Red deer Stag
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:49 pm
Deer are not common around here, especially wild ones. There are a couple farms, and the wild populations have formed from farm escapees. These don't get much of a chance to breed up because anyone with a gun wants to shoot them 
and so do I
So I consider myself extremely lucky to have been approached by a local landowner who has a few ferals on their property.
My brother and I did a quick (gunless) scout last week and spotted a few at close range. Needless to say, we got pretty excited and were quick to organize our second visit.
We started our hunt yesterday, around 11:00, and spotted a stag within 10 minutes!
Maybe 300 yds away - no range finder (yet - b'day present pleeeease sweetheart
). Carefully stalked over the next 10 minutes and got to a nice steady gunrest about 200 yds away. Unfortunately there were trees and grass in the way of a clear shot. So my brother held his position with the binos, while I gut crawled about 50yds and found a good spot, while the stag got comfortable under a tree. Clear view - except for the grass about 10yds in front of him - Bugga. I layed there for about 5 minutes watching him, while he layed under a tree chewing his cud. I was thinking "If he stood I'd have a good shot".
Then I saw a hind cross half way between us, then another, then a big stag, ended up being a group of 9!
I pretty much wrote off my chances of a shot when they all stared at me - Busted.
But as I began my retreat, my brother raised my attention
and pointed to where the stag had been laying. He was now standing, the others departed, and he didn't seem to have seen me 
Quick as my beating heart let me, I chambered a round and sent it his way. ??? nothing. I'm thinking it splattered on a twig before it reached him. But the silly bugger didn't bolt, and I didn't hesitate to cycle my bolt.
He tensed as the 32Nos found it's mark, and didn't take one more step. Dead before he even heard the report of the mighty 204!
My first deer - what a buzz! And another visit soon to get that 2nd stag for my brother hopefully.
and so do I So I consider myself extremely lucky to have been approached by a local landowner who has a few ferals on their property.
My brother and I did a quick (gunless) scout last week and spotted a few at close range. Needless to say, we got pretty excited and were quick to organize our second visit.
We started our hunt yesterday, around 11:00, and spotted a stag within 10 minutes!
Maybe 300 yds away - no range finder (yet - b'day present pleeeease sweetheart
). Carefully stalked over the next 10 minutes and got to a nice steady gunrest about 200 yds away. Unfortunately there were trees and grass in the way of a clear shot. So my brother held his position with the binos, while I gut crawled about 50yds and found a good spot, while the stag got comfortable under a tree. Clear view - except for the grass about 10yds in front of him - Bugga. I layed there for about 5 minutes watching him, while he layed under a tree chewing his cud. I was thinking "If he stood I'd have a good shot".Then I saw a hind cross half way between us, then another, then a big stag, ended up being a group of 9!
I pretty much wrote off my chances of a shot when they all stared at me - Busted.
But as I began my retreat, my brother raised my attention
and pointed to where the stag had been laying. He was now standing, the others departed, and he didn't seem to have seen me Quick as my beating heart let me, I chambered a round and sent it his way. ??? nothing. I'm thinking it splattered on a twig before it reached him. But the silly bugger didn't bolt, and I didn't hesitate to cycle my bolt.
He tensed as the 32Nos found it's mark, and didn't take one more step. Dead before he even heard the report of the mighty 204!
My first deer - what a buzz! And another visit soon to get that 2nd stag for my brother hopefully.
. Of course this had us super excited, so we gave up on the bunnies and foxes and proceeded to quietly stalk around, passing rubs and busted branches everywhere.