My red stag saga

[biriuck 257]

They prefer to hunt boars, especially if is a year with less snow (a red stag will be more difficult to catch if they could run free). A boar male will be very difficult to hunt due to his armor,stamina and sharp tusks but a saw or a piglet will be a delicious dinner  (they are eating almost everything, only the skull and the backbone will remain)

Keep in mind that they are very intelligent and great opportunists ==> they will eat anything if they can, weak or strong (that image with the wolf as a great "doctor" of the forest is just a delusion of the romantic ecology  We need wolves but in controlled numbers). The most impact is on the young animals, not experienced enough and easy to catch.

3 years ago, we found the carcasses of more than 3 red stag females in a small area and the reason for that was that 2 big trees blocked a pass after a blizzard. A huge wall of stone on the right and a 20m abyss on the left. They quickly exploited the opportunity  and started to push anything they could hunt in that direction. We took a chainsaw and destroyed the blockade  

[biriuck 257]

L.E. Is not difficult to prove the impact of wolves on other game species if we are comparing the natural increase of population for deer and boars from our country with the one from countries with no large predators (yes, we also need to consider bears and lynxes) . The harvest is smaller in our country and this is because they are eating young animals...

We had a camera at a feeding point for boars and a saw had 7 small piglets. After a while only 5. Then 4, then 2... 

[biriuck 257]

I try to post the story for the first stag but I'm receiving the same error as at the roebuck topic... What is the problem? Is any limit for the message length or what? 

[biriuck 257]

Back to my reds... The story of the first one:

Just to avoid the mistakes from last seasons, when I had troubles trying to remember the details of the hunt in the correct order, I started to keep a journal. It was a good decision!

I requested a permit from the first day of the season, despite the warm whether. The association was concerned that the meat will be damaged (this is an important sourse of income if is a large animal) so I promised them that I will buy it.  The hunting area was new for me (and for the gamekeeper) and it was a mountain area. I prepared my trip by taking multiple hunting permits in that area during summer (roe buck and boars) and I'm glad about that because it was a great experience...

Enough intro:

• 01.09, 05:30, 'Curmatura' - The gamekeeper knows about a group of 6 males (some of them "selections)" that are frequently seen in a pasture full of apple trees. Sadly, a farmer started to collect some hay early in the morning, disturbing the area. Animals seen: 2 roe bucks, a roe deer and a fox
• 01.09, 20:00, 'Valea Siriului' -  I start stalking in an area where we knew about a large male. I'm waiting for the moon to rise in order to be able to use my scope. A huge stag is showing, vigorous body  but with some asymmetrical  antlers. The gamekeeper says that this was a trophy and not a selection, so I could not pull the trigger .  Another young stag is appearing and stays for a while. The clouds will now block the moon light and we are in total darkness. Some small mammals (don't know the english names) are making funny noises in the trees until they are stopping suddenly. I manage to distinguish a low noise close to me and I decide to turn on my flashlight (I was unable to find a position that will protect at least my back). It was a good thing! A 2 years bear was very close to me and started to threaten and spit me. I'm also  swearing him and I retreat keeping an eye on him...  
• On the road back home I have seen 2 red stag females and a calf close to the road. Close to them, a wolf passed the road (probably he knew that he may find some food there). +3 foxes
• 02.09, morning, 'Curmatura' -  Nothing. In the previous day, a farmer made too much noise in the area.
• 02.09, evening, 'Molidis' -  We climbed for about 1h up to a high hill -"Monteoru".  It was a nice view but no roaring there. One roe buck, a roe deer, a wild cat and a hedgehog

Edited November 1, 2018 by biriuck

[biriuck 257]

• 09.09, evening, "Boburi" - The weather is too warm. The group of males splitted in search for females. I was able to see a group of 6 roe deers
• 15.09, evening, 'Molidis' -  wind and some rainfall . I decided to spend the night  in an abandoned cottage there because a young stag was roaring  despite the bad weather.  The gamekeeper tried to provoke him but he scared (he was too small). At 03:00AM I see a 2 years stag. It is very cold in the morning and I manage to "sleep" 10-15minutes from time to time on a broken door. I could not sleep more because I could clearly hear some bears eating  nuts nearby .  I could barely control my car in the morning (wet slope) and I'm forced to use my Discovery 1 at maximum just to not crash on the trees. 

Here is the view from the cottage

[biriuck 257]

• 16.09, evening, 'Molidis' -  The first roar is early,  07:09 PM. When the sun goes down, 2 females and a calf are showing in the clearing at ~140m, close to an apple tree. After a while a young male is also exiting the protective forest.  He had decent antlers for his age but it was in a bad physical shape (too weak for this period of time, we also discovered later some strange things on kidneys and lungs) and I received the permission to shoot.  I would normally wait for a better position and to come closer but the wind was changing and the oldest female was already alerted. I take the shoot despite the bad position and I aim so that the bullet will exit trough his chest.  The females are jumping back in the forest and the stag will start running down in the opening. I start smoking a cigarette (to give him time to lay down) and we start moving to the place of the shot. It's already dark so we need to use the flashlight. Nothing! Not a single blood drop. I could not explain since I remember that the red dot of was in the right place. We start going down on his path but we are unable to see anything until we start hearing some big noise in some thick bush. He was down and we forced him to flee!! Damn! Next time I will smoke at least 2 cigarettes! At 20:56, despite the gunshot and the flashlight, another female with a calf is exiting the forest.
• 17.09, morning, "Molidis" - Back for searching the stag. On the road to forest meadow we see a promising roe buck, another one that should be hunted and a roe deer.  We start to search uphill but without  luck.  On the top of the hill, right when I was thinking to go back to take a dog,  my companion finds the first blood on a branch.  The shot was high and with no exit wound, internal bleeding.  

From that point it was easy, it was no way to go left or right due to the trees and rocks and the blood trail was constant. I found him after 200m but a lynx was faster than me.  The fat from the near of his anus is eated first and this one was hungry, he also took large pieces from back legs.  We are quickly opening him to throw away the internal organs and the blood. After that we used a large amount of nettles to fill him (something traditional to prevent meat damage during warm weather around here) . We took the head and rushed back to the car and further to a hill in order to call for help and to drag the carcass  

My aim was poor or the stag moved, don't know. The entry point was trough the left back leg and I found the projectile in the skin,  under the right front leg.  The damage was done to the muscles, kidneys, stomach, liver and to the right lung. No major bone was hit, except for 2 broken ribs at exit. 

Back to my car, a small bear was looking at me from less than 20m...

[biriuck 257]

....and yes! The technical issue was generated by some sort of content limit for a post. Could be this increased?