Recent Fallow Cull

[foxdropper 17,092]

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[foxdropper 17,092]

Last one

[foxdropper 17,092]

Recently invited to a cull on a nearby estate .Got there at daybreak ahead of the main start at 9 am .Blanked in a few shelter belts moving half a dozen does the right way .Drove through a wood and bagged the first doe followed by another as they milled about at 150 yards . Saw a group of maybe 20 near the golf course and a bit of strategic driving on the quad got me to a safe backstop to drop another large doe which was a struggle to get on the quad .3 down before a seat was sat in and a long day ahead .Drove into a dark wooded area and saw a group of bucks and prickets under some yew trees .Killed a pricket that wandered out clear then scanned the rest arriving at what I thought was another pricket but on inspection found an antlered buck which is strickly off limits ,oh shit ,better come clean so phoned keeper .A drive through another wood saw a yearling fdoe on her own and I bagged that .Drove to a wood that usually sees the first runners from the the main cull areas but despite a lengthy wait in a past hotspot nothing showing .Moved on and grassed another in a field full of sheep that was in a large group of 70 plus moving to a boundary wood.Drove at a fair pace to cut them off and ariived at the wood same time as they did ,having to take two quick shots off the bike .8 deer and the time was now 3.30 the end of the manoeuvre .Back to the larder with the last two and a count up of the days bag .

Target well short of 70 with only 32 shot including mine .Seats never saw the usual action ,thought because at least 120 deer left the estate before the shooting ,disturbed by vehicles taking rifles to seats .

[novice 25]

Sounds like a good day. Perhaps if more estates and landowners took the time to organise similar days then the fallow population wouldn't be in the state it's in.

 

Novice

[Yokel Matt 918]

You did well mate. Knowing where to look and taking the chances as they come. Nice to see the quad pulling its weight.

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Some numbers there,they must be hammering the grazing?

[C.green 3,203]

Good shooting is it me or do they look slightly poor ?

[foxdropper 17,092]

They wernt that poor when getting the buggers on the quad mate lol.These fallow are my only real experience of the species so I can't say what condition other groups may be .The average weight for does is 70 lb and 90 for lesser bucks .No mature bucks are shot at all other than those injured in the rut .

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Good shooting is it me or do they look slightly poor ?

I think if there is large numbers in question small space and they don't get thinned out by traffic or poaching ,quality does drop,few of them don't look like they are that plump,and we have not had a hard winter.

Good example was Paul McCartney ? Deer reserve where they had that many they were ill ,had to feed them as there was no grazing left and if I remember rightly had to secretly cull some.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Some numbers there,they must be hammering the grazing?

4 years ago when the cull started ,there was a distinct browse line throughout the whole estate but that's eased a bit now .Muntjac are everywhere too ,could of had several but kept to the plan .Roe are now making a comeback too .I saw 21 in all different animals .They are left untouched in the main .Years ago,pre cull there were no roe .

[The one 8,395]

Cant remember which magazine but i was just reading about this and how they flood the estates with stalkers using high seats and put up extra temporary high seat and try to get big numbers done in a day , but why leave the mature fallow bucks ?.

[novice 25]

I'd imagine the estate are trying to get a balanced population across the age groups and allow the bucks to reach their full trophy potential. Any antlered buck in a group of fallow tends to draw the eye and will often end up getting shot. Not good for population reduction and not good if you're a buck ?

 

This is one of the reasons why a wild medal head in fallow is so rare.

 

Novice

Edited February 28, 2017 by novice

[foxdropper 17,092]

For a control point of view there is no benefit to shooting males at all .The prickets are shot purely for numbers in the larder .

[firthy 54]

Well done as always ?

[firthy 54]

Well done as always ?