Your Stalkers Diary. November 2007.
Well what can I say about the last few months? If it wasn't for Foot and Mouth, Avian flu, and the bad weather during the summer it would have been great!.
I am sorry that I had to cancel for some of my guests but it was out of my control, honest. Blame the Government and DEFRA. For those who visited me during the season, I think it is fair to say we had some great stalking. The final tally of bucks was well down on previous seasons. This due to the lack of time spent on the hill or me being a poor stalker or both. We still managed a buck every 1.8 stalking sessions. You can rest assured that next season will make up for it with a higher cull target.
Life here on the ranch has been busy as always with new pens constructed on the pheasant shoot and a number of new deer lawns made in the more difficult beats. There is already considerable evidence of their use, and they will make life easier during the doe cull.
Fox problems with the new poults kept me busy until I managed to get enough numbers to make a difference. Having a shoot without another on the boundary or near by means that your pens are the local take away!
Day after day of waiting in a high seat at first light taught me a lot about the movement of wild life. On one particular morning I took six foxes from one high seat. Each one had come from a totally different direction, all bar one was male and fully grown. The .22 rimfire with moderator did the job each time. I would normally use a .222 but next to the pen, that seemed a bad idea.
The next morning was a blank, however that evening two vixens were taken with another seen. The next sunrise another two vixens and two cubs. I thought I better stay in the seat a while longer. I passed the time watching a old buck marking his territory. He was rushing about beating up the undergrowth with his fine set of antlers. I then saw two does with twins. A badger came into view and was busy trying to get worms and grubs. He was so intent on what he was about that he did not see or hear the buck until he was bowled over by the buck. I have never seen or heard of that happening before. Oh for a camera! I had left it in the truck.
The poults were still within the pen at this stage but a buzzard took one within the wire, sending about 40 of them in all directions and over the wire and into a field. So much for hanging up CDs to swing in the wind. A wave of the arms sent him on his way By this time it was 10 am and I was just about to leave when the first of 3 half grown cubs arrived. Probably very hungry and drawn by the racket of the poults under attack from the buzzard. Since then no great problems touch wood.
Other work pressures and the death of my Mother has taken much of my available time, but during the summer and autum I have run a number of one week courses. These were for 16-21 year olds who wanted to learn about Deer Management and Countryside Pursuits. Well, what fun we have had and I had been a great learning curve for me too. Visits to Exmoor, private deer parks, the taxidermist, and lots of practical stalking and field work has helped to fill their time. I and my stalking team did any shooting that had to be done but the students helped with all the rest of the jobs, both in the field and in the larder.
Stalking into a Royal holding 14 hinds and have another big boy roaring some 20 yards behind us in the bracken had its moments. Not a situation I liked being in myself especially unarmed and with two students. They thought it was great!!! The feedback I have been getting from students, parents and teachers has been good. I will be doing the same next year as it was so rewarding but I will be excluding big reds in the rut up close and personal.
To all my readers, have a good doe season, and thanks for your support as usual. I will be breaking up some of the winter with trips to Aus for a wedding, NZ for some hunting and fishing and South Africa for a safari. Then I will have to get back to work with a vengence. Shoot straight and dream of next seasons BUCKS!
Pete.
Well what can I say about the last few months? If it wasn't for Foot and Mouth, Avian flu, and the bad weather during the summer it would have been great!.
I am sorry that I had to cancel for some of my guests but it was out of my control, honest. Blame the Government and DEFRA. For those who visited me during the season, I think it is fair to say we had some great stalking. The final tally of bucks was well down on previous seasons. This due to the lack of time spent on the hill or me being a poor stalker or both. We still managed a buck every 1.8 stalking sessions. You can rest assured that next season will make up for it with a higher cull target.
Life here on the ranch has been busy as always with new pens constructed on the pheasant shoot and a number of new deer lawns made in the more difficult beats. There is already considerable evidence of their use, and they will make life easier during the doe cull.
Fox problems with the new poults kept me busy until I managed to get enough numbers to make a difference. Having a shoot without another on the boundary or near by means that your pens are the local take away!
Day after day of waiting in a high seat at first light taught me a lot about the movement of wild life. On one particular morning I took six foxes from one high seat. Each one had come from a totally different direction, all bar one was male and fully grown. The .22 rimfire with moderator did the job each time. I would normally use a .222 but next to the pen, that seemed a bad idea.
The next morning was a blank, however that evening two vixens were taken with another seen. The next sunrise another two vixens and two cubs. I thought I better stay in the seat a while longer. I passed the time watching a old buck marking his territory. He was rushing about beating up the undergrowth with his fine set of antlers. I then saw two does with twins. A badger came into view and was busy trying to get worms and grubs. He was so intent on what he was about that he did not see or hear the buck until he was bowled over by the buck. I have never seen or heard of that happening before. Oh for a camera! I had left it in the truck.
The poults were still within the pen at this stage but a buzzard took one within the wire, sending about 40 of them in all directions and over the wire and into a field. So much for hanging up CDs to swing in the wind. A wave of the arms sent him on his way By this time it was 10 am and I was just about to leave when the first of 3 half grown cubs arrived. Probably very hungry and drawn by the racket of the poults under attack from the buzzard. Since then no great problems touch wood.
Other work pressures and the death of my Mother has taken much of my available time, but during the summer and autum I have run a number of one week courses. These were for 16-21 year olds who wanted to learn about Deer Management and Countryside Pursuits. Well, what fun we have had and I had been a great learning curve for me too. Visits to Exmoor, private deer parks, the taxidermist, and lots of practical stalking and field work has helped to fill their time. I and my stalking team did any shooting that had to be done but the students helped with all the rest of the jobs, both in the field and in the larder.
Stalking into a Royal holding 14 hinds and have another big boy roaring some 20 yards behind us in the bracken had its moments. Not a situation I liked being in myself especially unarmed and with two students. They thought it was great!!! The feedback I have been getting from students, parents and teachers has been good. I will be doing the same next year as it was so rewarding but I will be excluding big reds in the rut up close and personal.
To all my readers, have a good doe season, and thanks for your support as usual. I will be breaking up some of the winter with trips to Aus for a wedding, NZ for some hunting and fishing and South Africa for a safari. Then I will have to get back to work with a vengence. Shoot straight and dream of next seasons BUCKS!
Pete.
