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Just a placeholder while I write up a report - returned yesterday evening from a wonderful short trip to England to hunt muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) in Berkshire and Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) in Northamptonshire. Good friend and I took 6 muntjac and 2 CWD between us in 2,5 days, stalking and walking up to 15 km per day! Full report to follow later in the week ....








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Very nice Muntjac.

VERY nice one

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I did this hunt last year and this year was a repeat and more or less a copy paste of 2023. Last year’s report is here for anyone that wants to read in detail about muntjac and Chinese Water Deer.


https://forums.accuratereloadi...5421043/m/1311068372



At the close of the hunt last year, I asked Alex if he would have me back and he did not hesitate to say yes. So I booked the same scenario for this year - drive from Germany to UK, Channel Tunnel, set off Thursday morning, arrive early afternoon, same hotel as before, hunt Friday and Saturday and, if need be, Sunday morning and then back home Sunday evening with the trophies in the car boot! Simple as falling off a bike!

Last year a good friend joined me and I hunted for medal bucks, he shot cull / management bucks and we drove in his Wrangler Jeep.

This year, another good friend joined me, he hunted medal bucks, I shot management / cull animals and we drove in his Suzuki Jimny - small yes but fast enough and surprisingly roomy!

To sum up, we hunted 2,5 days, we shot 6 muntjac and 2 Chinese Water Deer, we saw 30 plus muntjac and the same number of Chinese, we walked and stalked 15 plus kilometers a day and worked for our animals. Peter took a great mature muntjac buck, called in early on the Saturday morning, I shot a good management muntjac, Peter got a great Chinese Water Deer after a long stalk and wait on the sticks and I shot Alex’s “Get out of jail” Chinese water deer buck!

To explain that last point, Alex knew where a good solid buck was holding on the farm we hunted and said earlier in the day that the buck had a messed up ear but was medal quality and had been holding the same area for years. If he was ever desperate for a buck for a client or struggling to find one, then this was his “escape plan get out of jail buck”. Well needless to say after Peter got his buck we were after a cull for me and we came across the one eared “Chance Card” buck. Looking at him through the scope Alex announced that he had a broken tooth as well! That was enough to get me going and I brow beat Alex into letting me shoot the one eared, broken tooth management cull Chinese! Which we then proceeded to do and after a short stalk I had a medal cull buck to finish off the trip!

Thank you Alex!

We stayed at the Chequers Hotel, enjoyed some good food - full English breakfasts, fish & chips, a Nepalese curry and Lebanese the last evening - along with some good tasting British beers and ales!

Now I will just let the pictures tell the rest …..

















High seats! After stalking 10 - 15 kms a day with Alex, I went to bed at night dreaming of high seats!











Equipment - for a 2,5 day hunt it is not IMO worth the paperwork, cost and hassle of traveling with my own rifle. Plus Alex's equipment is fantastic - top notch rifles, optics & excellent handloads, plus solid shooting sticks and a new Toyota truck! All round great gear!





A management yearling buck - not really a pretty little creature!














Sky, probably the prettiest Bavarian I have ever seen! A wonderful, elegant little dog!





























Alex has the gralloch & butchery down to a fine, efficient art. The two muntjac bucks were gutted, cleaned and loaded within 5 minutes! Efficient!









Then off for Chinese. A very different hunt to the muntjac hunt - wide open fields, stalking hedgerows and longer shots! Great fun!




















My 'get out of jail' management buck - a curly, damaged ear and a chipped tooth! What a great buck!











And then the Channel Tunnel back to Europe and home in Germany late evening!









A wonderful short stalking trip to kick off the 2024 hunting & shooting year!

Thanks to Peter for coming along and congratulations on his great bucks and thanks to Alex for the effort and producing great results and also thanks to all AR readers that came along on this short photo trip!

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Well done Charlie! Thanks for the report. I'm glad to see Alex still knows where the deer are at!

Charlie,

Well done. Nice animals.

Wow! That all looks familiar. I hunted with Alex in Nov. A top notch experience and Alex will go "Full Tilt Boogie" from the time you arrive to departure to get you your game.

Alex's infrared telescope was amazing.

Mark

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Mark hi, Alex told me about you're and Sadie's visit. Sounded like you had a good time and some nice animals too! Extra portions of Chinese if I am not mistaken! Fully agree that Alex goes the extra mile to get great trophies and make sure everyone goes away more than happy! As I said we covered 15 kms on foot chasing muntjac! I have stalked less than that in Africa chasing DG!

With friends already asking about 2025, I guess I shall be going back next year again!

Cheers,

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Charlie
Thank you for posting a report.
I always look forward to your reports, great photos and interesting storyline.
Keep them coming!!!

JCHB

Sure looks like a wonderful hunt. Thanks for sharing. Nice animals for sure.

Charlie,

Yeah! We did well in a very short time. I'd like to go back for roe and a medal sika.

Mark

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Mark, Alex and I also chatted about good sika (medal quality). Something that I am also looking at for next
year! And there are plenty of good roe buck in the area as well!

Cheers

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Great report Charlie! Congrats. Fine hunting and a fun outing...

Nice Charlie - Weidmannsheil!

Did you bring your own rifle? If you did - what is the procedure entering UK with firearm?

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Nice Charlie - Weidmannsheil!

Did you bring your own rifle? If you did - what is the procedure entering UK with firearm?

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Hey good to hear from you! No we used Alex's equipment - such a short trip. But the procedure is pretty simple and just takes time - you need an invite letter and send that with an application for either a rifle (Firearms Permit) or a shotgun (Visitors Shotgun Certificate) to the responsible Police County Firearms Office. Typically 4 - 6 weeks for them to issue the permit and then you show that at the border on entering UK. Oh plus there is a fee to pay of course - shotgun was GBP 45/- last time I got one. Rifle not sure.

Cheers

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Congratulations! Thanks for sharing this with us.

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The initial trophy preparation ..... European mounts. Still need bleaching and boards.

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