Stalking and Sunshine

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

Used to love stalking at Blenheim , loads of deer and always had plenty success. Things changed there as always and haven't been since 2007. Any idea how the stalking is operated these days.

[shovel leaner 7,648]

3 hours ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Used to love stalking at Blenheim , loads of deer and always had plenty success. Things changed there as always and haven't been since 2007. Any idea how the stalking is operated these days.

I’ll pm you

 

[foxdropper 17,092]

Happy to assist with any cull you have in mind John .Nice to see the fallow but by feck they mess up woodland if left unchecked .

The estate by me had a 5 foot browse line over the whole estate until we were allowed a cull .360 odd animals in 4 years .

Roe are now present in decent  numbers and munties ,well never been a shortage of those things .Organised days are the only way to manage fallow properly .A couple of stalkers are only ever chipping at the edges unless they have a night license and thermal .

[sussex 5,776]

2 hours ago, foxdropper said:

Happy to assist with any cull you have in mind John .Nice to see the fallow but by feck they mess up woodland if left unchecked .

The estate by me had a 5 foot browse line over the whole estate until we were allowed a cull .360 odd animals in 4 years .

Roe are now present in decent  numbers and munties ,well never been a shortage of those things .Organised days are the only way to manage fallow properly .A couple of stalkers are only ever chipping at the edges unless they have a night license and thermal .

A lot of the problem is the surrounding landowners , we have two main estates we do the culling on , one 800acres , the other about 650 , and as much effort as we put in to the 800 acre plot it doesn’t make a dent because nobody surrounding us culls , either they are total antis or tree huggers that can’t see the damage there doing to the underwood ,the other estate has changed dramatically over the last 8 years as we have had a combined effort to reduce numbers over the whole area . Road casualties have been reduced by something like 40% , body weight has increased by close on 20% .We can now keep on top of the numbers in a controlled way and be selective in what we cull ..

The other 800acres ,  which has about 400acres of woodland , which is part of a much bigger wood , it’s just a case of plugging on and trying to get a couple more landowners on board , one of our biggest neighbours (700acres) has just allowed us to cross his place while out stalking ( it’s taken 11years)  he’s also said we can shoot any foxes which he hates for regularly wiping out his free range hens ,and any injured deer ..so we might get a breakthrough in the not to distant future ...Two other neighbours are rabid antis !.. On the last days of season , and we had hit them hard all year , in just three fields we watched over three hundred fallow laying out untouchable ..

It’s not a case of not bothering to do the job , or can’t do it , it’s a case of not being allowed to do it ...

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

29 minutes ago, sussex said:

A lot of the problem is the surrounding landowners , we have two main estates we do the culling on , one 800acres , the other about 650 , and as much effort as we put in to the 800 acre plot it doesn’t make a dent because nobody surrounding us culls , either they are total antis or tree huggers that can’t see the damage there doing to the underwood ,the other estate has changed dramatically over the last 8 years as we have had a combined effort to reduce numbers over the whole area . Road casualties have been reduced by something like 40% , body weight has increased by close on 20% .We can now keep on top of the numbers in a controlled way and be selective in what we cull ..

The other 800acres ,  which has about 400acres of woodland , which is part of a much bigger wood , it’s just a case of plugging on and trying to get a couple more landowners on board , one of our biggest neighbours (700acres) has just allowed us to cross his place while out stalking ( it’s taken 11years)  he’s also said we can shoot any foxes which he hates for regularly wiping out his free range hens ,and any injured deer ..so we might get a breakthrough in the not to distant future ...Two other neighbours are rabid antis !.. On the last days of season , and we had hit them hard all year , in just three fields we watched over three hundred fallow laying out untouchable ..

It’s not a case of not bothering to do the job , or can’t do it , it’s a case of not being allowed to do it ...

What a lucky man to have access to that amount of deer , and an endless supply too

[sussex 5,776]

Just now, FOXHUNTER said:

What a lucky man to have access to that amount of deer , and an endless supply too

Lucky ????? ..maybe , but there was an awful amount of work mixed in with the luck , and even more work to stay lucky ....I’m semi retiring this season so won’t be flat out , my pal is taking over most of the hard slog so it’s more enjoyment thing now , knowing if the weather is complete shit I can give it a miss without worrying my luck will run out .....

[foxdropper 17,092]

Do you use thermal Rich ?

[sussex 5,776]

18 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Do you use thermal Rich ?

No mate , had I been a bit younger and not so set in my ways I would probably have got it .Having seen it at work and as a working tool it’s a game changer .Ive had mates out that use it and there is know where to hide for them , I stood glassing a clump of pine trees for twenty minutes at no more than seventy five metres , my pal standing next to me is whispering there’s 16 or 17 deer in there ..I couldn’t see a one , I’m using Swarovski bino’s and without him telling me I would have bumped them ..

Stalkers I know local to me , who before the advent of thermal we’re lucky to get one in three outings , are now averaging one an outing ..if like us down here , you have an high density of deer where there are lots of small groups they really are a serious bit of kit ...Would I use one as a sporting stalker ,.....no . 

[foxdropper 17,092]

We use them all the time now Rich .Dosnt mean we kill everything seen ,just means we have an earlier option to try for one .In woodland is where it really earns the money .

All the best mate .