The Devon Trip

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Myself and Matt made the journey down to Exeter this Friday afternoon just gone in search of a fallow buck each .The plan was to stalk that evening ,the following morning and then head back to Dorset for a try for a sika stag.The journey down to Steves ground was wet to say the least with torrential rain driving at us coming from the south ,not a good omen but on we went .On arriving however ,the rain eased a bit to that drizzle thats just bearable.Met with our host and after the pleasantries it was straight off to the ground .I was dropped at a high seat overlooking a valley bordered by a large wood that Steve assured me was a dead cert .After 2 hours the first doe emerged from exactly where he said they would ,jet black and looking very nervous to be in the open .She was followed by more in time and they grazed their way out into the valley bottem to be joined by more from further down .A single pricket came out and pranced his stuff amongst them but the does werent bothered at all,not giving him the looks he clearly thought they should have .A group of does suddenly scattered and i tensed as id seen this before and a very big buck charged out the wood edge to chase the nearby does with neck outstretched.He was a huge beast with a cream front and black back,and the recent rain flew off his broad neck as he ran .very impressive .Our instructions were for lesser beasts however and i had no intentions of overstepping that .The buck followed his does into the wood and that was the last i saw of them or him .Peace returned to the drizzle soaked valley with does in groups criss-crossing the valley as they fed.Soon after a mist descended and i thought my chance had gone so i made the decision to stalk the valley bottem .Getting out the seat was now easy as the mist was my level obscurring any movement from the deer .Stalking along the off side of a hedge at the valley top i made my way lower and along another wood edge to the valley bottem .The mist was now fog and had enveloped everything .I chose to sit down on this wood edge and await darkness in the hope things would clear .A slight breeze got up from the head of the valley to me and the fog started to break up and lift with maybe 15 minutes to dark so cutting a fine line to say the least .A big black shape could be made out at im guessing just over a hundred yards and a look through the bins revealed a buck feeding away from me head down .Couldnt believe my luck and decided to hurry to a bramble patch only 50 yds from him so keeping low i covered the dead ground fast and set up on sticks behind the brambles then inched out for the shot .The buck either saw or sensed something as he whipped around to face me even taking a step towards me as he tried to make me out .His fate however was sealed and a shot to the middle of the neck had him down and dead .A huge feeling of relief came over me as i admired the buck ,took pics then rang Steve for collection .Matt however hadnt been so lucky but true to form was made up over my success .The extraction team in the shape of steve and Matt took a good while to find me and would of took longer had i not used the recent torch app on my phone .We were all very wet but i for one couldnt care less as i was still buzzing .The next morning saw a much better start and i decided to take a walk through the same valley to the fields just over form it seeing three very good bucks together ,even stalking to within 70 yds of them feeding but decided not to stretch the good will shown by our host and passed them up .Saw another doe before daylight arrived fully and the deer retreated to the forest.

 

Im sure Matt will want to fill in his mornings stalk so ill skip to Saturday afternoon in Dorset .

Arrived in plenty of time and made our way to the seats having flipped a coin for the far one which has produced more in the past .Matt won so off he went leaving me to the near seat .Soon after getting comfortable the first sika stag whistled from the surrounding forest and i called back .This gameplay went on all afternoon with me answering calls and some of mine getting answered too but i regret i know nothing on the subject ,not enough to get a reaction anyway .Later in the afternoon with sika calling all around us but none showing ,a lone roe buck appeared at range,a very good head too and nearer Matts seat than mine and after a while, surprised he hadnt shot it , i texted him to which he replyed there was herbage in the way and that i was to shoot it if the chance arose .The buck disappeared for a while in some stingers but reappeared a bit closer to me and i shot him through the heart at a respectable 170 yds.Left him there incase a sika should show but darkness arrived with a no show .Very pleased with the buck though .The batteries decide to play up on my camera and as Matt had left his in the truck we gralloched him here then dragged him out onto the grass near the truck ,a change of batteries and here he is .

 

[South hams hunter 8,922]

Brilliant write up as always

[whippet 99 2,613]

nice buck that ................well done men , im sure a magazine would enjoy your trips ............bit of extra £

[martin 332]

That was a good do lads,but that Roe looks a bit scrawny to me FD,but he does have a decent head mate,maybe he has struggled after an especially hard rut......lucky bugger!

 

Martin

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Cracking roe head mate

[The one 8,481]

Nice read lads

[Yokel Matt 918]

Glad you enjoyed the trip to Devon lads , well done

 

It was bloody brilliant mate - still waiting for the pics but can remember it as clear as day. Its lovely ground, undulating forrested hills with paddocks and stretches of pasture which the fallow obviously love. After we left FD in the seat we went to scope out several different areas which were spread out accross the valley. It was decided that one particular spot held the best chance since the sweet spot had been bagged by FD in a coin toss. The rain had turned into a think drizzly mist as I made my way to the spot and it wasn't long before I saw a group of dark shapes through the gloom. One looked to be a nice buck but the mist made chancing a shot touch and go at best - the unfamiliar ground and appaling visability made that a total no-go. Good news though as FD phoned to say he had a beast down and gave us rough directions to his location. By the time we had to quad off the pick-up it was pitch black, the rain had started again in ernest and the visability dropped to feet. Could have been a cold, wet night had we not seen the light on his phone and what a nice buck he was. I remember wishing i'd chosen heads not tails seeing him on the floor but stoked all the same for FD who was made up with the stalk and his buck. Christ we were all ready for a pint when we finally got back pissed wet through.

 

Next morning the weather was lovely and still. FD made his way back to his seat from the truck and Steve and I went to lie up by a hedge row at the hill crest at the nape of a valley where we hoped to spy on a heard that had been here the previous morning. As the light slowly crept up the shapes below began to take shape and we eventually spotted a buck - he was a nice one busily rounding up breakaway groups of does from his herd, stopping every so often to catch his breath. Steve advised me i'd need to take a shot sharpish as the herd rarely stayed past half light. I ranged him at 165 meters, gave the zeiss 4 clicks flicked the illuminated dot on and waited for him to present a broad side whilst seated off the high bipod - boom and the bullet connected, he flicked his forelegs implying a nice chest shot and ran ten meters or so before piling up - the shot echohing for a while in the hills. I was made up, wasn't till this time i'd noticed how soaking I was from sitting on the wet grass. Upon the gralloch his heart was cleaved in two which is always a nice impression to leave with the stalker - hopefully he'll have me back sometime

 

The road trip to my patch in Dorset was filled with events of the previous 24 hours and it was nice to sit in the wood and chill out in our respective seats. A nice buck emerged on my side of the block but as usual he was not there one minute and there the next - frustratingly now obscured behind foliage. I text FD to keep his eyes peeled and the have a shot if he presented whist waiting for an opportunity of my own. The crack from FD's .243 ended those hopes and down he went

 

I'll get some pics up when they arrive - what a great trip

Edited October 9, 2012 by Yokel Matt

[glogin 87]

Nice write ups guys.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

oh i nearly forgot too .Many thanks to owen for giving me Steves details and for inviting me down for a boar soon .lol

[Yokel Matt 918]

She's a beauty mate - Bet you can't wait to get her cranking. Sorry for not saying a thank you earlier, what bad manners I'll update this shortly when i get the pics through

[Sako Stalker 0]

Nice shooting lads , looks a top day out.

[seprim 32]

Another great post well done on the bucks

 

Andrew

[paulf 820]

great read that never stalked in my life but it sounds great.

[j j m 6,540]

good write up and nice pic bud