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…
Deer stalking
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…
Deer seasons
The deer shooting season If you’re a keen stalker, then you’ll need to know which is the deer shooting season for the different species, and the different dates for stags and hinds. It’s also crucial to have the right rifle for deer stalking in the right calibre. (You can check…
Staggering ignorance
Deer management, an activity undertaken quietly and in solitude, enjoyed — or perhaps more accurately endured — a brief moment of national attention here in Ireland. An incident in Kerry raised questions regarding the management of red deer in the county. In late October a red stag was observed by…
Why thermal-imaging binoculars will change stalking forever
From time to time in the stalking world there comes along some advance or technical development that is a game changer. Usually it is roundly disapproved of until it becomes clear that it brings real advantage to the stalker, at which point everybody starts using it. When rifle scopes started…
Can you shoot muntjac with air rifles and shotguns?
Ignore photographs of foreigners using air rifles to shoot Mubtjac rifles because this is illegal in Britain, George advises
Deer stalking with smaller calibres
When deer stalking, I thought the smallest calibre rifle I could use was a .243? However, I’ve been hearing my .22 bunny gun is legally acceptable.
For deer stalking, is .243 calibre too small?
Deer stalking: Is .243 calibre too small for anything other than roe deer and foxes?
How expensive is stalking red stags?
One of the country’s most majestic animals, the red deer is Scotland’s largest native land mammal and one of its most sought-after sporting trophies. But how much does it cost to shoot a stag? View this post on Instagram Loading the kill #shooting #gameshooting #fieldsports #shotgun #gameseason #countrysports #huntingseason #hunting #lovehunting #gamekeeping #gamebirds #countrylife…
How to call muntjac deer
Learning how to call muntjac deer can be a deadly tactic but you need a strategy, stealth and a good call, writes Graham Downing