My first Sika stalking - a success

[Paddywoodcock 0]

Hi all,

 

Early in September I was invited by a friend in Kerry aera for week-end stalking and fishing.

 

On the Friday he took me to a place where he knows nice Sika sometimes come and whistle. We had not luck as there was a river in between us and the forest and because of the rain, the courant was very strong. We got really wet and went back home without seeing any deer.

Saturday morning we woke up quite late, around 6 and we did start climbing the Kerry mountains at 7h. After one hour and a half climbing we made a short tea break. I was looking around with my binoculars and I spotted a Sika male, nice 6 pointer and its female about 350yards away and 100yards below. There was absolutely no chance to get closer. My friend asked me to take a shot on the male with its .243, I was not very confortable because I didn't know the rifle and it was very windy. I missed

At this moment I was quite desparate... thinking that I had blown up my chances to get a first Sika. We continued going up hill and after an hour I could hear a Sika whistling somewhere, we just were unable to locate the animal. On the other side of the valley we spotted red females and a couple of Sika females but no male. The stag was whistling again and we were convinced that he was not far away... probably down hill at few hundreds yards. We moved from one view point to another and finally saw the stag. My friend told me that this 7 pointer with quite light trophee was good. Instead of taking a shot immediatly (200yards) we decided to get closer. Getting closer was not too difficult because the stag had no possibility to spot us. We just had to take care of not frightening ships. I took position about 50yards away from the stag, above him. I shot behing the shoulder, heart exploded, instant death. I have shot quite few animals in my life and rarely seen such an instant death really.

 

 

We took the head, filets and backlegs and continued up hill. 2 hours later we spotted a single male down hill again. The male was eating grass, impossible to see its head. We went closer crawling and finally found a good view point only 40yards away from the stag. A very poor head, we decided not to shoot him and just for fun my friend whistled him. He came straight to us he next picture he is probably only 15yards away from us. He seemed really upset when he finally saw us, a good time really.

 

 

We went home around 2pm and had a rest. At 5pm my friend took me to a farm. He had pain in a leg and said he wanted to go on a highseat. However Irish people change mind easily and first thing we climbed a hill for 2 hours. During the first 2 hours we didn't see any female, just nothing. At 7.30 we spotted females and carfs going down in the fields. At 8pm I could hear a male whistling a long way down in the valley. The only solution was to go back in the fields downhill without being spotted by the females and cross fingers that the male would come up.

We managed to get around the females and took a position along the forest and a big field. Immediatly I had the chance to see a huge Sika running in another field downhill. My friend had whistled few minutes before... Than I noticed a stag pushing another in the same field, are they 2 or 3... I don't know but one of them is really strong. We had to be very quick to get a shot, the night was really close. I went up hill alone and back down hill crawling when I finally saw the "monster". About 100yards away, I took the shot behind the shoulder. He ran away and disappeared behing bushes. My friend came to me, we went down hill and my friend shaked my hands with congratulations. I was surprised because I couldn't see anything... he said "listen". Effectevely we could hear the stalk last breath only 40 yards away from where I shot. It is a very strong stag, not regular at all but I am delighted. It is 8h30pm, end of the game...

 

 

Beginners luck?

 

[lewismac1 1]

Good shooting and write up,

 

Perfect examples of sika

 

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Nice one paddy..........good to see your getting a few...........

[Gez 0]

That looks like a couple of nice stags, congratulations... a good effort for your first time stalking Sika.

 

Gez