After years of fligghtin glimpses in the woods and getting endless blurry shots. I bagged this one today 🙂

That’s good.

I love seeing deer when I’m riding – really feel like you’ve escaped the town.

Nice shot 🙂

Lovely piccy.

A deer stalker writes:

If you want to get close to deer remember:

1) Go out at dawn or dusk
2) Stay upwind
3) They are not good at resolving shapes only movement, so move slowly and carefully. I once was walking along the edge of a rolling field with big dips and rises, stopping every 5 paces and scanning with my bino’s. I spotted a group of deer 300 metres away just over a rise, I was going down into a dip before the rise so I started to walk closer. Something made me stop, so I stopped raised my rifle to look through the scope and there was a pair of ears on the horizon coming towards me about 120 metres away. I held my rifle as this deer just walked straight towards me and I shot it at 30 metres when it stopped and turned sideways fro a nice chest shot. I swear I didn’t move a millimetre and a human would have been aware of me straight away.I think he would have walked straight up to me.
4) When they spot you they will probably only run for 50-100 metres as they are programmed to get away from a predators sprint. I’ve also shot deer after surprising them as I emerged from a thicket, the deer ran only 40mtres away and stop to look back, my this stage you have raised the rifle and tried to sort your breathing out. You could at this stage stay very still and they may well lose awareness of you, and then sneak up on them slowly.

There is another bloke on here with much more experience than me who might rock up in min with better advice, cannot remember his name though.

I don’t want to start a row but somebody posts a picture of some beautiful wild animals they saw on a ride and managed to photograph after years of trying and 3 posts down someone’s regaling us with tales daring do from the world of fluffy creature shooting.

*sigh*

Lovely pic Red.

You have a fair point waswas. I guess someone wanted to share a method of getting close to them to shoot(whether through a cope or a lens. I used to do the same, now just through a lens, same patience and knowledge used.

The closet i’ve got to reds on the hills were just prior to the rut last year.
Just 10metres from a group of stag, thrashing antlers on the dead bracken and stamping..Amazing to be that close without camo gear.

Another time was during that next rut, i was in a combe watching two large stags lock antlers whilst kicking up the water from the spring,They were a good 30 metres off and the hinds had seen me.
So i just stood and watched, then another younger stag to my left walked right at me, whilst circling round to get near to the hinds. With him about 5 metres from me, i slowly raised my camera and he took off from that slightest movement.

I’ve had so many chances to get good shots. One day though, one day. And a cam without a wide angle lens, but that’s just an excuse.

Some of my efforts over the past year or so.

And a video, i was so close and they kept coming over to see what i was. Then another walked from behind me and joined them, that’s when the filming goes really wonky..didn’t set the cam to HD either..:(
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1EDfhgnrY[/video]

My Missus got this out of the car window, on the way to Rhu near Arisaig,

Just as well I didn’t have me Steyr .243 with me at the time.

waswas are you a vegitarian/vegan?

Fantastic Roe Doe in the original picture, looks like another doe hidden behind… great photo 8)

Best advice for seeing deer is to spend twice as long standing still as you do moving…

sharki in your 2nd pic is that stag giving birth to a sheep?? 😯

sharki – your last pic is really brilliant. The OP pic is too – shows how well they can blend in with their surroundings.

toys19, you are indeed a brave and skilful hunter.

Toys – no but I wouldn’t necessarily pitch into a thread about photographing sheep with information about how best to kill one.

I’ve no objection to you shooting stuff, it was whether this was the right time to go into detail on it that I was questioning.

well if you were a vegetarian/vegan you would of had my apolgies. So you are insinuating that killing them or talking about killing them is what? Unpalatable? Immoral? Or what, what exactly is wrong with what I said? What it is is pick and mix morality, you find the death of animals tastless and not somethign you want to face, but you are happy to eat them for your own pleasure whilst not considering how they die? Well blow me, pick and mix morality is the lamest thing in the world. I have total respect for vegans, but people that eat meat and yet think it’s unacceptable to discuss how animals die are just delusional in their piety. Do you have any idea what goes on in an abbatoir? I was offering advice on how to get close, with examples of my own experience to help the OP understand my point. I can’t see how discussing abbatoir practices might help wtih your sheep watching, so thats a poor analogy.

Cheers ernie. 🙂

Showerman silly ewe.

Like i said, advising on technique and backing up with evidence..Rather than say do it like this because it works, i know bestest.. Meh!

toys19, your response to wwaswas is ridiculous. What he said was

I wouldn’t necessarily pitch into a thread about photographing sheep with information about how best to kill one.

I’ve no objection to you shooting stuff, it was whether this was the right time to go into detail on it that I was questioning.

and I agree. I’m no vegetarian, and would love to have had the chance to at least accompany a hunt in Canada, but…

I wouldn’t think of jumping into a thread for really nice pictures of animals and describing the best techniques for taking them down. wwaswas’ comments are entirely reasonable, and his sheep analogy fits perfectly.

Vegetarian here. I see nothing worth boasting about in your killing of a deer.

i would call you a ****, but I’d probably get a ban.

well Saxonrider you and wwaswas have failed to actually give a reason as to why you wouldn’t and both have failed to see the point of my post, to try and help the OP get closer so he can take more pics. I couldn’t give a shit if you don’t like it, it’s a free country and shooting deer is perfectly legal. You would also come under the banner of lame pick and mix moralist. Quite frankly blow me.

sc-xc, I respect your choices, I admire it, I’ve often considered veganism myself, but why single me out, surely any of the meat eaters on here is just as guilty. I think stalking deer is more humane than what goes on in agriculture, the deer has no idea its coming, and we all pride ourselves on a quick clean kill, for humane reasons and to stop the meat from being spoiled. So anyway I wasn’t boasting, I was merely illuminating. I’m not a particulary good deer stalker, and I was modest about my skills in my post. But I have been given some excellent knowledge by some very succeful deer stalkers. Tell me are you a veggy or a vegan?

As Sister Sledge nearly sang…”Oh what wow, he’s the greatest hunter”

DD 😆 You can save your breath, I already know I’m amazing, thanks.

@toys – 1/10

Thanks for comments.

There was three of them. A doe and two young ones.

Your right about waiting, I was there for ages. But glad to get the piccy.

Roe stag picture next time 🙂 …. in the next 5 years probably or longer.

Got a roe stag skull though 🙂

If you’ve got hope pro2 hubs forget any chance of seeing any..

The art of stalking whether to shoot or take a photo is the same practice, toys post unfortunately for some mentioned about shooting it, however, in my opinion not in a graphic or offensive way. I totally agree with his point about those that say it is cruel to shoot animals but are quite happy to eat cheap/foreign meat which is treated poorly and is bred to be killed. Game on the other hand has a greater freedom and a better chance of survival (unless it is shot!) meaning it will have had a better life, something that the do gooders just cannot get their head round, some peoples opinions are based on the fact that shooting is ‘posh’ and for the rich – utter bollox.

Yes this thread isn’t about shooting but the original comment by toys was merely to offer a professional stalkers advice – just change the shot at 30m to took a photo at 30m.

I don’t want to start a row

this is STW

well said Mr Smith

The stalking technique would have come across just as well without the shooting description. No issues with hunting per se but it doeasn’t add to the post and instead has detracted from the discussion.

3) They are not good at resolving shapes only movement, so move slowly and carefully. I once was walking along the edge of a rolling field with big dips and rises, stopping every 5 paces and scanning with my bino’s. I spotted a group of deer 300 metres away just over a rise, I was going down into a dip before the rise so I started to walk closer. Something made me stop, so I stopped raised my rifle to look through the scope and there was a pair of ears on the horizon coming towards me about 120 metres away. I held my rifle position as this deer just walked straight towards me and I shot it at until about 30 metres when it stopped and turned sideways fro a nice chest shot. I swear I didn’t move a millimetre and a human would have been aware of me straight away.I think he would have walked straight up to me.

Well I’m not about to modify my behaviour for a bunch of head in the sand pious moralists who cannot face reality. It’s woolly headed thinkers like you who are ruining the countryside, you want it all nice and fluffy and romantic and can’t taste the reality. If I posted a video of a Lion taking down a Gazelle you wouldn’t complain, it’s natural, well I’m a human being and my instinct is to go out and get my food. It’s just a normal hobby and where I come from you can talk about this without people getting all uppity and offended, this is a form of oppression, you cannot even create a moral or legal argument against what I say you just can’t stomach it, you are essentially discriminating against me because it doesn’t suit your world view.

Not getting uppity, just saying it wasn’t relevant to an otherwise highly informed post.

supposed to be a pic there,bugger

this is a form of oppression

no its not, its people objecting to you being a cock

It is relevent because it described how to stalk – either with a camera or with a rifle, your choice – some of the anti shooting **** have managed to misintepret.

vassarian just joined the **** crew

yeah baby

Did you daub yourself in some of the deer’s blood toys19? I think you should have. It must have been well scary stalking that vicious deer.

It is relevent because it described how to stalk – either with a camera or with a rifle, your choice – some of the anti shooting **** have managed to misintepret.

This.

Toys was offering good advice from his own experience, Some people really need to chill a little.

no its not, its people objecting to you being a cock

Yes it is. You can call me what you like I like a good insult, but you haven’t even tried here. Kak oudelic shoon!

Hmmmm, venison….yum.