Roe Buck in the snow

[tulkyuk]

This last weekend I have been up in the North East of England with Grasshopper (Jeff) and his mate for a bit of stalking and hopefully my first Roe Buck.

I travelled up on Friday afternoon after a meeting in Manchester and made it to Jeff’s house about 2.00 p.m., we said hello and stuff and chatted while Jeff was making a late lunch/early dinner of Venison, Potatoes, veg. and a very nice onion gravy. Having eaten a hardy fill, we then got ready to go to a high seat that the boys use for foxes and wait for a couple of bucks (if they would show), but the little beggars didn’t show till almost dark and I couldn’t get a clear shot as the light was fading fast (never mind I still have 2 more mornings and an evening stalk to go).

Saturday Morning I wake up at 5.15am to the sound of persisting rain heavy rain and think to my self “not very good weather for stalking”, I get up and go for my morning ablutions and then go into the kitchen of the Bunk house I am staying in to make coffee, I put then kettle on and open the outside door to go out for a smoke (damn stupid non smoking law) as I step outside its bloody snowing ( Huge flakes of snow about an inch big) and within half an hour we have at least an inch or two of snow. Jeff arrives and we head off down the wood for our morning stalk, we had only walked about 100yrds down the track and Jeff spotted the first buck which I had not seen, Jeff gets attention by poking me in the back with a pair of shooting sick - well I say poked me in the back, he actually poked my rifle scope with the sticks and made a nice scratch on it, but I’ll let him off. We kneel dawn and I get the rifle ready on the sticks, the Roe buck comes walking to us without a clue we are there, but not stopping long enough to get a shot off .He gets to within about 15 yrds from us in a nice clearing in the trees, at which point I give him a quick whistle to get him to stop but the deer decides he didn’t like what he saw and runs off to about 25-30yrds away then stops, trouble is he doesn’t present a shot yet again ( damn thing must of known what was coming) then he’s off down the bank and away he goes. With the heart still pumping like mad we stalk off down the track and through the rest of the wood, but didn’t see a lot more deer ( plenty of footings though).

Sunday morning now and off we go for another Stalk in the snow, we go down from the farm and into the same wood we had the day before and stalked very slowly (but a bit noisily - very frosty underfoot) down the track, as we came to the bottom of the valley it was not so frosty and a bit quieter under foot which was a relief, we stalked down the track for about 500yrds or so, stopping and looking every now and then for signs of any deer movement. Then to my right hand side I see a very large buck move off into the trees and stop broadside onto me, I turn to Jeff to get the sticks and then turn back for the shot, the damn thing has gone - Arghhhhhhhhhhh - .

 

Never mind I thought we will carry on regardless, we had only got 10yrds when we hear something bursting out of the undergrowth up ahead of us , so we stand perfectly still and with that a nice 6 pointer comes running past us on the right hand side not 6 yrds away, he goes past us and then stops about 75yrds away and starts to turn towards the track, so I’m down on the sticks and ready for him, he stops just at the side of the track to check its clear to cross ( he does the green cross code bit - look right, look left, then cross), trouble is I didn’t give him chance to look left as I had the cross hairs on his neck and with a squeeze of the trigger I send a 140grn pill hurtling towards him, down he goes straight away and does a few kicks with his legs before falling silent, I give it a couple of minutes and walk up to him and give a quick poke in the eye to make sure he is gone, but not even a twitch so I now know for sure he’s dead. With a huge grin on my face I turn Jeff and thank him for getting me my first ever Roe Buck.

 

 

[provider]

Welldone tulkyuk thats a weekend and a buck you will never forget.

 

Prov.

[foxhunter]

Well done , which part of the North East were you at ??

[tulkyuk]

County Durham

[Guest varmartin]

Well done mate, the first is one to remember. Hope you get many more.

[foxing2night]

Hi paul,

Well done mate!!!

Good write up and some good pic,s aswell

 

Darrel

[tulkyuk]

Cheers boys, i've shot a few fallow in my time and a couple of Roe does - but that was my first Roe Buck & as you say it always the first thats the best.

[sikastag]

Nice account, well written, nice buck!

[pnse]

well done,had my first one last weekend too.

[eddieb]

Great when it all comes together.

 

Nice feeling a first one .

 

Well done