Today I took another fallow stag.
After my scouting yesterday, and a report that a huge black stag had been seen crossing a road here, I went out to investigate.
I came across a small heard, with what had been a big stag, but had broken both antlers off.
I got closer and saw yet another stag, jet black.
He was quartering away but the herd was getting nervous and his head was up, so I fired.
His hindquarters buckled but he ran off before I could get another shot off.
20m away I found him, but he was no monster.
He is what we call a "balestrone", which would be the phase between a spiker ("fusone") and a big mature stag ("palancone").
It was a very enjoyable afternoon's hunting all the same, though had I taken more time and care to properly evaluate the animal I would not have shot him.
The fact the he was black got me, but he has such a beautiful cape that I will use it for the other big stag, and save his for another head.

Just wanted to share that...

Express

Way to go. Your doing well this season

Those stags sure like to fight. Is it the rut or after the rut at the moment where you are?

[ 11-04-2002, 14:00: Message edited by: NitroX ]

The rut has just finished here, I prefer to concentrate my hunting in this period so as to allow any big stags to breed before hunting them, andthough I will cull out deformed animmals pre rut.
The fallow deer here I believe to be particularly aggressive toward one another, as I have never come across a %100 intact trohpy, they are always missing tines, even large sections of the palms, (as is the case with the old stage I shot on haloween) show a lot of scarring on their necks. I heard of a stag that had his antlers caught in a fence near here, and another stag had come along a killed him, stabbing into the entrapped stag's ribcage.
Tough buggers to shoot too. I have been using a .243 because it's a new rifle and I really like shooting with it, but I like to use a .300winmag or bigger, even my .375H&H. At least I know that with a well placed shot they wont go ANYWHERE.

EXPRESS,
Congratulations on your sucess this season!
Do you have photos of the stags you can post?

Thanks

I've never had much of a problem dropping fallow deer. But then again I've usually used my 30-06 with 150 gr Nosler Partitions. Drops them pretty good.

I have taken some with a 22 rimfire but used a brain shot at closer ranges, and also used a 6.5x55mm with 100 gr HPs for lung shots (min'm meat damage - culls).

The 243 would have to be considered a minimum for normal fallow hunting. Something in the 270 to 30-06 range kills pretty quick I think.

Express - I bet your 300 or 375 kills them well.

A larger calibre helps and to tell the truth I think I can tell a difference (negative) with 243/6mm but even with a 9.3x62 50plus yards with both shoulders broken is possible. This not even with rut inflamed bucks but does.

1894

I'm interested. When you shoot fallow with a 9.3mm what projectile are you using? Would it be a heavy projectile that is designed for heavier game and doesn't expand enough in a fallow? I know a lot of 9.3's, 375's etc are used for medium game and with a solid or similar for minimum meat damage.

I would think that a 9.3 through the shoulders would do massive damage.

When I mentioned a 6.5mm and lung shots, the fallow will run up to a hundred yards or more.

[ 11-05-2002, 14:17: Message edited by: NitroX ]

The 9.3 was a 232gr vulkan at 2,600fps. The vulkan is moose capable but the blurb says it is designed for rapid expansion on lung shots. The holes in and out were small but the blood trail was quite simple the biggest I've ever seen. The unexpanded 9.3 is about the same size as an expanded 6mm.

Actualy I think the double shoulder shot is over rated. Deer seem to be able to run with 2 broken front legs and generaly the lung and heart damage isn't quite so effective.

Time after time the quick kills are high heart lung where the vena cava and aorta are hit where they hang down from the spine. Such fallow rarely make more than 5-10m.

I hope to be getting some more fallow stalking so perhaps I will be getting some more data soon.

Once, in Romania, I shot a huge fallow deer, not a big trophy but it was an animal of 90/110kg, with a 9.3x62. There were a lot of snow that year, when I shot at it, I hit perfectly the shoulder. It rolled down the hill leaving a bloody track. I didn't need a blood trail dog, there was, litterally, a red freeway on the white slope.
That time I was using RWS Tug 293grs bullets and vhitavuori N135 powder.
bye