A good friend of mine who has guided and stalked with me for some 25 years has recently come up with the idea of trying to take a good representative head of all 6 British deer species and have each one mounted.
Now Mark and me go back a long way, and he is one of the quietest men one could wish to meet, not pushy, always helpful and a pleasure to be out with in the field. So it was that this Roe buck season he asked me if he could try for a nice 6 point buck, and if successfull to have it shoulder mounted too. Well you cant turn a good mate down, so we picked a date in late May and waited for the season to arrive. Covid came along, and for a while it looked like we would not get out. But restrictions were lifted in time and I decided to stalk a small farm I have adjacent to the large estate I manage in West Sussex.
I had already stalked the farm with a client and taken a cull buck, which at the time was accompanied by a very nice buck. Funny thing is after shooting the cull buck with the client the trophy buck hung around for ages, and we could have grassed him easily.
On the opposite side of the farm is a single field, which was put down to haylage. At the bottom left side is a small wood that also held a good buck that I had left alone for 2 years. My intention was for Mark to take this buck. But it needed a high seat as the field had little back stop. On the evening of Marks arrival we managed to transfer a double seat by way of strapping it to the roof of my Isuzu and delivering it to the bottom of the field and installing it against a huge oak tree. Perfect!!
The scene was set for the evening and I didnt expect any movement until much later as it cooled off and the light started to fade. Having put Mark in the seat I decided to wait on the other side of the farm in my truck. The farm in question has a good advantage point and looked down into the field where the other big buck had appeared on my first evening out on the Roe a few days previous. The evening was very warm with a slight northerly breeze and you really couldnt wish for better weather.
Time passed and as I watched form my vantage point a Roe doe emerged from the wood at the bottom of the field and started to graze. Looking through my Zeiss bino's I could see that she had swollen udders and must have a fawn tucked up in the wood somewhere. She did not move from the edge far and after 10 minutes or so made her way back in. At this point I decided to call Mark on the mobile to see if he had seen anything. No Roe, but a Fox and a Rabbit was the response. Oh its still early, was my reply and I setteled back into a comfortable position in the my truck.
5 minutes must have passed when I noticed a Roe coming out of the woods at the bottom of the field. Peering over the stearing wheel I could see it was a buck with the nacked eye. A quick scan with the bino's and I confirmed it was the big buck from a few days ago come out to feed. I left it a minute or two and he settled into feeding, but walking as he did so. I ranh Mark and told him to get down from the high seat quickly and get over here. A walk of about 600 yards.
On second thoughts I had better go and get him........................ through the farm yard, over the lane, open the field gate, drive down the head land to the seat. There he was just getting out of the seat
Mark always is careful, precise and quietly spokem, that's why we call him Sgt Wilson, after the sargent in Dads Army.
Me, come on Mark get your bloody arse in this truck before this buck dissapears.
We arrived back in double quick time, only to find the buck gone. I was slightly annoyed, B////CKS. I picked up the bino's an started to scan the field, not a sign. But then looking along the headland I could see a Roe. He had walked into the headland and laid down. In one the most awkward spots.
Mark had stalked on this farm before, so he knew the ground too. Now we had a buck laying down on the headland with a hawthorn hedge to its right running down the field, the wind would be up our backs, and although we were above it, it would see us from a mile away. From the top of the field to the deer was about 250 to 300 yds.
I took stock of the situation and decided to walk to the top of the hedgeline, and although the deer was beneath us the wind would be hopefully over the top of him. We could also make up some ground by keeping tight against the hedge. But once we were within about 120yds we would be almost on the same level and he would wind us.
Well we stuck to the hedge line like two ticks on a dogs arse, trying to be as quiet as possible. We made it to about 200 yds, we made it to 150yds, we made it to about 120 yds and the deer then knew we were there. Sticks up Mark, and as I stood to the side, the buck stood up and turned for a brief second, that was enough, the 243 dropped it on the spot.
In all the years I have known Mark I have never seen him shake with buck fever, but he did this time. The buck was everything he had dreamed of and more. I assessed it and told him this will go bronze for sure, possibly into silver CIC. It made Silver with a score of 127.35. Not only that it wasor should I say is a beautiful head, very even and lovely pearling.
I did the caping and skinning and mounted it for him on an off set model.
So out again a few days later with a great client Tony. Tony is a another client I consider myself lucky to have. Always a real pleasure to be with and a good shot too. Its another glorious late spring morning and its the day after Mark has taken his medal buck.
This time we are stalking the main estate I have, and despite my best efforts we have seen nothing but Roe does, not a buck anywhere. Well that's stalking for you, but very frustrating for me as a professional guide. None the less Tony being Tony was more than happy just to be out.
We decided to make our way back towards where I had parked the truck and had stalked quietly through the large wood on this part of the estate. The sun was high by this time and it was about 8.30am.
Peering out of the wood into the strong sun light I suddenly caught sight of a buck making its way along the hedgerow to the right hand side of the opening we were looking out of. I whispered to Tony, its a buck, and its a bloody good one too. He has some real length to his head. Tony struggled to find it, as the buck was weaving in and out of the deep cover on the hedge line and every now and then would dissapear into the hedge. For a momet I thought it was going to lay down, which would have scuppered it a bit. The buck had no idea we were there, and after telling Tony this was a very good buck potentially a medal, he decided he would take it.
Now I am very careful on my Roe management, and the estate always produces good quality Roe Bucks. In this instance I could see that this buck was old, he was still wearing winter coat in many places which is late for West Sussex as this was the end of May. He also looked small, and therefore I decided to let Tony shoot him. But first we hade to get nearer and a clearer shot of the beast.
We quickly ducked back into the cover of the wood and the shade, and made our way up the wood to come out opposite the hedge line the buck was walking down. As we came out of the darkness of the wood we had the shadow of a large oak tree for cover. One must be careful when stalking into bright sunlight with the sun behind you as your shadow is cast forward and the deer see this and bolt.
Luckily we made up the distance and the buck had moved out of the edge of the hedge and was starting to make its way across a bean field. Distance was about 80yds, and it stood again just long enough for Tony to place the bullet straight through the heart. The buck took off like a rocket, and as I watched it through the binoculars I could see copious amounts of blood pumping out. Within about 80 or so yards the buck fell down and on our arriving at the scene he had expired.
Old buck with long dark antlers, and past his best. Boiled out he just missed the 455g dry weight to stand a chance of a Bronze CIC. Another buck I had never seen before, but still a buck of a lifetime. Now mounted up and finished you can see its slightly taller head than Marks, but not quite the girth and weight. None the less a good buck to take.
Now Mark and me go back a long way, and he is one of the quietest men one could wish to meet, not pushy, always helpful and a pleasure to be out with in the field. So it was that this Roe buck season he asked me if he could try for a nice 6 point buck, and if successfull to have it shoulder mounted too. Well you cant turn a good mate down, so we picked a date in late May and waited for the season to arrive. Covid came along, and for a while it looked like we would not get out. But restrictions were lifted in time and I decided to stalk a small farm I have adjacent to the large estate I manage in West Sussex.
I had already stalked the farm with a client and taken a cull buck, which at the time was accompanied by a very nice buck. Funny thing is after shooting the cull buck with the client the trophy buck hung around for ages, and we could have grassed him easily.
On the opposite side of the farm is a single field, which was put down to haylage. At the bottom left side is a small wood that also held a good buck that I had left alone for 2 years. My intention was for Mark to take this buck. But it needed a high seat as the field had little back stop. On the evening of Marks arrival we managed to transfer a double seat by way of strapping it to the roof of my Isuzu and delivering it to the bottom of the field and installing it against a huge oak tree. Perfect!!
The scene was set for the evening and I didnt expect any movement until much later as it cooled off and the light started to fade. Having put Mark in the seat I decided to wait on the other side of the farm in my truck. The farm in question has a good advantage point and looked down into the field where the other big buck had appeared on my first evening out on the Roe a few days previous. The evening was very warm with a slight northerly breeze and you really couldnt wish for better weather.
Time passed and as I watched form my vantage point a Roe doe emerged from the wood at the bottom of the field and started to graze. Looking through my Zeiss bino's I could see that she had swollen udders and must have a fawn tucked up in the wood somewhere. She did not move from the edge far and after 10 minutes or so made her way back in. At this point I decided to call Mark on the mobile to see if he had seen anything. No Roe, but a Fox and a Rabbit was the response. Oh its still early, was my reply and I setteled back into a comfortable position in the my truck.
5 minutes must have passed when I noticed a Roe coming out of the woods at the bottom of the field. Peering over the stearing wheel I could see it was a buck with the nacked eye. A quick scan with the bino's and I confirmed it was the big buck from a few days ago come out to feed. I left it a minute or two and he settled into feeding, but walking as he did so. I ranh Mark and told him to get down from the high seat quickly and get over here. A walk of about 600 yards.
On second thoughts I had better go and get him........................ through the farm yard, over the lane, open the field gate, drive down the head land to the seat. There he was just getting out of the seat
Mark always is careful, precise and quietly spokem, that's why we call him Sgt Wilson, after the sargent in Dads Army.
Me, come on Mark get your bloody arse in this truck before this buck dissapears.
We arrived back in double quick time, only to find the buck gone. I was slightly annoyed, B////CKS. I picked up the bino's an started to scan the field, not a sign. But then looking along the headland I could see a Roe. He had walked into the headland and laid down. In one the most awkward spots.
Mark had stalked on this farm before, so he knew the ground too. Now we had a buck laying down on the headland with a hawthorn hedge to its right running down the field, the wind would be up our backs, and although we were above it, it would see us from a mile away. From the top of the field to the deer was about 250 to 300 yds.
I took stock of the situation and decided to walk to the top of the hedgeline, and although the deer was beneath us the wind would be hopefully over the top of him. We could also make up some ground by keeping tight against the hedge. But once we were within about 120yds we would be almost on the same level and he would wind us.
Well we stuck to the hedge line like two ticks on a dogs arse, trying to be as quiet as possible. We made it to about 200 yds, we made it to 150yds, we made it to about 120 yds and the deer then knew we were there. Sticks up Mark, and as I stood to the side, the buck stood up and turned for a brief second, that was enough, the 243 dropped it on the spot.
In all the years I have known Mark I have never seen him shake with buck fever, but he did this time. The buck was everything he had dreamed of and more. I assessed it and told him this will go bronze for sure, possibly into silver CIC. It made Silver with a score of 127.35. Not only that it wasor should I say is a beautiful head, very even and lovely pearling.
I did the caping and skinning and mounted it for him on an off set model.
So out again a few days later with a great client Tony. Tony is a another client I consider myself lucky to have. Always a real pleasure to be with and a good shot too. Its another glorious late spring morning and its the day after Mark has taken his medal buck.
This time we are stalking the main estate I have, and despite my best efforts we have seen nothing but Roe does, not a buck anywhere. Well that's stalking for you, but very frustrating for me as a professional guide. None the less Tony being Tony was more than happy just to be out.
We decided to make our way back towards where I had parked the truck and had stalked quietly through the large wood on this part of the estate. The sun was high by this time and it was about 8.30am.
Peering out of the wood into the strong sun light I suddenly caught sight of a buck making its way along the hedgerow to the right hand side of the opening we were looking out of. I whispered to Tony, its a buck, and its a bloody good one too. He has some real length to his head. Tony struggled to find it, as the buck was weaving in and out of the deep cover on the hedge line and every now and then would dissapear into the hedge. For a momet I thought it was going to lay down, which would have scuppered it a bit. The buck had no idea we were there, and after telling Tony this was a very good buck potentially a medal, he decided he would take it.
Now I am very careful on my Roe management, and the estate always produces good quality Roe Bucks. In this instance I could see that this buck was old, he was still wearing winter coat in many places which is late for West Sussex as this was the end of May. He also looked small, and therefore I decided to let Tony shoot him. But first we hade to get nearer and a clearer shot of the beast.
We quickly ducked back into the cover of the wood and the shade, and made our way up the wood to come out opposite the hedge line the buck was walking down. As we came out of the darkness of the wood we had the shadow of a large oak tree for cover. One must be careful when stalking into bright sunlight with the sun behind you as your shadow is cast forward and the deer see this and bolt.
Luckily we made up the distance and the buck had moved out of the edge of the hedge and was starting to make its way across a bean field. Distance was about 80yds, and it stood again just long enough for Tony to place the bullet straight through the heart. The buck took off like a rocket, and as I watched it through the binoculars I could see copious amounts of blood pumping out. Within about 80 or so yards the buck fell down and on our arriving at the scene he had expired.
Old buck with long dark antlers, and past his best. Boiled out he just missed the 455g dry weight to stand a chance of a Bronze CIC. Another buck I had never seen before, but still a buck of a lifetime. Now mounted up and finished you can see its slightly taller head than Marks, but not quite the girth and weight. None the less a good buck to take.
most of the time.
