More tales of Stalking, Roe this time

I have been busy since the Muntjac stalk. Busy developing a 150 grain load. Sadly due to a lack of suitable powders it hasn't gone anywhere yet. I did however continue to give the cartridge some rigorous field trials.
On one of my first post Pheasant season trips around the farm on the quad I disturbed a Roe Doe stood alone on one of the crop field. She stood still and looked at me.
A quick mental check (yup still in season) and I killed the quad, slid off and promptly killed the Doe.
For those that dont know Roe Does tend to be pregnant at the end of their hunting season, this one was an exception meaning I had shot a yearling or she was barren. Only looking inside would reveal.

As it happened she was a yearling, not pregnant and had been forced away from the family group to start out on her own. The clip below is footage from the farm, its the same field but at an earlier time and maybe is even the doe that I shot.

The doe on the stubble

 Quite an exit wound

Cold enough to butcher outdoors

Back to the house and a quick look inside to see if we can see the entry and exit wound

The damage is fairly clear

All in all a bit gory but informative none the less, no recovered bullets as yet, I suspect that will happen eventually.
A little later on in the year I had the opportunity to stalk a buck. I finished my night shift early enough to be on the farm at dawn. I parked up and went for an armed ramble;

This was a magnificent looking Buck. I had followed him for about half a mile when something spooked him, he darted off about 200 yards but luckily stopped to see what was behind him. Fatally for him I was using a gatepost as a rest and I had almost given up, in fact I think I had consciously given up when the deer presented enough of a target area for my subconscious brain to make my trigger finger work. The shot was as almost as much a surprise for me as it was him. Down he went.

The subsequent investigation and hanging in the chiller revealed him to be a good quality buck that I had taken whilst quartering away, the shot entering the heart and lungs from behind the left shoulder and exiting cleanly through the lower throat;

The shot Buck

The salute

The Buck looked excellent and was hung for a week in the chiller before butchering, a mature Buck just starting to go back. I posted some picks online and was advised to get the head scored.

 This was him boiled and dried out, I haven't attempted to stain the antlers or bleach the skull and I also have the lower jaw too. He certainly looked impressive and a good buck to take after his career of fathering was possibly coming to an end.

This was the clincher so at the next Game Fair I resolved to get him measured proffessionally

It was worth it indeed

I spent the week with a real grin across my kyke!

I have been out and taken more since, some good cull bucks with switch antlers but thats for another day!

So the drive to do some field testing became too much to resist

In fact it was a happy coincidence that a friend was having his 50th birthday that year and instead of a boring present I offered to buy a weekend Muntjac Stalking up on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk Borders.
I expect most of you know the Muntjac, for those who dont its a small elusive, aggressive dog sized deer that barks alarm calls, is territorially aggressive and a bit of a bugger to stalk. The does if not with fawn at heel are likely to be pregnant and the bucks sport short antlers and sharp tusks. They breed like rabbits, within 6 weeks of giving birth a doe will be fertile again and likely to breed

The only rule is not to shoot those with a fawn at heel and shoot everything else, this means year round attempting to exterminate both sexes.
I booked the weekend with a very nice stalking guide and provided Rob (who shoots left handed) a left handed Tikka T3 in .243, mounted with a Doctor Optic 8x56 and a B&T sound moderator.
We rocked up and met the guide who took us to a field he has for zeroing. Rob hadn't fired this rig before so I proved my rifle was on, the guide was very interested being a 7mm 08 man himself and Rob proved to the guides satisfaction that he could hold a good central group.
After that we headed off onto some stubble fields with woodland on both sides. I was put into a High Seat and briefed. The Guide took Rob off with him.

The foliage was fairly thick being September and I could only see about 40 yards which was enough. After about an hour or so I spied a doe crossing the path into a small clearing. I waited and settled my heart as much as I could (as if, it was pounding blood in my ears I was so excited) and tried as hard as I could to take a clean shot;

The video clips above should give a good view of how overgrown the view was.
The doe dropped to the shot. I sat and tried my best to wait the 15 minutes recommended but excitement and the thought that the hot day would spoil the carcase meant I probably waited long enough to reload before clambering down, at least I'm honest about this.

The doe was down and dead, perfect entry wound but the bullet deflected and exited through the spleen, it didn't spoil the meat fortunately but came close. A note to make on future deer I thought.

The video explains the load used, a 120 grain bullet. 

I returned with the do to the high seat and turned to see a Buck cross the path/clearing, climbing the high seat showed that he was further away and out of sight, ah well never mind.

I waited until it was too dark to see in the wood and as instructed walked out with my kill to the RV, an electric supply pylon base where the Guide had kindly left me his quad sticks. Now I dont usually use sticks, bipods are enough of a hindrance so I sat down on the stubble in still shootable light quite contented with my afternoon and it grew dimmer. Dusk was falling and I looked across the field I saw movement.

I leapt to my feet, grabbed the sticks and lined up on the Muntjac hoping it was the buck I hadn't been able to get earlier.

I guessed the distance to be over 150 yards but less than 300 yards and also made a snap call on the light, if I could see him clearly and the cross hairs then I would take the shot.

I did and he flipped over and died. I forget in my excitement to pace out the distance and decided to do it on the way back. The round (another 120 grain) had entered the buck (yes it was a buck and in my mind that buck) in the right shoulder smashing it and taking out the heart.

I paced it back and it was a 255 paces back to the firing point. I make that to be close to 240 yards using my old army taught method.

They make a lovely couple here together, I gralloched and looked up to see Rob and the Guide driving over. It seems they were only in the next field and apparently my shots had spooked the deer Rob was lining up on, how to deflate my joy in one easy go!

The next morning we left the B&B after what only seemed like 3 hours sleep and definitely no breakfast.

This time I was dropped off near a high seat overlooking a field of stubble and Rob was driven about 5 miles away!

It was a spectacular morning, I could see nature waking up around me and my limited by mist view was an expanding horizon by the minute.

The field edge was only about 150 yards away, that meant anything in view was within point blank range as confirmed by the antics of the night before.

So the light came up, a Buck wandered out and started to look for his breakfast on the stubble and I gave him the good news

 A great entry wound on the shoulder and a clean exit wound;

As I was sat there resisting the temptation to start the gralloch another buck walked over and sniffed this chap, sadly buck fever got the better of me and I missed just underneath 

A very interesting specimen indeed, a happy teddy bear was I

The proof of the pudding in this case is the boiling down of the head!

He and his fellow Muntjac certainly tasted really nice. Robs dear did you ask?
Well sadly he saw plenty but nothing presenting a shootable deer all weekend. Sorry Rob and thanks to the Suburban Bushwhacker for the recommendation https://suburbanbushwacker.blogspot.com/

Further testing takes place

So about four months later we get the chance to do further testing
round powder weight projectile and weight muzzle velocity at fifteen feet comment Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2606 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2632 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2658 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2594 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2601 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2570 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2576 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2598 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2647 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2557 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2610 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2695 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2662 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2673 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2688 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 grain sp 2544 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 31.1 140 gn SP 2439 Hand load 31.1 140 gn SP 2491 Hand load 31.1 140 gn SP 2497 Hand load 31.1 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.3 140 gn SP 2440 Hand load 31.3 140 gn SP 2547 Hand load 31.3 140 gn SP 2600 Hand load 31.3 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.3 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.5 140 gn SP 2559 Hand load 31.5 140 gn SP 2591 Hand load 31.5 140 gn SP 2469 Hand load 31.5 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.5 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.7 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 31.7 140 gn SP 2592 Hand load 31.7 140 gn SP 2617 Hand load 32 120 Barnes TSX 2762 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 Barnes TSX 2649 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 Barnes TSX 2700 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 Barnes TSX 2702 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 32 120 Barnes TSX 2673 N133, maximum load for this bullet Hand load 34.9 140 gn SP 2572 Reloader 15 Hand load 34.9 140 gn SP 2672 Hand load 34.9 140 gn SP 2650 Hand load 34.9 140 gn SP err FtF Hand load 34.9 140 gn SP err FtF Hand load 35.1 140 gn SP err Hand load 35.1 140 gn SP 2579 Hand load 35.1 140 gn SP 2569 Hand load 35.1 140 gn SP 2529 Hand load 35.1 140 gn SP err FtF Hand load 35.9 140 gn SP 2663 Reloader 15 Hand load 35.9 140 gn SP 2652 Hand load 35.9 140 gn SP 2684 Hand load 35.9 140 gn SP Err FtF Hand load 35.9 140 gn SP 2664 Hand load 36.1 140 gn SP 2740 Hand load 36.1 140 gn SP 2730 Hand load 36.1 140 gn SP 2780 Hand load 36.1 140 gn SP 2547 Hand load 36.1 140 gn SP Err FtF
round powder weight projectile and weight muzzle velocity at fifteen feet comment Hand load 30.5 140 grain sp 2510 N133 Starting load for this bullet Hand load 30.5 140 grain sp Error Shot too far to right to register Hand load 30.5 140 grain sp Error Shot too far to right to register Hand load 30.5 140 grain sp 2523 Hand load 30.5 140 grain sp 2446 Hand load 30.7 140 grain sp 2475 Hand load 30.7 140 grain sp 2520 Hand load 30.7 140 grain sp 2564 Hand load 30.7 140 grain sp 2475 Hand load 30.7 140 grain sp 2490 Hand load 30.9 140 grain sp 2529 Hand load 30.9 140 grain sp 2550 Hand load 30.9 140 grain sp 2547 Hand load 30.9 140 grain sp 2577 Hand load 30.9 140 grain sp 2579 Hand load 31.1 140 gn SP err misfire Hand load 31.9 140 gn SP 2443 Hand load 31.9 140 gn SP 2552 Hand load 31.9 140 gn SP 2574 Hand load 31.9 140 gn SP 2580 Hand load 32.1 140 gn SP 2572 Hand load 32.1 140 gn SP 2660 Hand load 32.1 140 gn SP 2610 Hand load 32.1 140 gn SP 2600 Hand load 32.1 140 gn SP err FTF Hand load 32.3 140 gn SP 2583 Hand load 32.3 140 gn SP 2600 Hand load 32.3 140 gn SP 2679 Hand load 32.3 140 gn SP 2590 Hand load 32.3 140 gn SP 2684 Hand load 140 gn SP Hand load 140 gn SP Hand load 140 gn SP Hand load 35.3 140 gn SP 2530 Hand load 35.3 140 gn SP err Hand load 35.3 140 gn SP 2569 Hand load 35.3 140 gn SP 2544 Hand load 35.3 140 gn SP 2467 Hand load 35.5 140 gn SP Err FtF Hand load 35.5 140 gn SP Err FtF Hand load 35.5 140 gn SP 2698 Hand load 35.5 140 gn SP 2624 Hand load 35.5 140 gn SP 2493 Hand load 35.7 140 gn SP 2714 Hand load 35.7 140 gn SP 2733 Hand load 35.7 140 gn SP 2661 Hand load 35.7 140 gn SP 2748 Hand load 35.7 140 gn SP 2644
Ok, if that lot makes any sense then well done, the testing completed the 120 grain loads and also finished the 140 grain loads. Reloader 15 and Vhitavouri N133 proved to be good powders. I sadly ran out of Reloader 15, not sure if its available anymore over here, I must investigate. We did however take away good maximum loads for loading up on our live game testing. That follows on a later day. Well posting wise anyway, it actually took place before I seem to recall but I'll check before I post next.