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Martin's first Bushcraft Education article all about deer stalking.
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Martin's first Bushcraft Education article all about deer stalking.
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"One Deer Stalkers perspective on Deer Stalking"
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Perhaps the typical image of deer stalking; Kyle Macintyre [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org /licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
A male Chinese water deer (Buck) and it's impressive tusks. |
My primary quarry don’t have antlers to speak of and perhaps would have some of the unknowing and untrusting shouting ‘Photoshop’ but no! The non-indigenous Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer are smaller than some of the larger and better known species but can carry some impressive looking tusks, depending on sex and species and are an ever spreading species in England. The Muntjac are very wide spread whilst the Chinese Water Deer frequent the reedy waterways of the lower lying counties of Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and make up the bulk of my deer management tasks.
A Chinese water deer in it's adopted habitat of stubble fields showing off it's distinctive 'teddy bear' features. |
The primary skills of a successful Deer Stalker would include being able to arise early, ridiculously early, and still be sharp. Needs to be fit and active, have great observation skills, the ability to move quietly and then of course, have the marksmanship skills and equipment to ensure a swift and humane kill whilst ensuring safety and good neighbourliness to those people and animals who live nearby. One can and my opinion should, seek formal training in deer stalking to ensure a high and consistent standard among those who undertake this work.
For those who do
not undertake it or understand it, what we do makes no sense and may
even be offensive to them. To those who feel that way, I would seek
to assure them that this is not about wildlife slaughter but about
maintaining a healthy and sustainable deer population in any given
area and providing a service to the agricultural communities, whilst
being sensitive to the feelings of other countryside users. Many
endangered plant species for instance, are under threat from the
little Muntjac, who’s introduction came by way of escapes and
deliberate releases from private collections in the early late 19th and early 20th Centuries. They are here to stay and breed
prolifically, the doe (female) being pregnant every 7 months and if
you haven’t seen one yet, its only a matter of time.
A little muntjac buck munching on acorns |
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An occasional winter visitor to the UK this beutiful waxwing put in an appearance on a recent stalking trip. |
A home made high seat, made by Martin from salvaged lumber, ready for the close of the 2015 Chinese Water Deer Season. |
I like to drive
to one of my many parking areas on the farm, long before sun up, then
sit silently awaiting for the sun’s rays to reveal the landscape
and all of its residents, which will never be completely absent but
may not be what you want to see that day. As soon as it’s light
enough to see and shoot I move as near silently as I can along my
chosen route. If I was to be shooting from a high seat, I would move
there as soon as I arrived and wait for the light whilst seated
there. To anyone who likes a brisk walk, the rate of progress would
drive you insane! Sometimes we only move a few paces before using the
binoculars again and again.
A Chinese Water
Deer is spotted lying in a bare field some 500 yards distant and the
focussed work of a stalk commences. The wind is checked to ensure
that the direction of approach will not be betrayed by our sent
reaching the deer before the bullet and the lay of the land permits a
safe shot when you do get into a firing position. On this occasion,
the wind is not working against us and the stalk commences by going
away from the animal initially, so that a belt of wood can be used as
a screen for our approach. Across a ditch now and through the wood
before a hands and knees crossing of a road and into a large dike.
Fortunately the water isn’t deeper than our boots and a long slow
wade is commenced toward our target. Popping up occasionally just to
make sure our target hasn’t moved, we continue on our way. Getting
tense now as we approach a good shooting position and range, all
adjustments are made whilst in the cover of the ditch, bipod is
extended and we exit the ditch to crawl through young nettles to
settle for the shot.
Wriggling up behind the rifle, and checking everything is still safe, we rest the cross hairs of the scope on the deer’s shoulder for the first time. It’s a buck, his white fangs clearly visible against his chestnut coat, he’s a nice specimen. With breathing under control, safety off and squeeze until the rifle nudges back into my shoulder and the slap of the bullet finding its mark a fraction of a second later, accompanied by a shower of hair as the buck roles over dead, twitching gently like he was running in his sleep. It was a quick and humane end to a majestic little animal.
Preparing for a shot, with a Browning X-bolt chambered in 6.5*55mm |
Wriggling up behind the rifle, and checking everything is still safe, we rest the cross hairs of the scope on the deer’s shoulder for the first time. It’s a buck, his white fangs clearly visible against his chestnut coat, he’s a nice specimen. With breathing under control, safety off and squeeze until the rifle nudges back into my shoulder and the slap of the bullet finding its mark a fraction of a second later, accompanied by a shower of hair as the buck roles over dead, twitching gently like he was running in his sleep. It was a quick and humane end to a majestic little animal.
Ready for the long walk back to the larder |
After the shot, the little deer will be confirmed dead, confirmed healthy by a thorough inspection of the carcass and then gralloched (Guts removed) for an even more detailed inspection, before carefully removing to home in a clean container prior to skinning and butchering (for a full explanation of this process check out the BushScience series tomorrow). Depending on the location of the shot, this can involve some really hard work by putting the deer, possibly more than one, in a rucksack and carrying it for a significant distance back to a vehicle.
Skinning and butchery for me is an exercise in waste minimisation and
we achieve that quite well I think. All of the useable meat is eaten
or swapped for something else. The scraps go for dog food to a
neighbour and the skins, heads and feet go to organisations who
convert all of those items into useful or saleable products,
including buck skin.
I feel good about
the exercise I gain and the benefit that I provide to the farmer
who’s crops are safer as a consequence of what I do. I do it well,
safely and humanely and even benefit the deer herd by taking out as a
priority, the weak and injured animals first.
MRG
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