I love the photos you guys post of native red stag kills.
When will the European season open?
Looking forward to those pictures.

Perry

The Stag Season here in The Fatherland is basically 01 September - 31 January, although a couple of the German States are 15 August - 15 January.

We're off in 10 days for an 11 day jaunt thru Teutonland - Stay Tuned ..... the Brunftzeit (Rut) middle/end September into beginning October.

As Gerry said tho we started with August the 16th - rut is well heated in the lowlands of Hungary by now - here we expect the peak in the last 3rd of the month and high in the Alps it will be first half of October. I have stalked a couple of 5-6 y.o. 8 pointers last saturday still together tho a couple of young stags were already fighting with antlers (but more for fun than anything else). I have an old stag in my sights this year but it will be a hard one - very willy old bird and I am hunting it with open sights so I'll give myself somewhere between 10-20% to score .

P.S. Gerry if you don't mind - what is that "Number 10" in your signature?

In Norway the season starts 10 th of Sept. Tomorrow that is! I'll be out in the forest looking for a bruiser stag. Any stag actually..

Stag season is 1 July - 20 October in Scotland and 1 August - 30 April in the rest of the UK.

Don't ask me why they are so different.

In Romania stag season is between September 1 and December 15. The best period is between September 25 and October 5. I have cancellation for a stag over 10 kg this year so I decided to keep it for my soul . With a little bit of luck I will post a picture of a trophy bigger than 12 kg after October 5.

quote:

P.S. Gerry if you don't mind - what is that "Number 10" in your signature?

Mousie,

On our very first AR Weekend in the UK, Solvi (from Iceland) took a group photo.

Like most of us in an initial & hurried social event he required some assistance to get the names organized on the photo. He numbered the persons in the photo & sent it to us asking us to fill in our real names vs. our AR monikers.

I just happened to be #10 in the group photo and thought that appropriate for my signature line.

It's a spoof from the movie "The Dirty Dozen". In the movie the prisoners were referred to by numbers; not their names - highly appropriate for me.

OK - thanks - sorry to go off topic.

Great luck to all of you. Post pics if you are successful.

Perry

Poor me...no red stags this fall, just two does and two calfs on quota.
Still, I anticipate lots of quality time in the woods before I have them safe in the freezer.
And tomorrow morning at 05.00 I will be in my high seat

(OT...Gerry, The Dirty Dozen; I remember that movie very well.
Charles Bronson was one of my heroes at the time )

thanks Perry - I'm off on 27 Sept for a weeks stalking with my Dad. A present for his 69th birthday so I'm hoping we get him something early on....then it's my turn.

1 big stag and 2 female 1 young bull and a youngster on quota this sesong!i have 3 good friends from southafrica coming upp here next saturday for some hunting and fishing!

quote:

Originally posted by mouse93:
I have an old stag in my sights this year but it will be a hard one - very willy old bird and I am hunting it with open sights so I'll give myself somewhere between 10-20% to score .

Well...it didn't take long this time - from this morning :

quote:

Well...it didn't take long this time - from this morning :

Waidmannsheil

Great Stag !

WOOOOWWWW Very good Red Stag, waidmannsheil Jäger!!

Well done mouse93, beautiful stag.

Well done mouse, Waidmannsheil on your short hunt! But I am sure other hunts for you were not so short, so nice to get a short one in once in a while, Dom.

its huge, and killed with a double rifle too.
congratulations

mouse,

Waidmannsheil!

VERY NICE Stag!

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
mouse,

Waidmannsheil!

VERY NICE Stag!

+1

perry

Thanks guys!

It is not that old tho - 8-9 years only, was looking for over 10 one...but now I am asking for some & then some more

What a thumper! What did he weigh?
Have they started sounding off yet?

Nice stag Mouse!

Can you tell us about the stalk, I for one would love to hear the story.

Regards,

Amir

I'm not the best photographer in the world !

Who cares, you do alright at the hunting!

I've got to shoot me a woodland red one of these days...

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
Can you tell us about the stalk, I for one would love to hear the story.

since perry's wish was pics, I've holded back this one tho what the heck - it is a good one and I guess worth to tell.

As usual the day started at 5am (1 hour prior first light) when a couple of us met near the field that reds visit to feed during the night, to listen for more precise location and their headings toward day resting places so we could stalk/ambush them on the way. The roaring is still shy and only during night time so far, tho they are heating up…

Anyway it was rather quiet that morning so we headed out each to his own by mere guessing of red’s whereabouts. The very first animal that day that I have stalked was a big yearling with 50cm spikes still in velvet, followed by a hind and a yearling female nearby and after a couple of minutes two hinds with calves…no stag was with those groups – yet, when the clock neared the 7am, the rifle report echoed just behind the hill I was on…

After app. ½ hour my cell rang – it was a friend of mine that had shot at the stag claiming that after the shot stag jumped and rushed over the ridge where he heard it crashing down…he didn’t go to check the stag but he said he is sure the stag is DRT and that there is a filming crew near and that it would be nice if we could bring my dog to the trail and film the whole thing…anybody done it before? Should have known better

So the whole bunch met up and proceeded to the scene of the crime…all posing, looking very confident and that…we staged the whole thing – I went on with usual questioning on what happened before we should start tracking. When guy was telling me his story – stag was coming up the slope (with light coming from its back) he remembered aiming at the joint of its front right shoulder and neck (that was odd - stag was coming up from shooters right to left, therefore he should aim at stag’s front left shoulder!?)…I felt something wasn’t right there – however I shouldn’t worry since we are there just to collect it - right?

Wrong - I have put the bitch on the trail and off we went – the whole bunch of us with a film crew on our heels – crowded house to put it mildly. Since guy was shooting 7x65R with rather soft S&B bullet, I didn’t expect any blood for 50m or so. And so it was – however blood wasn’t bright nor frothy as it should be – indicating a lung/hart shot…instead it was that regular red that indicated a muscle shot…I kept all this to myself atm and still performed in front of all the audience, until It all rang pretty clear when after 200m track hit the trail and stag took a sharp left turn to follow that trail – dead on feet animals don’t do this – so I called a full stop right there! Stag wasn’t collaborating with filming at all! So I’ve sent guys to get their rifles and put them further out around the area. Filming guys objected, however they were put at bay by the vehicles and ordered they should stay there for a while. With all things taken care of I chose one of the guys to follow me on the trail and off we go – again.

Usually I would wait for 3-4 hours for wound to stiffen, however – knowing my bitch and the way she was pulling I knew stag got it pretty hard and shouldn’t be far. And so it was – after 300m or so dog halted and lifted its nose indicating that stag is very near. I saw it first – laying down 60m in front with its back toward me – looking at me – quickly I passed the leash to my following partner and raised my double. Stag wasn’t loosing any moments and began to rise up slowly – hind part first then front – aye the looks - magnificent – it was HUUUGE (anyone that saw a living stag knows the shrinkage it takes when stag is dead) and proud with its beautiful antlers with all those spikes…turning slowly with grandiose only red stags posses…shiny tiny cold bead on its hip and Boom…2-3 painstaking steps and he collapsed with a big thud. 19 g from 9,3x74R did what it was made for – traversed the stag from behind lengthwise – ending its misery. So I’ve got “my stag” for free this time and still kept my tag that is yet to be filled. If this will happen is yet to be seen however – if you ask me I’ve got it already and it doesn’t matter.

Just a note on first shot – looks like stag just turned moment before shot, so the shooter was aiming for what he thought was stag’s left shoulder but was its left hind thigh…with the first light in the woods coming from the front all he saw was a same silhouette but with changed direction…

Great story Mouse, I settled back with a cup of tea and read that one in delight.

If I understood you correctly, there may be an even more exciting story to come!

We should have a convention whereby all members take it turns to provide lunch-hour reading for their mates on the forum.

Nice story - thanks for the report, lets keep them coming! I will make an effort to do more than just post dead animal pics...


Ingvar - tell us about your hunt.

I've been obsessed about hunting a good red stag ever since 2000. My wife was pregnant so I had to cancel my Swedish moose hunt. As a consolation I took myself and my new 9.3x62 on my first ever guided hunt for a west country (North Cornwall/South Devon Stag). Unfortunately I spined a spiker and never recovered it. So started my obsession.

In 2006 I was luck enough to get the stalking on 1000 acres of North Cornwall with an increasing population of reds. Two trips later I realised it was a long term project. I've never been so wet or seen so few deer.

I finally connected with a hind November with a rather poor shot that needed every ounce of my 7x57. The duck broken I went on to shoot more hinds but it was hard work.

Finally the penny dropped - this was a winter only place. Every time I went in the rut I saw nothing. Once I got very excited when calling and getting a reply before realising it was a cow - of the black and white milking variety.

2008 was the year I shot my first stag - a rather thin 8 pointer.

In 2009 I was overlooking a hillside of Oaks when I asw a huge shape. I had about 5 seconds before he moved into cover. When I shot he ran and I saw his antlers properly. I waited 10 minutes while drinking coffee with shaking hands. The 9 year oddyssey was over!



Shot with a moderated 7-08 and 140gr prohunter. A rifle I made up when I realised I wanted to be able to take opportunistic shots without fiddling with ear muffs. It worked!

mouse,

Great story told by a VERY experienced hunter - wonderful; it's always a pleasure to hunt with another experienced Partner (your Bloodhound bitch).

Again, Waidmannsheil!

Your grasp of the English language is remarkable - a story well told.

Richard,

A heavy Stag for the UK, I count 13 points.

quote:

I've never been so wet

Welcome to Cornwall; Scotland dishes it out in Spades.

One morning in Scotland I made the mistake of wearing a 3/4 length loden jacket because the weather appeared; well, nice Ugh! Of course I got caught in the middle of a downpour (raindrops as big as your finger going sideways) at noon on the top of the Hill - no shelter anywhere. Huddled down behind the largest (small) rock I could find - 45 minutes later I was wearing a 50lb. woolen coat - never again; it's always a Cableas rainsuit.

Ingvar,

2 good Stags there despite the rain/snow drops in the photo.

Perry,

How we doin' for stag Photos early in the season? Wait'll things get warmed up here a tad in the next coupla weeks!

Great story mouse! Did you weigh the antlers?

No not yet - I believe it should be app. 190 CIC.