My first deer

Chris Dalton recalls the mixed emotions of his first roe doe stalk and the lessons learned

My first-ever block of stalking ground was challenging to say the least; a large and featureless expanse of M sitka spruce at the thicket stage, utterly impenetrable with narrow, straight rides devoid of any open areas. The most experienced stalker would struggle to find deer here and struggle I did. Looking back, I spent a lot of time in that forest with little reward, which I believe has ultimately served me well but, at the time, I began to wonder if there were any resident deer in the place. After a time I did start to see the occasional roe deer, usually a fleeting glance as they skipped across a ride, but if I did get one feeding on the ride it was always impossible to get close enough for a shot.