Old woodland buck

[Yokel Matt 918]

I was in the highseat for 5am on Saturday at my small patch of ground down in Dorset. The priority of the weekend was rabbit netting & snaring but having said that it would be a shame not to get in the woods for a little of stalking and a dose the good stuff - crisp morning air, dawn woodland bird song and the sweet aroma of douglas fir. The gloom of dawn gradually gave way to daylight and as usual with any highseat shooting whilst scanning vigilantly stopped me getting board I got restless to get up and move about.

 

Ignoring my numbing posteria I was eventually rewarded buy the sight of a buck about 6.30 which, as they do, simply appeared about 70 meters away behind a fir tree scraping at the pins on the floor. From the action I knew he was going to couch down and thats exactly what he did positioned exactly so that all I could see was his face up up to the eye. I was regreting the half flask of coffee I had drunk in the car to pass the time before making the approach the seat and was dancing for a piss whilst and he casually lay there chewing and waiting for the dawn rays to light the the patch that he had obviously chosen for that reason.

 

Watching him there through the binos & scope was quite pleasant for the first hour but whilst I wasn't tempted to take a head shot I did begin to wonder how long he would couch, especially as I was busting for a piss by this point. His head eventually bent round to snuff the ground to scratch his balls or something and I took this opportunity to stand up in the highseat and take a pee over the back of the oak tree it was leant against. I never knew they were there up to then but two Sika hinds were milling about in a playfull mood about 60 yards behind the seat. No stag appeared to be present but knowing sika, or not knowing them as the case may be, I decided to concentrate on the buck.

 

I'd just checked my watch so I knew it was half eight when I noticed the buck stop chewing and lick his nose. Something from the action told me this signified a change of position was coming so I flicked off the safely and got myself ready. He pulled himself up behind the tree and thankfully made towards the track which, was more central to my firing position and paused, plumb broadside by some tree sleeves. From a glance in the scope you could tell he was the worse for ware, I know they look ragged during the change of coat but he also looked thin that the back and over the haunch. The shot struck home just behind the shoulder and he stumbled ten meters or so before collapsing.

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly he was heavily laden with ticks, the worst I have seen actually... almost like he was covered in grey peas. He also had a massive scar down one side of his head, possibly a RTA or old rutting wound which may accound for his condition as well as the lop-sided antler growth. On top of all this his teeth were pretty much worn down to the gums so I think age had a lot to do with it - maybe a harsher winter would have done for him?

 

 

 

 

As he was heaving in ticks and in a pretty gaunt state I decided to skin him in the wood and just take the back legs and saddle so that was this afternoons job. Rounded it all off with a nice brown trout the wood owner had caught the year before - not much wrong with that weekend in my book.

 

 

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Edited April 22, 2012 by Yokel Matt

[brno17 5]

Nice one Matt, i think you did him a favour mate from the look of him,we get a lot of ticks on the forestry culls but nothing like that.

 

From the last pic i assume you have the Bear Grylls box set

[Yokel Matt 918]

More of a beaver man myself mate

[jackfish 0]

Great report, thanks for sharing. Very informative and good reading..

[saharashadow 26]

Excellent narrative and pictures Matt. Can imagine the atmosphere and tension sitting there in the wood. It looks as though he was coming to the end of his life, and you probably saved him a lot of suffering. Well done mate.

[glogin 87]

Great write up and pictures. I am guessing it was his last year anyway, good buck to take, well done.

[Caprelous 217]

Well done he was in a sad state.

 

you wasnt thinking of eating it was you? a braver man than me. If you do give it to the Welsh Rugby Squad for a fortnight and get them to kick 10 bells out of it .

 

Good write bye the way.

 

Regards

Stu

Edited April 23, 2012 by Caprelous

[Caprelous 217]

More of a beaver man myself mate

 

Me To

[IanB 0]

Nice write up Matt, looks like you did him a favour..

[Yokel Matt 918]

Cheers all for your comments - Don't give FD and ideas Stalker... he already spends an unnecessary amount of time on the bung end of deer during the gralloch as for the venison Stu that'll be burger / sausage meat the neighbours will no doubt have off me at some point.

 

To add to his list of woes Ian his head has a nasty hole in it just below the pedicle which I noticed when fleshing the head - I'll get a pic up when I ve boiled it out. Could be a tine hole which would tie in with his other facial issues but to a cynical mind looks like a .22 slug entry

[BrianSteven72 369]

a good write up and some good photos thanks

[saharashadow 26]

Knowing very little about the hunting of deer, do all deer have ticks, and are they easily transferred to humans. If so, and you gralloch or carry deer, are you likely to get ticks?

[Caprelous 217]

Knowing very little about the hunting of deer, do all deer have ticks, and are they easily transferred to humans. If so, and you gralloch or carry deer, are you likely to get ticks?

 

the answer to that one is yes you can but its unusual for the bean tick to transfer over to humans from deer but most unlikely its the transfer is mostly done at the stage of its life cycle when they are nymphs .

 

The tick usually attaches itself to a deer when its a nymphs sucks the blood and swells up to a bean tick with its jaws well and truly latched beneath its hosts skin and will live there for months whilst sucking warm blood. When the carcass cools after being shot the tick dosent have warm blood to feed on and withdraws its mouth parts from its host its at that stage it may transfer to humans in search of a new warm blood supply. A ticks bite is rarely felt by its host at all stages as contained in its saliva is a anesthetic .

 

 

 

Hope this helps

Stu

Edited April 25, 2012 by Caprelous

[foxdropper 17,092]

Proper write up that Matt but you know its only the does i have a thing for and then again only the young pretty ones ,i have standards you know .Excellent pics there mate and very informative .What i want to know is where is that fire when i go there and have to make do with biscuits ?Look forward to seeing the head sometime mate .

[Yokel Matt 918]

The Castor Bean tick looks the most minging but the little bracken / deer ticks are the nasty feckers that can cary lyme disease. I've removed dozens of the buggers and been to the quack a couple of times about bites which went a bit funky. As long as they are removed within 48 hours and you haven't snapped the head off you should be good.

 

FD - I apologise. I forgot how you feel the cold. I'll sort you out with a hot water bottle next time