Morning Stalk

[sussex 5,777]

After a hectic couple of days loading I was out this morning 1st thing to see what doe's were about , as I was stalking only 5 min's away from home a 5am call gave me time for coffee , load the gear & take a slow drive up to the farm .. a westerly wind forced me to start from the farm yard & work my way back to the wood .The first couple of fields near the farm had sheep on which normally means no deer ...today was no exception ..through the fields & over the fence into the wood ..clear evidence in the wood of deer , there were slot every where especially over the ditch , the bank on each side of it was worn away .

Following a well trodden track up through the wood ,& glassing up every few yards i slowly made my way to a clear fell area , a favourite place for the fallow .My initial glassing produced nothing but there are loads of places that could hide a deer or three..since the much hyped storm the other week there have been a few trees down & the clearfell had lost one or two of the trees spared the saw . This proved quite useful as 1 tree in particular afforded me cover to get a better view of the whole area without needing to show myself , & while glassing from behind the fallen tree i could see a dozen or more doe's feeding in the far corner .No chance to get a prone or sitting shot of it was going to be a stick job .Edging forward slightly & opening the sticks i selected a yearling doe ,ranged at 102m i waited for my chance ..several minutes passed as they mingled in & out of view , when she was clear of the wood another deer would be in front or behind when she was clear of deer trees or bushes would block the view ..eventually she stood clear & the shot was on ...Her reaction to the hit said it all , straight legged jump slightly backwards , then gone from view ...that 20min wait is a nightmare , even though you know in your mind your shot was on the money it is always a relief when you pick up the trail & home in on the beast which the dog did very quickly after we started on the search .She had run 20m up the bank before dropping .

Checked & bleed out the long walk back for the quad began , On our return a suitable tree was found for the hoist & gambrel & she was dressed out , loaded on & home for washing & weighing she tipped the scales at 69lb ...one for the freezer not the dealer ...

 

 

 

[mole trapper 1,693]

Very nice looking doe! Would get me sweating if I had to carry her out of that bottom pick.

Some fallow ground I have up near Exeter they all have to be carried out and it's always up hill through the trees.

[whenthemoongoesdown 54]

no thankyou to carrying them i used to get full of ticks and fleas but then how much is fallow selling for these days

[sussex 5,777]

But for the quad that doe would still be walking around !! The whole place is soaking wet ,rutted & very muddy ...the nearest you can get a vehicle is 3/4 mile away & the days of picking them up & carrying them are long long gone !!...

[Yokel Matt 918]

I think anyone be a mess after a drag that far and out on that terrain after the recent wet weather, nice doe.

[hutchey 147]

Chiller full already then Rich?

[sussex 5,777]

Been emptied tonight Hutch , but need a few for friends for Christmas & the yearling does & prickets eat the best ....

 

 

whenthemoongoesdown £1.20 lb in the jacket ..

[SJB1956 0]

Well done "sussex",a nice mornings stalk, it's a great feeling when everything comes together.

 

You mentioned the sheep in the fields; Twice recently I have witnessed deer in the same field as sheep which is unusual as you mentioned. Last year whilst in Scotland I frequently saw Roe mixing it with sheep.

 

Iv'e yet to find out what it is with sheep that deer don't particularly like. They are not a threat to deer, so could it be ground scent caused by the sheeps poo or something similar ??

[seprim 32]

Nice read reach and nice doe too

That second pic seems vaguely familiar

Andrew

[sussex 5,777]

SJB I think they sour the ground , I have seen them in the same fields but generally they seem to avoid them especially if the sheep have been in there a few weeks & when the sheep are moved it takes a few weeks before the deer return .My best field out of all the permissions I have has sheep on it at the moment , they have been in it for the last 4or 5 weeks & I've yet to see a deer even cross it ..

 

Andrew I think you sat in the seat in that clearfell ...

[Yokel Matt 918]

Sour the ground is a good term... dont they just! Some species take more exception than others I've found, roe seem very intolerant of it but I've seen sika mixing quite happily and a red hind actually nestled amongst a group of couched sheep in Scotland.. Not that she could do much about it as she only had 3 legs and was more of a pet than anything else but looked none the worse for it.

[SJB1956 0]

Thank you Gents for confirming that for me.

 

Iv'e just been informed were possible in for some bad weather next week certainly cold, still, the woods are rammed with acorns and beech--mast, Its the best crop iv'e seen in years, should hold them for a bit!

[sussex 5,777]

SJB , the acorns this year are the best I can remember ,every fallow ive shot has been stuffed with them .Trouble I've found is its holding them in the woods in the afternoon , they seem to come out just that bit later , no good when your sitting in a seat outside ..While we are on the subject of what causes problems for stalkers my other big dislike is full moon , they just don't seem to move till much to late . Matt we don't have many roe so I have not seen them with the sheep but the fallow don't seem like them 1st or last ..they do chuck up !!

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Berries nuts and fruit aplenty ,may be a sign of a bit of the white stuff to come .I see the fieldfares are here in number now and started on the hedgerow berries .Out stalking tomorrow with the stalker on my ground so hope to see a few roe .

[SJB1956 0]

"sussex" That's a very valid point about deer staying in the woods later due to food abundance and not coming out until after dark, that's when plan B comes into action,

 

Then I realise I have no plan B ???