first winter in maybe the last 10 I’ve seen less sika moving into my areas following disturbances elsewhere and maybe the first sign that pressure from technology and unscrupulous behaviour is starting to have an effect. The more common discussion revolving around deer behaviour and the effects of night shooting suggest it’s being done all too often. As I said, there’s no skill involved, maybe if one used just a spear there would
So, what are the positives…,, I’m looking after my muntjac until they get to a sustainable shooting number, but I have them. Maybe the larger deer that roam will herd more, and run before standing to to slain? Gamedealer prices being on the low side is a positive? Less muppets shooting deer illegally and unnecessarily because it doesn’t make them enough? And maybe even the potential high costs of certificates, meaning less people looking to shoot what will become lower densities of deer, except for maybe muntjac?
Anyway, my new year thoughts that may resonate with some, especially the guys that have been stalking for longer, those that remember the good old days, when each deer was a sense of achievement rather than just another dead carcass
Happy 2025
So little change until this time, I learned how to find and stalk deer effectively, and considered myself pretty good at it. Then around 2012, and the general use of thermal spotters, had me start to consider the future, one in which a huge amount of skill was being removed from the art of stalking. It didn’t take me long to come to the idea that the future of deer stalking was muntjac, as they generally stayed in cover, making them a more difficult option for those actually stalking, and certainly the drive by poacher.
More recently it’s been day/night scopes that threaten the future of deer stalking. Having used the best Swarovski glass for many years, depending on conditions, it meant shooting up from 30 mins to a maximum 1 hour after sunset, the same before sunrise. These scoped now enable so called stalkers to shoot right up to the 1 hour mark, with many continuing to do so after the 1 hour was up. I’m always suspicious of this activity when photos are posted in complete darkness so often. There’s no skill in shooting after dark, any muppets can do it. Similarly, stalking with a thermal in areas where deer are “not so wild”, again, any muppets can do it. God forbid they should have to stalk with just normal glass
So just a few reasons I still think the future is in the little muntjac. This is the first winter in maybe the last 10 I’ve seen less sika moving into my areas following disturbances elsewhere and maybe the first sign that pressure from technology and unscrupulous behaviour is starting to have an effect. The more common discussion revolving around deer behaviour and the effects of night shooting suggest it’s being done all too often. As I said, there’s no skill involved, maybe if one used just a spear there would
So, what are the positives…,, I’m looking after my muntjac until they get to a sustainable shooting number, but I have them. Maybe the larger deer that roam will herd more, and run before standing to to slain? Gamedealer prices being on the low side is a positive? Less muppets shooting deer illegally and unnecessarily because it doesn’t make them enough? And maybe even the potential high costs of certificates, meaning less people looking to shoot what will become lower densities of deer, except for maybe muntjac?
Anyway, my new year thoughts that may resonate with some, especially the guys that have been stalking for longer, those that remember the good old days, when each deer was a sense of achievement rather than just another dead carcass
Happy 2025
) but as I am noticing deer acting differently re feeding after dark, I may soon invest in a thermal spotter and a day/night scope. 
