So what exactly is a Murder Buck?.....We reveal all.
(Above Mark Allen with the first Roebuck of the season - A Murder Buck)
A short time ago, we published an article which looked at, which Roebuck you should cull during April. As chance has it, a Murder Buck is just such an example and coincidentally, was the first Roebuck of the new season taken here at County Deer Stalking. Murder Buck's are prime examples of the type of deer that should be culled during April as a part of your deer management plan.
Put simply a Murder Buck is a mature Roebuck that has antlers devoid of any tines. That is to say the antlers will resemble two long spikes, without the traditional brow and rear antler tines. The reason that this type of beast is called a 'Murder Buck' comes from the damage that this type of buck can cause to an opponent when sparring.
(Left: A murder Buck shot at County Deer Stalking by M. Stokes - July 2014)
From the later part of April testosterone levels rise in Roebuck and they become increasingly territorial and aggressive to one another. It will be common place as the summer progresses toward the Rut in late July, for Roebuck to be seen sparring in an attempt to win mating rights with the resident females.
Whilst a typical set of antlers with tines will 'lock' when sparring, a set of antlers without tines will not. The resultant injury to an opponant buck may be serious or even deadly.
It is for this reason that the sensible deer manager will weed out these type of non typical malformed heads at the first opportunity, or at any rate ideally before May when the Roebuck start to spar. Failure to do so may result in the loss of more promising animals.
Here at County Deer Stalking that is exactly what we have done with the very first Roebuck of the new season. An excellent long stalk, followed by a shot at around 100 yards, gave Mark Allen (pictured above) his first ever Roebuck and the first of the season, taken with the estate rifle, a Sako 85 in .308 calibre.
To read more about which Roebuck to cull in the early part of the Roebuck season, follow this link: which-roe-buck-should-you-cull
To read more about Roebuck stalking follow this link: roe-buck-stalking
Or to book a stalk with County Deer Stalking call: 0203 981 0159
