UNITED KINGDOM: Stalking Between, Amongst & Along The Hedge Rows

[BRICKBURN]

It's been a little while since I posted much on a hunting escapade, so I thought it would be a good idea to prepare for my upcoming adventures in Africa with a hunt report from this past August 2019.

The backgrounder:

I love to hunt and I am always searching for new opportunities and will always lend a hand to anyone in their search to facilitate their own hunts, which is one of the central reasons I like the position I have volunteered myself into on AH.

I have been in contact with Tom @UKHunter on AH before and have commented in his posts and reports. Since UKHunter’s arrival on AH he has been consistent in his decorum and indeed, in one of his very first posts, proceeds to offer to help others. I have seen a consistent positive pattern in his interactions with other members and have seen this theme repeated over the years.

Hi Guys,

By popular demand in my intro here is a load of my hunting pictures from the UK! If anyone has any questions about hunting here, or would like to come over and do it themselves i would be more than happy to help them organize it. I have no ties to any hunting company's, just like to help out!

Fast forward a few years.

I make a remark in a current AH thread about Roe Buck hunting, something like: "Nice going, one day I'd like to hunt Roe."

I get a PM in February 2019:
"Hi Wayne,
If you're serious on Roe deer let me know - I can sort something out for you,
Tom"

Tom is not an agent or salesman; he has a real job. He likes to hunt and has a list of critters he’d like to hunt, just like the rest of us, and is quite genuine in his offer to assist.

His kind offer gets me thinking that perhaps I should get serious. I ask for a suggestion about what might be the best dates for this year, as I am woefully ignorant about Roe Deer hunting. After my positive reply, Tom is on it and starts to ask around within his contacts and has one place in mind that he wants to introduce me to.

Tom gets back with a date that is open and we fill in around it.
Three days stalking Roe and then Tom offered to take me past his “own ground” to see where some Fallow Deer might hide on the large estate during the return trip to London.
Sounds like a plan.


I start preparations for the hunt as I know nothing about hunting in the UK. The first very important lesson is a simple one: They go STALKING, not hunting. Hunting is the term referring to the use of Hounds.

It is a bit of a culture shock, but that novelty is certainly part of why we hunt in other places around the world.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Right...so get on with it.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Ya, ya. I'm working on it.

 

[Pheroze]

 

[Shootist43]

Brickburn, how much different was the classwork from the North American Hunter Education course? At least the one from the old days. Lord, nowadays the kids can take the class online, show up for the "field" portion and get their Certificate.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Brickburn, how much different was the classwork from the North American Hunter Education course? At least the one from the old days. Lord, nowadays the kids can take the class online, show up for the "field" portion and get their Certificate.

I've instructed Hunter Ed in my jurisdiction for 30 years for so and can say the course material is quite different to North America.

I did my exam online. That is the same. The practical to get a DSC2 is a true test of your ability to demonstrate what you have learned. Totally different than North America.

In researching the subject and find a host of acronyms to deal with. BASC, DMQ, BDS, DSC1, DSC2, etc.

This is a link to one of the options for the Deer Stalking Certificate Course with the British Deer Society.
https://www.bds.org.uk/index.php/training/dsc1

This is a link to the "question banks" that will help you educate yourself about Stalking in the UK.
https://www.dmq.org.uk/downloads/
Quick Differences:
Depending who is offering it, the (DSC1) course is held over three days. Including the range portion.
Self study beforehand is certainly required.

DSC2 is where you actually demonstrate that you can Stalk and follow what you have learned. Actual conduct observed Stalking by a qualified Observer.

The DSC1 or DSC2 are not required by law to Stalk in the UK.

Food Hygiene is a big deal. Plenty of the venison taken in the UK enters the human food chain for consumption by others than the Stalker themselves.

Public Relations is a big deal.

Stalking is almost addressed like it is a job in the UK, (which it is in some respects.) Health and Safety, etc.

The breadth of the course is deeper.
You have to cover several countries rules and regulations.

 

[BRICKBURN]

It is always a novelty to encounter “culture” on my travels and this was no exception. The first instance occurs in an email with simple directions to meet Tom in London; it’s a Post Code.

Ok, WTF, Postal Codes are for mail? Apparently Post Codes are rather specific in the UK. There are a lot of people and Post Codes, certainly in London, can be one building. In effect the address. Where I’m from you look for a very specific unique address and knock on the door. No sweat, I roll with the punches and I’ll be able to WhatsApp or SMS, and if all else fails, I can call him.


In a subsequent planning email, I am instructed to find a suitable place to stay in “XYZ Post Code”. That will set our base of operation.
Do you sense a pattern here?

Google Earth is your friend. I pop in the Post Code and there it is on my screen.


This hunt is not going to be a stay at a 5-star hotel or a stroll from the manor. It will be conducted out of an Airbnb of my choice. Tom will be my companion and driver on this adventure. Bloody good thing after taking note of the local traffic.

I join Airbnb and start my search for places to stay. I find a place close to Richmond Park. The location the Queen and her predecessors have hidden my Red Stag. The BnB I choose is a nice little place that is quiet and clean and a reasonable trip via UBER. I never used UBER before and must agree with the hoards that this is a great service. I’m staying near Richmond the first night to Stalk the Red Stags.

If you are heading into London and plan on taking local transport on your own. Grab the Citymapper App, you will be set to take the Tube, trains, expresses, taxis, etc., and get where you are going using step by step directions with the best routes and schedules to get where you are going. GREAT TOOL.

Again, the internet is your friend and YOUTube provided the education on this tool, as various “guides” made these recommendations on their channels.

Back to Airbnb. I start the next search on the map and find a place that is above the local post office (might as well stay with the postal theme) in a little town called Great Ellingham. It made me feel much better when the local Stalker did not even recognize the name of my destination.
It’s all booked, I send the location to Tom and we are set.

Plane ticket purchased, dates reserved for accommodations, deposits paid and dates reserved on the Estate for Stalking. Now I was going for sure.

As noted, true to my pattern of hunting in foreign lands, I want to have a clue what I am doing when I arrive. Education is a must. Back to those acronyms: BDS, DMQ. I contact the British Deer Society (www.bds.org.uk) and find the online order form for the DSC 1 Course (Dedicated Stalking Certificate). It is not required by law but is an incredible source of information for a neophyte Stalker. I wait for the manual to arrive in the mail and begin to download the various exam questions (“banks”) and start reading and studying. I read well over 1000 pages of documentation.

If you want to learn about the deer species and the Management, Legislation and Stalking culture in the UK this is a great source to begin your education.

Included in my purchase of the course material is the opportunity to take the online exam. For what it’s worth, I managed to obtain a passing mark.

I was going to arrange the field day testing on this trip but it turned into much more bother than it was worth. Perhaps in the future.


Now I can identify the various deer and understand something of their habits and I feel somewhat prepared.


Due to my hosts generosity, I am not bringing a firearm and thus avoid any issues with that side of things. Indeed, with such a short trip I decide to leave my "big white gun" at home and will just use a small camera and my phone for photography. This allowed me to keep my baggage down to one small pack and a soft brief case, no checked baggage. Getting across London via public transportation played a role in this logistical decision.


On arrival, I grabbed a local mobile number on the network of choice. It was 20 pounds for enough talk time and texting to suit me and 10G of free data for 30 days. I can only imagine what it would have cost to use a plan from home. As it was, I got a $22 bill for a three minute phone call and a quick Google search to find the phone store in Terminal 5. Be warned.


After the Airbnb host ditched the ride he offered to collect me, I grabbed an Uber and I arrived at my Richmond bnb in the late afternoon, just in time for a walk into Richmond Park.

Upon arrival, I started to set up and try to plug in my power adapter and my computer. I had not checked before I left. The adapter I managed to bring along only allowed a two prong plug. @#$%^&*(&^%$.

I immediately head down the street in hopes of finding a store that might have an adapter. This is a long shot, otherwise I’m screwed and photo storage will be on the memory cards.

I find an “Old style” Hardware store, you know the kind, one with everything anyone would ever want. Product was placed out on the front sidewalk for people to see and were just packing up to close and I walked in and made my request. The owner, an octogenarian gentleman thought for a moment and proceeded to walk into a little room in the back and pull down a box off a high shelf and damned if he did not have a selection. One three prong adapter purchased for a couple of pounds, problem solved. I thanked him profusely.

This was also my first encounter where I found out that I carried a Black Mamba in my wallet. This Mamba has taken the form of “old notes”. Unbeknownst to me, the UK switched over to plastic money and the old paper notes were no longer accepted. I hand him some new notes and paid my bill. I’d deal with the “old note” issue tomorrow.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Settled in with gadgets and luggage, it was time to head to the Park to find the deer.

GPS in hand, off I went to find the gate to enter the park.

This is an outline of Richmond Park on Google.

Immediately after entering the park I turned off the beaten track and headed cross country looking for sign. The nice thing about exploring a new place with a GPS in your pocket is that you can concentrate on your quarry. If you want to return, just follow your trail back.


It did not take long; Scat, trails in the Bracken, the browse line on the trees, grass grazed short, beds in the longer grass, scrapes under trees, a midden or two, etc.

All too old, so I just kept moving.

Initially, I thought this was a park, how hard can this be? A true high fenced park, as this place is surrounded by houses and people and there is no escape.

Once you start walking, you find out just how big this park is and, although not mountainous, the hills provide some stretch to the Achilles.

 

[BRICKBURN]

In through Ham Gate.

Try a stroll through here in shorts! My shins are paying the price the next morning.

I started by stalking the small stuff. This little fella was hunting insect along a trail. Incredible to watch a bird of prey chasing bugs on the ground like a Roadrunner.

After plenty of searching for sign......

Poof, like magic. Antler.

For an instant I thought it might be..... but the size was a little off.

After watching for a little while and enjoying it fully, it was back to it.

The slow methodical searching in the cover for anything resembling my quarry.


Only seeing pictures of Red Deer, I only had an inkling of what I was after.

Scanning the forest through the undergrowth, you know how you search for those little things; Ear's, Antler, colors....

I was slowly scanning right to left when my head came back, doing an instinctive double take.

That color did not fit.

I had been doing double takes repeatedly on large Oak branches that had been chopped to the ground and look like bedded deer.

This color was too rich.


I had struck gold. There was no way that color was anything other than what I was after.

My very first Red Stag.

I'll tell you now. It's a thrill, and I won't forget it any time soon.

I did manage to bump into some other relatives.

This is the least expensive Stalking you will do in the UK.

I walked 23km this day and certainly found the deer I had come to see. It was impressive to see such incredible Stags.

On the way back to my lodging I picked up some food for breakfast and got settled in for a sleep in my new time zone. Seven hours out makes that morning wake up a little more interesting. Little did I know what was ahead in the sleep department when you Stalk Roe Deer in the rut.

 

[Bullthrower338]

 

[Chukar]

From the map golf seems very popular!

 

[BRICKBURN]

I have no doubt that Golf is popular. I would not want to see what the Green Fees were for those courses.

 

[HuntingGold]

I have enjoyed your write-up thus far!

 

[mark-hunter]

Brickburn, keep going. Great story is unfolding, i can sense!

 

[LivingTheDream]

I had to educate myself on STALKING in the UK, it is a bit different googling stalking in England or stalking close to London. But as you said they really focus on taking care of the meat in the field, it amazes me how they can field dress a deer so cleanly.

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of your report, stalking in the UK was one of the coolest hunts I have done and given your attention to detail I get to vicariously live it again.

 

[BRICKBURN]

How is England different, let me count the ways.

Did you know London has a population (9 million) that equals over a quarter of my COUNTRIES population! It is a culture shock.

Like most hunters in North America I am confounded by the Trophy measuring system in Europe; Grams/Size equate with pricing. I can do the math, but judging a trophy? Not in my current skill set. This thread on AH, gives you some idea of what you may run in to with trophy sizes.
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/judging-roe-deer.24134/

I would certainly have to rely on the Game manager/Stalker’s skills on this one.

I had shared a picture with Tom of what I thought the ultimate Roe Buck would be and it did not seem like a giant to me. In fact, I thought it was in the mid-range for size. (In my mind I have shared a 160 B&C Mule Deer sized trophy.) I was informed it was a pretty large trophy.
Oh, well, I’d see what we came up with. Apparently, East Anglia is not home to monster Roe Bucks. I was not concerned by that information as I was about to go Stalking a deer I had never seen before, which was a reward in itself.

Coming from a jurisdiction where hunting behind a fence is illegal, charging per inch is unheard of. I live where you purchase your license and then find the species you are after, selecting the biggest, weirdest, or whatever quality you would like and take the shot. Whether that is guided or unguided.

Furthermore, at home, selling hunter harvested game is illegal and the purview of poachers. In the UK, Venison is going into the human food chain. It is part of the income for the Game Managers/Estates. You may purchase the meat from your successful stalk if you would like. If you have your “own ground” it is obviously different.

At home Wildlife or game is the property of the people/Crown, it is not owned by individuals (until legally acquired). We have tightly controlled quotas, licensing. The UK system requires no license to Stalk Deer, you require a firearms license though. Beyond a proclaimed season, the property owner determines what the quota is and if there will be an access fee and any trophy fees.
Suffice to say; When in Rome, do as the Romans do.


Tom and I were to meet at noon on Monday and head out of London for a late afternoon arrival at our BnB. I started my journey across London town taking the various legs I had planned using CityMapper https://citymapper.com/london?set_region=uk-london and Google Earth: Walking, Double Decker Bus, Above Ground Train from Richmond to Waterloo Station, walking past the London Eye, take the MBNA Water/River bus on the Thames past plenty of history to Greenwich, Walking, Emirates Airline across the Thames and finally some more walking. This part of my adventure taking about three hours with some pit stops along the way.

These stops included the “old notes” exchange. I was told, “You needed to go to the bank”, who then said ,“You need to go to the Post Office”. Technically, you are supposed to have your own bank account to deposit them and then get new money. After much walking around in Richmond town, I was able to find a Post Master who took some pity on me and changed the notes. One more lesson learned.

Richmond Post Office
Again, people being kind and helpful is not a forgotten art. It was nice to experience.


I was not in a hurry and planned a route across London that would cover many bases. I was told it was not really busy for tourists. That information let me know that I would not want to be there when it is busy. Good to know.

You have to jump on one of these....

Richmond Station

Avoiding "the Tube" and staying above ground, liking sunlight, I took the South West Train to

Waterloo Station

A jaunt past "the Eye"

Staying above ground I jumped a Water/River Bus. (It is the touristy thing to do)
Running under the Tower Bridge. I was sitting in the front of the boat and facing away from the bridge as we proceeded down stream. It was an experience being rushed by a throng of people as we rounded a bend and the bridge came into view. I have great empathy now for anyone famous.

The Tower of London, as close as I would get.

My River Bus at the pier and the O2 in the background as I cross the river in style.

Landing the Emirates Airline.

An encounter with space saving ideas I have never seen before. There are 9 million people in this small space. Office space under a roadway.


I found my Post Code destination, called Tom and we had a nice lunch overlooking the water and then packed up into his trusty van and made our way north out of London.


The road trip to Great Ellingham was interesting, seeing the countryside and taking those roundabouts (traffic circles) to the left and then larger versions with three lanes. I was quite glad that I was not driving. Judging from some of the crash marks on the mounds in the center of a couple of those roundabouts there are some other folks who did not understand how they worked. There was one demolished trophy beside the road that was an obvious resultant of someone taking an intoxicated shortcut through a roundabout.

Google Earth image of one of the Roundabouts.

On any of the countryside roads you will immediately note the width or lack of width really. History prevails as the pathways that supported Pony Carts have not been changed, widened or straightened.

The “National Speed limit” on these teeny tiny roads is 60 miles an hour. My jaw dropped when I heard that fact. Only a deranged person would ever consider it. Then encountering some roads where you are required to pull off to allow the other driver to pass. It is a constant game of hop scotch to use these country roads. A worthwhile introduction to a different mindset and another reality. No wonder it takes a long time to travel a distance, which at home would be no trouble.

Straight lines are certainly not the norm which was incredible to me, coming from a part of my country, where 1 mile grids were the plan of the day. It took me a while, in fact a couple of days, before it dawned on me that it was the hedges that made everything seem so different. All the fields had margins of grass and ditches and/or hedge rows. Incredible wildlife habitat.


Thanks to Google Street view I recognized our destination.

The Post Office at Great Ellingham. The location of our accommodation was not lost on me.

After we unpacked our BnB host provided directions to the local pub. A short walk down the road and we pulled up a table for dinner. Several of the local canines were inside the Pub with their owners, another interesting surprise for me.

The Crown at Great Ellingham.

After a local beer and a rum with meat pie, we retired for our 04:00 wake up. The Roe rut occurs in late July and early August. Crazy damn things.

 

[BRICKBURN]

We had targeted the beginning of August to attempt to hunt during the height of the Roe deer rut. We had three days scheduled with outings in the morning and evening on each day and I trusted we would have enough time to get the job done.


The first stalks would be led by a fellow named Lee and we would be Stalking an area very close to the BnB. After I returned home I measure the distance cross country on Google Earth and determined that we were Stalking within 1 km of the lodging.

Tom had SMS’s from Lee the evening before and found that he was, as I would describe it; “wound up like a two dollar watch” and “raring to go”. To say he was excited was an understatement. Tom warned me Lee was a character. In for a penny, in for a Pound.
This was looking to be very interesting.


After a short sleep, I grabbed a little snack before we went outside to meet Lee, who had just texted his arrival. Lee had already driven 40 minutes to meet us at our accommodation. A quick hello and we would be on our way.

We drove under five minutes and parked on a lane and started the stroll. Still before astronomical sunrise, we made our way slowly down, what I learned was a public walking path.

Apparently, the entire countryside is littered with them and people can be on them at any time. This was one of the major motivations to be here in the dark. “Walkers” don’t tend to get up this early and won’t be interfering with the stalk by presenting a safety risk.

I wondered how all these public pathways were crossing what appeared to me to be private property. Another collision with history.

The terrain in this countryside resembles a pancake with crops and hedges at field edges. You need to be extremely conscious of back drops and safe shots.

A Google shot near the area

Our calling location from above. The footpath crosses the photo along the bottom.



The crops had mostly been combined and thus available hiding spots for all the deer were reduced. I was hopeful. We slowly stalked and glassed as we proceeded into the early morning predawn light.

It turned out that the wind this morning was not going to be in the most advantageous direction for the intended calling spot. It was going to require a stroll to the far side of a field to attain our desired calling position. We made our way into place and arrived slightly later than planned. I got on the sticks and prepared. Fairly warned, these little deer can appear from any direction at speed and with no warning.

Tom, Lee and I are scanning with all eyes peeled, watching every direction. Binoculars coursing the field edges. Lee started to use the Battalu call and we waited and watched with the sun slowly climbing behind us.

As time passed I began to see house roofs appear in various directions. We were in a populated area for certain. It was totally calm and quiet without another sole moving. Sadly, that turned out to be the result for this spot regarding Roe deer as well. It was time to move to another spot, sans walking path.

That is hunting, right? …. Oops, Stalking.


We walk back toward the vehicles across the stubble field and then along another green field edge to look in a field that happens to be a potato crop. Apparently, Roe deer are quite happy to hide in amongst the rows. It’s lovely summer weather, so I am wearing shorts and follow in line through the green thigh high cover of the field edge. Quite suddenly my legs feel like I have been shocked with electricity. I look down and see what look to be a variant of young Scottish Thistle. After I comment on my encounter, my companions, both in long pants, educate me on Stinging Nettle. “Don’t rub it!” and some discussion about folk remedies that reduce the affect ensues. I’m happy to just tough it out and avoid a repeat.

Stinging Nettle. Avoid it, if you can.

If you ever doubt negative reinforcements effectiveness, try a dose of this plants thorns on your bare legs. I can now readily identify this plant in its various life stages. We make our way back to the vehicles without further calamity or sightings of our quarry. We scoot down the narrow roadways to another property and pull in beside a shed and reassess the plan.


After a short discussion about loading the rifle we are off.

The sun is up and we slowly start our stroll down a small track bordering a golden stubble field with a small wood on our left. A lovely cool morning for some stalking.

The road hugs the wood, then a hedge as we walk and are all constantly scanning the edges ahead and opposite and throughout the open stubble as we make our way further into the depths of this farm.

There are plenty of Hares moving in the fields but nothing larger. I call them rabbits and get corrected at each turn. I learn some things slowly.

Being quite considerate of my earlier experience with the Nettle, Lee determines a path across the stubble to the next crop field, Wheat and a section of Rye, both still standing. We’ll pop up through a ditch on its edge and hopefully surprize our quarry.

This entire countryside is “edge effect”.

As we are making our way toward the destination, the edge of the field that abuts a low drainage and wood where Roe Deer make their way in and along to get into the crops. We will be setting up and calling in this likely spot.

As we approach our destination Tom points out a barking sound that is off in the opposite corner of this field. It is a Muntjac making his presence known. Interesting to hear this new sound and try to place it.

It is a great experience to learn about all the signs these little deer species leave. Rubs, scrapes, tracks and trails. If they were not pointed out to me I’d never have had any idea. Later stalks would offer some opportunity to see more familiar looking rubs and scrapes that were merely different in stature than what our deer at home make.

After calling for a while and with nothing appearing we decide that this will be the spot to return to this afternoon. Fresh tracks, trails and holes in the hedges, with trails in the furrows along this bottom ground. Provided all this evidence, it certainly sounds like a plan.


We begin our wander back toward the vehicles, making our way along the hedges and past the corner where the Muntjac had been calling. Tom sees a Muntjac through the hedge. I don’t see a thing of course. As we rounded the corner of the hedge and I see, the now familiar, Hares scampering in the stubble. No deer. These little critters don’t stop moving.


As we make the final approach toward the vehicles we come around the final hedge by the shed and low and behold there is a Muntjac at about 90 yards. We make a quick attempt to get the sticks up. This small little reddish deer, very much like a Red Duiker, is not startled by us, it just never stays stopped long enough for me to take a reasonable shot.

Lesson learned, you’d better be quick.

Finally, a live animal other than a Hare running around. Yay!

Back to the bnb for some breakfast and a nap. Jet lag, what Jet lag? The eight hour time difference, whatever. There is nothing regular about Stalking Roe Deer in August. You sleep when you can.

Garden at our BnB. It is 08:14 in the morning when I took this photo upon our return.


Lee is off to his regular work to check on the farm in the intervening hours.

The plan is to return to the last farm and set up on the edge of the low land and do some calling.

 

[spike.t]

Stinging Nettle. Avoid it, if you can.

......don't you have them in Canada?

 

[mark-hunter]

Coming from a jurisdiction where hunting behind a fence is illegal, charging per inch is unheard of. I live where you purchase your license and then find the species you are after, selecting the biggest, weirdest, or whatever quality you would like and take the shot. Whether that is guided or unguided.

Charging by CIC score, for me is irritating. Maybe when formula was invented it had game management meaning and reason, but commercially today it is abused to maximum. The price goes exponentially up, with size of horn, tusk or antler...

Further, there are better or worse guides, but there is no expert that I know, that can estimate the trophy 100% before actual measurements are taken. Mistakes at best are few cic points, and at worst much more.
So mistakes can happen.
I know for cases when hunter could not pay, because final measurement went far beyond planned budget, trophy taken with approval of guide, and when outfitter would not reduce the price... the trophy remained in hunting lodge, bill unpaid, and hunter went home empty handed, with bitter taste in the mouth.

In 2017, I had my budget ready for Namibia PG hunt. (September 2017)
On end of July that year I went hunt.... , well stalking for roe buck, rut just starting.

In one of the local hunting areas they know me well, and usually I stalk roe bucks, alone, without guide. I also prefer that way.
In last moments of daylight I saw a roe buck running around a doe. The light was fading fast, last moment of daylight after sunset.
When I took a look through Zeiss - the buck had antlers, so strong he could beat a young fallow deer!!!!!

I kept him on cross hairs, round chambered, safety off... for several long minutes... he was moving, but kept circling around the doe 40 to 80 meters from me depending... I could drop him, any moment.
And I decided not to shoot.

The reason:
I was alone, and full responsibility rested on my own decision. If the official guide was with me... I could at least try to bargain for the price.
In this case, being alone, bargaining option was out, full price applicable. So I let it go.

I told later to the jagd master, my friend, and person in charge to organize hunts on that area of this buck.
Roe bucks are territorial, and will keep to their area... So it could be easily found again. He will be either on same meadow, or the next.

Months passed - and the buck was shot that season.
And ended up as the strongest roe deer shot in 2017, in offical hunting magazine in my country.
Not the best ever, but best in 2017. Pure fat gold, cic medal

If I pulled the trigger, based on charging system, that little trophy would cost me more then half of the budget for Namibia PG safari, 5 heads of game. (including Kudu)

I still think, that I made right decision not to shoot. Namibia was much better experience overall.

Now, to estimate the trophy on the field, and keep costs at reasonable level, and having in mind that formula is complicated, and mistakes in estimates are easy to make, and I often hunt alone, I had to develop my way of judging the antlers of roe deer: By size of ear against the antler!

Antler the size of ear, too young, or in case of abnormal type of antler, elder may be - trophy is pitiful, but also economic, and shootable
Antler the size of 1,50 lenghts of ear, best buy - shootable
Antler the size 2 lenghts of ear, simetrical, thick, impressive - expensive. (I avoid)

And I stick to that.

Brickburn, sorry for my interruption. Your report is great, I really enjoy! It reminds me of my non hunting visits to London.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Anxiously waiting on the next episode! A unique hunt for sure! One I’ll not get to in this life. I’m enjoying the opportunity to “stalk” vicariously with you.
Thanks!