Seeing the Light on an Evening Quest for Roe

Stalking roebuck in the rut and camping under the stars is a great experience, but make sure you have all the necessary equipment, urges Paul Quagliana

I am a casual or recreational stalker. if i can bag one or two deer a year, along with assorted small game, sea fish and trout, i am more than happy. it is a great thing to be in a position where you can be as self-suffcient as possible and i have always maintained that going “shopping” with a gun or rod is a far more interesting — and possibly healthier — way of obtaining my dinner than strolling to the supermarket. 

After a largely cold start to the year, July and august have proved to be rather sweaty and, as any roe stalker knows, hot, humid weather around the end of July puts the deer into the mood for rutting. it is an exciting time to be out and there is no telling how long the rut will last — sometimes a matter of days, sometimes weeks. During this time, calling the bucks with an artificial call can make for an exciting outing because they often come close to the caller — but it is never guaranteed.

I had received a kind invitation from some seasoned stalkers to go out during the rut to try for a buck, with the added amusement that we would be camping. I was only down for one night while they were putting in nearly a week. I had eagerly packed what I felt was everything but the kitchen sink, but completely forgot a torch, of which more later.

Hard to beat