DEER STALKING

[CUBE 0]

I hope that this does not cause controversy as other [rifle] posts have done and I welcome the responses of various [humble shooting] peeps who have an experience of deer stalikng but.....

 

I was introduced to stalking in NW Scotland (proper Highlands, 3 hrs north of Inverness) at the age of 13, where stalking was an annual thing, twice yearly for reds stags n hinds at the appropriate times of year. The aim was to fill the freezer with venison to see them through the winter, and so whilst it was / is always regarded as good fun, it was essentially a necessity.

 

So in the 17 years I been out on the hill I have never seen a beast missed by another, nor missed by myself and the placement have always been neck shots, high up just where the skull meets the spine, beastie drops where it is hit and no runners.

 

Can someone please explain why a heart shot is what is preferred at the introducer level?? I wont be changing my approach but if I am to achieve my DSC 1 I understand heart shots are the norm, which seems a backward step to me

 

cheers

 

CUBE

[riohog 5,939]

I hope that this does not cause controversy as other [rifle] posts have done and I welcome the responses of various [humble shooting] peeps who have an experience of deer stalikng but.....

 

I was introduced to stalking in NW Scotland (proper Highlands, 3 hrs north of Inverness) at the age of 13, where stalking was an annual thing, twice yearly for reds stags n hinds at the appropriate times of year. The aim was to fill the freezer with venison to see them through the winter, and so whilst it was / is always regarded as good fun, it was essentially a necessity.

 

So in the 17 years I been out on the hill I have never seen a beast missed by another, nor missed by myself and the placement have always been neck shots, high up just where the skull meets the spine, beastie drops where it is hit and no runners.

 

Can someone please explain why a heart shot is what is preferred at the introducer level?? I wont be changing my approach but if I am to achieve my DSC 1 I understand heart shots are the norm, which seems a backward step to me

 

cheers

 

CUBE

bigger target area heart lungs

[SportingShooter 0]

Realistically, it depends on what you are comfortable with and what kills the Deer at the end of the day.

 

The only Deer i've ever shot have been Heart shots. The latest being a decent Fallow Buck, taken with a Heart shot at around 130 yards.

 

You have (roughly) a four inch kill zone on a chest shot of a Deer, as will be taught by the DSC 1 instructors. That Kill zone is smaller with a neck shot or a brain shot.

 

The idea being the bigger the kill zone, the better your chances. What it comes down to the end.

 

Have a look at this animation.

 

http://www.tnoutdoorsmen.com/killzone.htm

[SNAP SHOT 194]

the american's always favour the heart shot over any other kill zone or so i'm led to believe, slightly behind the front shoulder, which nearly always ends in a heart shot, if not the lungs take the hit, or both, i find i always aim for a neck shot 1/2 to 3/4 way up the neck, i always imagine the curve of the spine on the animal before the shot, The higher up the neck you go as always the closer you will need to be i find because if the animal is grazing there is too much head movement just below the skull area...

most of the stalking i do is in fairly open area and the animals are hard to stalk in on, i've always been told by more experienced stalkers too close your hand into a fist an this is roughly the size of heart area to aim for.....which never failed me....i always like to try and take shots prone of bi-pods but needs must, fence post is the next best thing, i very rarely carry shooting sticks as i'm nearly always at least 1/2 to 3/4 mile if not more from the jeep.

 

Well thought out topic mate

 

Sorry just to add there is more room for error with the heart lung as too the neck shot hence its recommendation on all courses.........SS

[Deker 3,491]

Defra ...BDS...etc...etc...seriously prefer the heart shot.....my Game Dealer prefers the head...lets not go there!!

[farlap 19]

Defra ...BDS...etc...etc...seriously prefer the heart shot.....my Game Dealer prefers the head...lets not go there!!

the neck shot requres a slightly greater degree of anatomical knowledge to get it right 9not that that should be an excuse) but also if the deer moves its head about, and thats the one part he or she is most likely to wave about, then the shot is nigh on impossible. whereas the body usually stays still even if the head is up and then down grazing again.

[dicehorn 38]

Defra ...BDS...etc...etc...seriously prefer the heart shot.....my Game Dealer prefers the head...lets not go there!!

 

The reason why shooting organizations recommend heart lung shots is quite simple. If you watch say a roe deer feeding you will quickly notice that the head/high part of the neck is regularly lifted to scent or look around, whereas the rest of the body is static. it is almost impossible to judge when you have the cross hairs on its head when is the best time to take the shot. A deer dozing in the late afternoon sun can make the head shot more of a 100% certainty.

 

A deer running off into cover with a bottom jaw hanging off ain't a pretty sight - I know it happened to me once. Yes you can whistle to get them to keep their heads still but even that can be flawed. Yes I do take high neck and head shots but that all depends on distance, comfortable shooting position and experience

 

I have had a red run the best part of 150 yards with a shot the through the lungs and the top of the heart taken out - it is just one of those things that can happen - like wise an immediate collapse with heart/lung shot.

 

A lot of the continentals that I have taken out seem to be happy with a shot that enters the front leg next to the heart that also takes out the other leg so the deer goes nowhere which I dislike as you end up with little reusable meat on the front legs.

 

I must tell you this story - I took a Spanish guy out and his son about 10 years ago, He was a diplomat living in London. After both proved they could target shoot and listening to Dad talking about all he had shot, I put him in a high seat overlooking a field and took son to another wood and sat with him. About an hour later heard a bang and leaving it for another 10 mins phoned the guy to be told he had a buck down. Went over and saw a buck that had been shot through both back legs but also with stab wounds. It transpired according to the guy that the deer had moved on taking the shot and the rifle jammed on the second shot leaving him with no alternative but to catch up with the deer and finish it off with his big knife.

 

I asked him why he did not simply cut the animal's throat only to be told he was worried by its antlers which at the time seemed plausible. However when I got the deer home I counted eighteen stab wounds.

 

Next morning the three of us set off once more with me looking after the novice gun. The lad shot a young buck with no problem. Phoned Dad who said he had a buck wondering over towards him and hopefully would be in range shortly. Twenty minutes later - bang. When I got there, I was met with the same situation and excuse as the prvious evening.

 

It was only then that it dawned on me what this chap was up to. In quite a fit I picked up his rifle and easily cycled the bolt and fired at shot in front of me. This bloke had deliberately shot both these deer in the back legs run after them and in what must have been a frenzy stabbed those poor deer to death.

 

It was a silent drive back to his limo. Pulled up next to his car stared in front of me whilst they disembarked and I drove off as soon as the last door closed. They got to shoot one deer and murder two more and no money changed hands

 

I can still see those deer vividly in my mind now.

 

Peter

[SportingShooter 0]

It was only then that it dawned on me what this chap was up to. In quite a fit I picked up his rifle and easily cycled the bolt and fired at shot in front of me. This bloke had deliberately shot both these deer in the back legs run after them and in what must have been a frenzy stabbed those poor deer to death.

 

It was a silent drive back to his limo. Pulled up next to his car stared in front of me whilst they disembarked and I drove off as soon as the last door closed. They got to shoot one deer and murder two more and no money changed hands

 

I can still see those deer vividly in my mind now.

Tosser Such a man would have received no "Diplomacy" from me in such a situation.