At last after a very slow start to the season I got my 1st buck of the the year and 1st kill for my new Sako 6.5.



it was a very wet and cold start to the morning and there was much sign of life on the ground at all, in fact I was just about to call it a day and go home when the rain stoped and the sun came out.

I was standing at the top of a quite steep hill that runs down to a row of trees next to a river, then just as the sun came out the buck came out of the trees.

he was so dark in colour I thought it was a Sika but no such luck!

I set up the sticks ( also a new item from the sportmans sale) the range finder said 140m and hit him with a 140gr SGK.

When I went down to the shot site he was not there and not a drop of blood anywere, after 30minites of walking up and down the river bank I thought that I had missed him, than as I turned around to go back up the hill there he was tucked into the bushes about 10m behind me

interesting thing was the complete lack of blood, when I opened him up I had hit the bottom of the ribs, lungs and diaphram but no blood from exit wound

Nice beast & nice gun. What type of moderator is that?

Good one, a great break in so to speak.

Funny isn´t how big they seem as one takes the shot and how small they get when one goes looking for them.

How does the SGK hold up in game that size?

Best regards Chris

the moderator is a wildcat predator, I am very happy with it and are well worth having a look at.

I use the SGK in my 6.5x55 and my 308. I have not recovered 1 from a carrcase yet as they all have exited. they seem to do very little meat damage and exspand well, but I would gess on big stags and things like that they would probably come apart.

congrats on your successful hunt.
is it a Muntjac?

Steffen,

I am going out a bit here and dare to say that it´s a fallow deer that is dark coloured, it´s not a muntjac that´s for sure,



I did find a pic of a similar buck standing up to back up my thinking it was a fallow.




308- those wildcat predator mods are really good aren´t they?

Does it yield a shift in poi in your rifle?

Best regards Chris

quote:

Originally posted by Husqvarna M98:
Steffen,

I am going out a bit here and dare to say that it´s a fallow deer that is dark coloured, it´s not a muntjac that´s for sure,

Best regards Chris

thanks, i'm just trying to learn all those deer species they got on their island.

Steffan, Chris is correct, this is a dark Fallow buck, in his second year. We would describe this buck as a "pricket". This colour variation is called "Melanistic". These are quite common in Ireland.

Aaran, its good to get the first deer under your belt with a new rifle.

I am sure there will be many more.

thanks Brian, yes Chris the wildcat is very good and I am very happy with it, the poi is a few inches lower with the moderator but I zero the rifle with it on and never use the rifle without it.

Steffen this is a muntjac I short on the AR hunt in March

Nice wee pricket. I don't know if it is country-wide, but about half the fallow I've seen or shot in Ireland are melanistic or very dark.

Are you still seeing much rutting behaviour?

Husqvarna - A nice pic of a pricket.

..... wonder if you would explain how the other one (top right of the pic) came to be hanging, impaled on 20 cm post!?!

Of course - it may just be the camera operator!!

See you tomorrow - don't forget your ammunition - you will need it!

rgds Ian

Ian- dont say that, I´ll be repacking my whole kit again then,

I am bringing the allowed 40 rounds, I hope that will do?

As for the rest of the questions I simply have no answers for you, the camera man is unknown to me..

I´ll be seeing you tomorrow.

Best regards Chris

quote:

Originally posted by Husqvarna M98:
Ian- dont say that, I´ll be repacking my whole kit again then,

I am bringing the allowed 40 rounds, I hope that will do?

As for the rest of the questions I simply have no answers for you, the camera man is unknown to me..

I´ll be seeing you tomorrow.

Best regards Chris

Thanks guys,

you know that you have just jinxed the whole week. All those Fallow I have seen recentlly will now do a Houdini!!