Peter Jones welcomes a change in the month ahead.
(Above: During August males of the herding species will be in velvet or in tatters)
As a professional stalker I have to confess a certain relief when August arrives. For three months all we have been able to hunt is Roebuck and Muntjac. That is not to say that I do not enjoy Roe Stalking, I do, immensely, however from the 1st August the males of the herding species also come in to season and so there are more possibilities of finding a ‘shootable’ animal.
Of course during the early part of August the Roe Rut continues in full flourish, indeed in the north of England and Scotland it is only just getting started, and this is of course to where most stalkers with Roe on their ground, turn their attention. However as the month progresses the thrill of being able to once again hunt the larger species of deer brings an added excitement. With even the smallest of the herding species weighing more than twice that of an average Roebuck, stalkers once again have the opportunity to grass some sizeable quarry.
Whilst in England & Wales the 1st August represents the start of the Fallow Buck, Red Stag & Sika Stag season, remember that in Scotland the stalking of Red & Sika Stags started a month earlier on the 1st July however as of the 1st August Fallow Buck also come into season north of the boarder.
With that said Red, Sika and Fallow will of course still be in velvet at this time of year, or at any rate in tatters, and so this is not the month to be in search of a trophy head. It is however a great month to make a start on the youngsters and malformed or weak heads and thereby improve the herds overall condition.
Those that have stalked herding species will know, that hunting these deer brings with it some unique challenges, unlike the fairly solitary Roe and Muntjac, with scores of eyes staring in every direction, hunting herding deer is no mean task, however, the high cover of the summer months sometimes means that the hunter can stalk closer than otherwise might be possible in the winter months. Added to which the fact that the males and females will still be in separate groups means that when herds are encountered they are usually somewhat smaller. Indeed many young males, with their lack of status in the group, will even be encountered on their lonesome, prior to establishing their place in the herd.
Onto this month’s film in which we have some superb footage. We set out during the Roe rut with a buttalo to entice Roebuck. Follow this link to go to our short films page: short-films
IN Season in England & Wales: Roebuck, Fallow Buck, Red & Sika Stag, Muntjac Buck & Muntjac Doe.
OFF Season in England & Wales: Roe Doe, Fallow Doe, Sika Hind, Red Hind, CWD Bucks & CWD Doe.
IN Season in Scotland: Roebuck, Red Stag, Sika Stag, Fallow Buck, Muntjac Buck & Doe.
OFF Season in Scotland: Roe Doe, Fallow Doe, Sika Hind, Red Hind.
(Peter Jones - Editor)
