Vital lessons you pick up in the field

As the roebuck season opens, Miles Malone takes a novice stalker out on a mission to shoot his first beast, a big step forward

- CALLUM MCINERNEY-RILEY

On an early spring morning, three of us met to stalk. Ben would be making his way to a high tower to wait for deer emerging, while I guided Alex, who is relatively new to stalking. Providing one-on-one mentoring would help build his experience and, critically, confidence.

There is a great step change between what is learned on DSC1 (deerstalking certificate), an introductory course, and the expectations of the DSC2 assessment, in which the candidate is required to lead a stalk and complete all components, from stepping out of the vehicle to hanging the beast in the chiller.

Preparatory stalks, such as these, are crucial to build the necessary skills and experience for this important advance in the deer manager’s progression.

We carefully made our way along the woodland edge, positioning ourselves to glass the valley below. The roebuck season had just opened and we were in pursuit of cull bucks and the ever-increasing population of muntjac. Our job here is to limit population growth, protecting young plantations and coppice woodland from the destructive effects of browsing and fraying.

Hunker down 

The weather had turned. A cold north-westerly and intermittent showers were due; I thought it likely the roe would hunker down in the low ground, sheltering from the biting wind. The muntjac, never a fan of the cold and wet in combination, having originated from warmer climes, would likely remain in the thicker woodland. Perhaps they would venture out between showers, favouring the easterly edge of the wood, to soak up the sunshine if it managed to break through.