Young shots: red deer, riflescopes and venison burgers

If I have got my dates right, the majority of you will still be enjoying your summer holidays and have a week or so still to go before you head back to school.

If you’re already back, don’t worry – we’ve got your back. We want to help you make the most of your spare time here at Shooting Times, and have put together four pages to take your mind off long assemblies, double maths and homework. This week it’s red deer that take centre stage.

Martin Puddifer, managing editor

Are you our next star? Please send your letters and photos to shootingtimes@twsgroup.com

In this edition

• Quarry in question: the majestic red deer
• Welcome to BASC: 4,000 young people try clay shooting at Poacher 2026
• What’s that on a riflescope? Every part explained
• Cookery corner: venison burgers
• Gundog guidance: teaching left and right handling
• 3 of the best: riflescopes
• Readers in the field: are you next month’s star?

Quarry in question: the majestic red deer

Red deer stalking is one of Britain’s most challenging and rewarding pursuits. These magnificent animals are the UK’s largest wild land mammal, and hunting them demands skill, patience and fieldcraft. Whether you’re interested in stalking or simply want to understand this iconic quarry species, read on to discover what makes red deer so revered.

What is it?

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is a formidable quarry species. Stags (males) weigh up to 240kg and stand 1.4m tall; hinds (females) weigh around 150kg. Red deer have reddish-brown coats that darken in winter. Stags grow impressive antlers (typically eight to 12 points on mature animals) which are cast in spring and regrown by summer. Hinds do not have antlers – key for identification. Both sexes have excellent hearing, keen smell and good eyesight, making stealth essential for successful stalking.

Where to find them

Red deer are found mainly in Scotland, where most professional stalking takes place across private Highland estates. Smaller populations exist in Exmoor, the New Forest and the Lake District. Red deer prefer open moorland and rough terrain with steep hillsides. Early mornings and late evenings are prime stalking times.

Population

Once hunted to near-extinction, red deer number an estimated 400,000 in the UK, making them one of Britain’s most abundant large mammals.

Breeding and stalking seasons

The rut (September to October) is prime stag stalking season, when stags roar and clash antlers. Their behaviour becomes predictable, making them easier to locate but more dangerous to approach.

Stags: 1 August to 30 April (England, Northern Ireland and Wales); year-round (Scotland). Hinds: 1 November to 31 March (England, Northern Ireland and Wales); 21 October to 15 February (Scotland).

Young red deer

Hinds give birth to single calves in May and June. Young stags grow antlers in the first two years of life. Stags peak in condition during the rut (full antlers, good weight) but lose it quickly. Hinds are often best targeted in winter and spring when better conditioned.

Welcome to BASC: 4,000 young people try clay shooting at Poacher 2026

Thousands of Scouts and Guides discovered the delights of clay pigeon shooting at the Poacher 2026 International Jamboree at Lincolnshire Showground earlier this month.

Over six days, 4,186 young people aged 10 to 17 tried shooting for the first time, making it one of the busiest activities at the whole event.

Before picking up a shotgun, everyone had an eye-dominance test and a safety briefing. Coaches then showed them how to handle the gun safely before they took aim at their first clay.

Some were nervous, others couldn’t wait to start. But coaches said that watching young people grow in confidence, especially those who started out apprehensive, was one of the best parts of the job.

It took a big team to make it happen: 12 coaches, eight volunteers and 10 staff worked 276 hours on the shooting line across the six days.

BASC thanks Browning, Eley and Promatic for their support. The full story of the jamboree, with the organisers’ own reaction, is in our news report on BASC introducing 4,186 young people to clay shooting.

Fancy giving clay shooting a go yourself? Visit basc.org.uk/clay-shooting/where-do-i-start

Curtis Mossop, BASC head of education and outreach

What’s that on a riflescope? Every part explained

New to deerstalking and all the kit that goes with it? Here is a breakdown of the parts that make up your riflescope and what they do.

• Objective lens. The big glass at the front. It gathers daylight to make your target image bright and clear.
• Flip-up lens covers. Protective shields that flip open to keep mud, rain and scratches off the glass.
• Main tube. The tough aluminium body where all the delicate glass lenses and mechanism live inside your scope.
• Turret assembly. The central block where all the adjustment dials are attached to control the point of impact.
• Elevation turret. Moves the crosshairs up and down to compensate for how much a bullet drops at long distances.
• Windage turret. Moves the crosshairs left and right to stop the wind blowing your shot off target.
• Parallax adjustment. Fixes blurry images and keeps the crosshairs locked on the target, even if your head shifts slightly.
• Magnification ring. Works like a camera zoom to make distant objects look closer and larger.
• Ocular housing. The rear eyepiece section that houses the lens you look directly through with your eye.
• Diopter focus ring. Adjusts the eyepiece to tune the crosshairs so that they match your vision.
• Scope rings. Sturdy metal clamps that lock the scope tightly to the rifle so that it stays in place.
• Mounting rail. The slotted metal track on top of the rifle where the scope rings attach.
• Reticle (crosshairs). The aiming grid or lines you see inside the scope that show where the bullet will hit.

Cookery corner: venison burgers

Ingredients

• 500g venison mince, any species
• 100g bacon, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ tsp black pepper
• 4 burger buns
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 slices of cheese
• 2 tbsp butter

How to make venison burgers – step by step

• Step 1. Make the burger mix. Put the venison mince in a bowl, then add the other ingredients – the bacon, onion, garlic cloves, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper – on top. Squish together gently with clean hands until just combined. Don’t overmix; stop when it comes together.
• Step 2. Shape your burgers. Divide into four pieces. Roll into balls and flatten into burger shapes. Make a small dent in the middle of each with your thumb.
• Step 3. Chill the burgers. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to help them hold together.
• Step 4. Cook the first side. Ask an adult to help. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat with a little oil. Place the burgers in when hot – they’ll sizzle. Cook for 4 minutes without moving them.
• Step 5. Flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes until they are firm in the middle.
• Step 6. Add the cheese. Add a slice of cheese to each burger at the last minute. Cover briefly to melt.
• Step 7. Toast the buns. Butter and toast the four burger buns until golden.
• Step 8. Stack your burger. Stack the bottom bun with one lettuce leaf, one tomato and one burger (with melted cheese) and your favourite sauce before adding the top bun. Done!

Gundog guidance: teaching left and right handling

These simple training steps will help you feel confident, build trust with your dog and set the right foundations for success in the field. This is stage 12 of the series.

Why this stage matters

By this stage your dog should be nicely focused on you and not wanting to run off and play. Teaching left and right is the start of proper handling and most young dogs enjoy the challenge. This exercise is crucial for all breeds of gundog, including retrievers, spaniels and HPRs, as it teaches clear directional control.

Setting up the exercise

Find a hedge or a stretch of sheep fencing on short grass. Sit your dog with its back to the fence. Leave your dog in a sit stay and walk slowly out to the right for about five yards. Place a small puppy dummy on the ground. Make sure the dummy is visible and in line with where your dog’s tail joins the body. Dogs need to run in straight lines, and if the dummy is too far forward they will struggle to run straight to it, especially if the dummy is hidden.

Building the straight line

Walk back to your dog and reward it for sitting calmly. Then walk backwards away from your dog for about six strides. You should now have a straight line between you and your dog, with the dummy off to the right.

Teaching the cast

Bring your right arm up and blow your whistle. This teaches your dog that when your hand goes up and you blow the whistle it sits and looks at you. Hold that position. Then quietly bend your elbow, keeping your hand facing your dog. Push your arm out to the right and send your dog for the dummy.

Progressing the exercise

To move things on, place two dummies out, one to the left of your dog and one to the right. To help your dog understand, take a small step towards the dummy you want them to retrieve. Put your hand up, blow your stop whistle, and with your dog’s focus on you, calmly cast them to the side you have chosen. You can say “Left” or “Right”, or you can use “Away” for right and “Out” for left. This is what I teach my own dogs. It takes time.

If your dog is not retrieving yet

If your dog is not confident picking up a dummy, you can use a food bowl instead until they understand the exercise.

Jennifer Thomas, JT Dog Training and Muntjac Trading ambassador

3 of the best: riflescopes

Check out some of our favourite kit for the field this season. For more gear reviews, visit shootinguk.co.uk/gear

Hawke AirMax 2-7x32AO

RRP £160
hawkeoptics.com

A compact 2-7x scope with adjustable objective, at the lightest end of this three.

Bushnell R3 3-9×40

RRP £210
edgarbrothers.com

The classic 3-9×40 configuration, and the most familiar starting point for a first stalking scope.

Nikko Stirling Mountmaster

RRP £88.99
nikkostirling.com

The cheapest of the three by some way, and a sensible first scope for a rimfire.

Readers in the field: are you next month’s star?

Are you a young Gun, beater or picker-up (or do you know one) experiencing the field for the first time this year? We would love to hear all about your adventures and experiences. Why not get in touch and tell us about your shoot and how you are getting involved?