I have just returned from Malcolm’s wonderful ground in West Sussex for my annual roe buck stalking trip down there. I was hoping to christen a new rifle and having the opportunity to be out stalking after such a tiresome winter was much anticipated.
Every time I have been there, I have always had good luck & a very memorable evening & morning. This weekend surpassed it.
We met up a little earlier than agreed to catch up with Will, who was joining us, as he has done, very successfully for the last three years , for a sandwich & a natter before finding Malcolm & Jason at the bothy for a cup of tea and more gossip before heading out for the evening.
I went off with Malcolm & within a few minutes, we had seen a departing rump. Slowing down, two hundred yards further on, a roe doe ambled along the outside of the wood we were in about 10 yards from us. She eventually did a double take, but her innate calendar meant she moved off in a leisurely manner. More indistinct movement further into the wood resulted in sitting down to watch & wait for a bit until we moved on further to a corner of a field with a conservation corner where I had shot a buck two years ago. Peering around out of the wood, Malcolm hissed at me that there was a buck - not 50 yards from the previously successful spot. Sticks up & a few seconds later, the little 4 point cull buck was down. My new rifle is not moderated & whilst I didn’t really hear the blast in all the excitement, Malcolm certainly did & had much to say on the matter.
Green gralloch & then back to the larder as it was such a hot evening. Having dealt with him, we went onto another farm across the road & whilst we saw more deer, the buck who we caught a glimpse of whilst distracted by a doe was pretty quick off the mark & scarpered. Nothing for it but to head back to the bothy for a very welcome cold beer.
In the meantime, Jason & Will had free range but got given the runaround & the light failed them on the opportunity for a buck.
Off to bed after a couple of glasses of wine at about 11, knowing that as soon as I had fallen asleep, I would be getting up again. 0430 arrived very quickly after a better night’s sleep outside than I was expecting.
Will went off with Jason to go to look for a rather large & elderly buck who had been seen a few days before. By about 0600, we had a call to say that they had caught up with him - a first buck for Will’s new rifle & a true monster who was quickly taken to the larder to be caped by Malcolm ready to be mounted. Consensus was that he is a gold medal - a proper old warrior who was starting to go back & whilst quite big in the body, not a real bruiser. However, we were all in agreement that he was the buck of a lifetime & I will leave you in suspense hoping that Malcolm posts some photos of the finished mount in due course.
I then went on with Jason & bar a few does, we saw nothing until a very good, but not fully mature 6 point buck who we left. Almost on the point of calling it a day, a fox made an unlucky appearance & we agreed that we were both hungry, so fried food was required. A last minute decision took us back to the other farm, more in hope than expectation that the buck from the previous evening might be about. Minutes from leaving the vehicle, we clocked a different, but cullable old 4 point buck laid down in a field of clover with a doe a few yards from him. Backtracking, we went down the edge of the wood & a shot to the neck rolled him over on the spot. Oddly, despite the unmoderated explosion, the doe stood up & just watched him. I was keeping an eye on the dead buck & the doe when Jason told me that there was another shootable buck. I was pretty quick to deny this & that she was clearly a doe, but hadn’t spotted a small buck with a single spike long left antler antler appear from stage left - I didn’t hang about & I can only apologise to Jason if his ears are still ringing! A good one to get who could have caused some upset come the rut.
It was a very hot drag & carry back up for both of us & definitely time for that fry up once I had finished tidying them both up in the larder.
What a day to remember, delighted with all the bucks & that the new toy was a wise purchase. What was more satisfying was seeing Will get such a cracking buck having tempted him into Roe Stalking some years back We are agreed that a lengthy post mortem will be required with plenty to eat & drink very soon when I am certain that the stalk will have become more delicate, the shot more tricky & the buck much larger - not that I am sure anyone else ever finds that the same happens…..
Best get next year booked quickly.
Every time I have been there, I have always had good luck & a very memorable evening & morning. This weekend surpassed it.
We met up a little earlier than agreed to catch up with Will, who was joining us, as he has done, very successfully for the last three years , for a sandwich & a natter before finding Malcolm & Jason at the bothy for a cup of tea and more gossip before heading out for the evening.
I went off with Malcolm & within a few minutes, we had seen a departing rump. Slowing down, two hundred yards further on, a roe doe ambled along the outside of the wood we were in about 10 yards from us. She eventually did a double take, but her innate calendar meant she moved off in a leisurely manner. More indistinct movement further into the wood resulted in sitting down to watch & wait for a bit until we moved on further to a corner of a field with a conservation corner where I had shot a buck two years ago. Peering around out of the wood, Malcolm hissed at me that there was a buck - not 50 yards from the previously successful spot. Sticks up & a few seconds later, the little 4 point cull buck was down. My new rifle is not moderated & whilst I didn’t really hear the blast in all the excitement, Malcolm certainly did & had much to say on the matter.
Green gralloch & then back to the larder as it was such a hot evening. Having dealt with him, we went onto another farm across the road & whilst we saw more deer, the buck who we caught a glimpse of whilst distracted by a doe was pretty quick off the mark & scarpered. Nothing for it but to head back to the bothy for a very welcome cold beer.
In the meantime, Jason & Will had free range but got given the runaround & the light failed them on the opportunity for a buck.
Off to bed after a couple of glasses of wine at about 11, knowing that as soon as I had fallen asleep, I would be getting up again. 0430 arrived very quickly after a better night’s sleep outside than I was expecting.
Will went off with Jason to go to look for a rather large & elderly buck who had been seen a few days before. By about 0600, we had a call to say that they had caught up with him - a first buck for Will’s new rifle & a true monster who was quickly taken to the larder to be caped by Malcolm ready to be mounted. Consensus was that he is a gold medal - a proper old warrior who was starting to go back & whilst quite big in the body, not a real bruiser. However, we were all in agreement that he was the buck of a lifetime & I will leave you in suspense hoping that Malcolm posts some photos of the finished mount in due course.
I then went on with Jason & bar a few does, we saw nothing until a very good, but not fully mature 6 point buck who we left. Almost on the point of calling it a day, a fox made an unlucky appearance & we agreed that we were both hungry, so fried food was required. A last minute decision took us back to the other farm, more in hope than expectation that the buck from the previous evening might be about. Minutes from leaving the vehicle, we clocked a different, but cullable old 4 point buck laid down in a field of clover with a doe a few yards from him. Backtracking, we went down the edge of the wood & a shot to the neck rolled him over on the spot. Oddly, despite the unmoderated explosion, the doe stood up & just watched him. I was keeping an eye on the dead buck & the doe when Jason told me that there was another shootable buck. I was pretty quick to deny this & that she was clearly a doe, but hadn’t spotted a small buck with a single spike long left antler antler appear from stage left - I didn’t hang about & I can only apologise to Jason if his ears are still ringing! A good one to get who could have caused some upset come the rut.
It was a very hot drag & carry back up for both of us & definitely time for that fry up once I had finished tidying them both up in the larder.
What a day to remember, delighted with all the bucks & that the new toy was a wise purchase. What was more satisfying was seeing Will get such a cracking buck having tempted him into Roe Stalking some years back We are agreed that a lengthy post mortem will be required with plenty to eat & drink very soon when I am certain that the stalk will have become more delicate, the shot more tricky & the buck much larger - not that I am sure anyone else ever finds that the same happens…..
Best get next year booked quickly.
