Britain now has more than 15% of the world’s Chinese water deer population, but it is an exotic species native to China, eastern Asia, North Korea and South Korea. It was first introduced to the UK in 1873, when the deer were kept within zoos. They were released into parks…
Deer stalking
What it means to be a professional stalker
I am stalking on the edge of the Breckland at Euston and following estate stalker Chris Rogers in pursuit of roe and muntjac. The two roe we are watching are almost hidden by the scrub. With their heads down it also hides us from them and we quietly close the…
English roe review 2020
The impact of COVID-19 on both professional and amateur hunters alike has been extraordinary. It is interesting that, despite the pandemic, we still evaluated 1,014 heads of all species last year compared with the 1,200 that we looked at in 2019. The courier business became an enabler for both hunters…
Scottish roe review 2020
Despite COVID-19, figures for the Scottish 2020 list are impressive. From more than 260 roe heads presented, 232 were awarded CIC medals — 61 golds, 65 silvers and 106 bronzes. An astounding 19 heads achieved a score in excess of 150 CIC points, the level considered to be the benchmark…
Cull before the storm
‘‘For at least 20 years, deer stalking has been one of the brightest stars in the shooting firmament. Its rise has tracked the steady growth in the range and population of our six native or naturalised deer species and has effectively resulted in the establishment of a new fieldsport. Until…
How many antler points can a stag grow? And what are they called?
Q: How many points can a red stag in the wild be expected to grow when they are at their best in this country? And when it comes to stag antlers, what makes a a ‘Royal’ and an ‘Imperial stag’? There are many variables which impact on the number of points…
“A love of the outdoors and a desire to be self-sufficient brought me to stalking”
Stevie was stuck; there was no getting around the soft ground so, to reach the deer, he had to go through it. The small hard composite pads on the end of his prosthetic legs sank in and the mud closed around them. Stevie gritted his teeth and pulled, pushing down…
How to create your own deer management plan
Deer management in any landscape requires a coordinated and well-thought-out plan. When it comes up in conversation, as it does more regularly than one would imagine, the viewpoint of those unfamiliar with deer management is more often than not, “Isn’t the aim simply to shoot as many as possible?” While…
Why sika deer are posing a threat to our native reds
Sika deer and Coco Chanel When I say ‘invasive non-native species’ the first thing to spring to your mind may be mink, the American signal crayfish or Rhododendron ponticum. It probably isn’t Coco Chanel. A keen angler and worthy of more Shooting Times column space than I can offer, Chanel…
How to make an antler stick
The stick. The fact that you’re reading this suggests you probably have one — quite possibly several — and for hundreds of years a stout wooden pole has been the quintessential companion of those who venture into rural parts. Delving yet further into our species’ history, the simple stick has…
How to hunt down a stalking permission
Some poor souls seem to labour in vain to locate even the smallest and least productive area where they might indulge their passion for deer stalking. Others, more fortunate, appear to find their permissions almost by accident. Is this no more than pure luck? In some cases, possibly, but with…
The mighty stags of the English lowlands
Lockdown has been a time for daydreaming. Trapped indoors for days on end and confined to barracks during a beautiful spring, thoughts have now begun to return towards sporting ambitions. A friend in Yorkshire has nurtured a lifelong ambition to cast a fly into the Hampshire chalkstreams. He has been…
What do the different barks of a roe deer mean?
A colleague contacted me last week and told me about a roebuck that had barked at his presence in the wood, only to keep approaching him at a distance of about 30m to take a closer look. On identifying him it ran off, and he then heard the roe deer…
Keeping an eye on you
Frost still clung to the grey carpet of oak leaves that clothed the forest floor. My breath hung around me in wreaths and you could cut the silence with a knife. I had been waiting on my stand in northern Alsace for perhaps an hour when I heard the doe,…
How to make an antler handle knife
Every stalker I know has an “antler box” — a collection of cervine debris that has gathered dust for some time, awaiting the rainy day when they would be turned into all manner of useful household items. With self-isolation, that day may have arrived. Making a deer antler knife Most…
British deer: A guide to identifying the six species found here and where to stalk them
The six species of deer to be found in England, their origins and locations.
Stalking red deer in Skye
A day stalking red deer on a 23,000 acre estate in Skye, with the stalkers striding through streams, wading rivers, clambering over rocky terrain, crawling across moorland and through boggy reeds. If you’ve been stalking before you’ll be familiar with the readying of kit, the atmosphere of growing anticipation and…
2019 Scottish Roe Review
In 2018 a Swedish hunter called Jimmy Olsson took three gold-medal roe during his visit. In 2019 on the same estate he and his friend, Manollo Rodriguez, grassed four gold-medal heads between 30 April and 1 May, which scored 174.53, 173.95, 135.68, and 134.1. The largest of the heads was…
English and Welsh roe review 2019
Muntjac heads presented for evaluation in 2019 were up a huge 62% on 2018, proof of the spread of this hardy and fecund species. After such a busy year in 2018, we at the CIC UK Trophy Evaluation Board (TEB) were expecting something of a drop in overall numbers in…
14 popular rifles for deer stalking
Our experts have reviewed 14 rifles for deer stalking that have proven popular and ranked highly with our reviewers. Choosing a calibre Consider the calibre that will fit your deer species — for example, if you only have muntjac and Chinese water deer, a .22 centrefire, a .222, a .223…