Hello from the USA, I am a new forum member (although I've been reeading for some time) and I would like to plan a trip to hunt roe deer in england in the near future. Does anyone know a good contact? I am really starting from scratch as I don't have much info at all....

Luke,

Welcome to AR officially, congratulations on your first post, sent proudly to the European AR colleagues! Have fun.

An interesting topic, Roe Deer stalking in the UK ("hunting" is done with packs of hounds & horses about Foxes - so there are some nuances.)

I'm sure you'll get lots of contacts regarding this topic very quickly.

Roe Deer season for Bucks in the UK gets started early @ May and goes through the summer Roe Deer Rut and into September depending on the area.

I'm sure you'll be very well informed shortly from some of our UK AR memebers.

Luke,

I'll bring some old topics back to the top for you.

In England bucks start 1st April and finish end October.

They are in velvet and patchy winter coat until mid/end May. A really nice trophy will not really be worth taking until it's clean of velvet and in full summer coat.

End May/early June is good as the bucks are clean in summer coat and yet the crops (much stalking is done on arable fields) are low enough to see them.

By the end of June the crops are high and the hours very anti social (light 4am dark 11pm!)also the bucks tend to vanish early July before the rut.

The rut starts late July and is finished by mid August during this time bucks will be chasing does, fighting and answering calls, depending on harvest some fields may start to be cut during this which is a help.

Post harvest stalking is also great but one might see fewer bucks as they rest from the rut.

For culling lots of non trophy bucks arrive 1st April, for trophies choose between late May/early June or the rut or late August/early September.

243 and up is legal, shooting is likely to be at stationary deer near broadside. The target is quite small especialy if your heart is thumping! IMHO a 243 would be perfect not least because of the huge availability of ammo.

Luke,

In England bucks start 1st April and finish end October.

They are in velvet and patchy winter coat until mid/end May. A really nice trophy will not really be worth taking until it's clean of velvet and in full summer coat.

End May/early June is good as the bucks are clean in summer coat and yet the crops (much stalking is done on arable fields) are low enough to see them.

By the end of June the crops are high and the hours very anti social (light 4am dark 11pm!)also the bucks tend to vanish early July before the rut.

The rut starts late July and is finished by mid August during this time bucks will be chasing does, fighting and answering calls, depending on harvest some fields may start to be cut during this which is a help.

Post harvest stalking is also great but one might see fewer bucks as they rest from the rut.

For culling lots of non trophy bucks arrive 1st April, for trophies choose between late May/early June or the rut or late August/early September.

243 and up is legal, shooting is likely to be at stationary deer near broadside. The target is quite small especialy if your heart is thumping! IMHO a 243 would be perfect not least because of the huge availability of ammo.

I'll bring some old topics that I can remember showing deer photos (mostly of mine )back to the top for you. It should be said that these are my best quality bucks got over 3 years and are not reflective of general quality unless you go with someone with some very good ground. Also they would be very expensive!

Thanks! Thats some great info! Is there any public land opportunitites or will I need to go with a guide? Also is there any bow hunting allowed?

http://www.diana.dk

They have a lot of programs and outfitters allover Europe including England.

I am hunting roe in Poland in July with them.

They are the biggest booking agent in Europe and are probably the biggest in the world.

quote:

Originally posted by Luke Blathewick:
Thanks! Thats some great info! Is there any public land opportunitites or will I need to go with a guide? Also is there any bow hunting allowed?

So that's a public land? HA NO!
GUIDE of course!
Bowhunting? Almost zero bowhunting in Euorope, and most species aren't condusive. Europe isn't the place for successful bowhunting.

You need to throw you sticks and strings in the river and come over to the right side.

D99, thanks for the info. As for the bowhunting I've been doing it for so long I might have forgotten how to shoot a gun! j/k of course...

Since there was never a Fred Bear or Howard Hill in Europe bowhunting hasn't taken the same hold as it has in the states.

I suggest you give it up, join the NRA and Safari Club and purchase some high end guns so you can be a gun snob like the rest of us.

Bowhunting is not allowed in the UK, but there is some excellent roe deer hunting in the south west. PM for you.

Bowhunting is allowed in a large part of the rest of Europe but doesn't have much following.

D99...how could you forget the original himself...Robin Hood???

quote:

Originally posted by EXPRESS:
Bowhunting is not allowed in the UK,

I am packing my bags tommorow.



At last common sense in on a hunting topic in Britain!

quote:

Originally posted by D99:

At last common sense in on a hunting topic in Britain!

When it comes to law and seasons for deer hunting there is barely a country that can hold a candle to the UK - witness the huge number of visitors each year.....

Don't confuse gun law with hunting law!

Sermon over

Don't worry, I fully understand the BS gun laws in the UK. I almost got my binoculars confiscated by a stupid airport cop when she asked me what I was travelling to Namibia for.

She understood the ban to be on rifle scopes and binoculars, good thing her boss was a shooter.



I just think it's great that they don't allow hunting with sticks.