first deer of the season!
Got this Red stag yesterday morning at 5.35am.
He"d been drawing attention to himself by living in a feild of barley! Never seen so much fat on a Red before!
Also, at 228 mtrs he was the farthest I have ever shot a deer, so I guess that settles the discussion on whether my .243 is up for the hinds on Arran
good shooting

Congratulation brass thief , way to go !
Looks like a massive stag.
Heavy antlers as well, but do you often see such difference in shape...crown on the right hand side and tines on the left ??

Nice stag!!

Congrats. What does one of those weigh?

FB

Arild,
I rarely see a truly symetrical set of antlers, with nice even beams and tines. I"d like to get a Red properly mounted for the wall if i could find a nice one. I think a small, even rack are better looking than a big one(no puns please!)
FB, I did"nt weigh him, but guessing on the size and condition compared to the last ones I shot at around 100 kgs, I"d put him at around 120 kgs.
He had a few scraps of velvet left, and with being early in the year he should"nt be too gamey.
good shooting

BT, top man, that's a fair lump of a stag. Did you shoot him here?

I'm guessing that he is an older stag? Did you get a look at his teeth?

yes, he was shot here.
His back teeth were well worn, and he was actually missing a couple of front teeth, so he was well mature. His feet were giving him trouble as well, as he"d been living on soft ground all summer.
Now I can"t wait to get to Arran!
good shooting

BT, a stalker told me that a head like that often suggests an old beast "going back" - he might have had a more even head last year.

I don't know if that is true. Anybody want to confirm or deny?

Claret,
I don"t know if that"s related to symmetry, as I"ve seen heads growing uneven as soon as they start to grow tines. I think "going back" has more to do with the actual size of the whole rack. Granted, by the look of his teeth he was"nt getting any younger, but apart from his feet, he was in pretty good order. He had a big belly, but that was jammed with barley. His back was straight and he was as bright as a button. I"ve seen some sorry looking, pot bellied, grey muzzled, old fellas with a big dip in their spine, and this specimen was"nt one of them!
good shooting

brass thief,

Waidmannsheil!

An outstanding Staggie!

Interesting comments on the Stag's trophy as well, without going into all the overly scientific analysis, age, body size, antler development, etc. it certainly appears to be a mature stag with little future trophy potential. From the photo I would guesstimate @ a 7 year old Stag that you have taken in his prime.

Well done!

So Gerry,

Is this a 2B?

Or Not To Be?

Yup, a IIB.