After taking big stag from the forestry a week earlier I was not too keen repeating this experience… 🙄 It was really hard work and without a friend’s help I would have never taken it out the forestry in one piece…

I got to the forestry quite early that morning, so decided to go to the far end of the ground where we have a bit of moorland that red deer like a lot. To be honest, I hoped to take a roe deer, but when I was good 200m away from my favorite spot I heard the first roar… I felt adrenaline rush and quickly stalked to the place I wanted to be. 😆 I forgot all about the drag the previous weekend and was ready to see what was on the moor.

I immediately spotted a 6-pointer on the moor in front of me. But it could not have been him roaring… It was still early and I waited patiently. Soon there was enough light to see a few hinds with the 6-pointer I saw before. I could here a stag roaring, but could not see it…

Hinds were slowly moving in parallel to the forestry towards the plantation on the hill. I could see a massive stag near the plantation and could hear him bellowing. He held a few hinds and it looked like the hinds in front of me on the moor were about to join him. Well, I thought that was it. I quite like this bit of ground, but often it ends like that: plenty of deer far away on the moor, but none coming back to the forestry. They more often go to the plantation or stay all day on the hill…

I still could hear another stag. There was the big one near the plantation I knew from previous years. Each year he looked the same: big body and very wide antlers. I would not have taken that stag anywhere this side of the wood as he looked like 150kg easily, and even with a quad bike would have been a struggle. There was one stag behind me roaring in the forestry, but I could also hear one somewhere in front of me.

I was thinking about going back and have a look for a forestry stag when a leading hind decided to change direction and go to the forestry. I made myself ready. I put rifle on sticks and tried to make myself comfortable. I must have made some noise as the hind was looking straight at me. Second hind and calf were getting closer to the fence when I spotted a movement on the hill.

To my surprise it was not the 6-pointer that was following the hinds, it was an older dark stag that soon got to the burn and jumped it. I tried to get my rifle on him, but the hind was still alert and the stag also spotted me immediately…

A few seconds passed and the hind relaxed a bit and the 6-pointer appeared behind the bigger stag. I was not decided what to do. I thought the 6-pointer would have been easier to take out, but he was afraid the big stag and kept his distance. He was going to the hind with calf that looked like were going to jump the fence and disappear between the trees..

The 10-pointer on the other hand went closer to the single hind, sniffed her and roared… He was closer and broadside so I wasted no more time and squeezed the trigger as soon as the hind moved away.

The reaction was good and I was sure he was going down, but the stag turned around and slowly walked towards the moor and burn behind the bracken. I did not want that, so shot him again. This time he dropped after few more steps…

The rest of the deer moved away and soon disappeared inside the plantation…

The stag was where I thought he dropped, he made hist last leap and landed to not far away from the burn. I gralloched him quickly and called a friend for help. I thought it was easily accessible place, but he soon set me straight, that he would help me, but I better start dragging… He said he could quite quickly got his quad bike to the forestry edge, but driving around would take half a day… 🙄

So I started dragging… I had good 400-500m to make. I soon was wet and was dragging the beast for 40-50m, going back for my gear and rifle and so on. After an hour I could hear a quad bike in the forestry. When I got a phone from a friend I was only 50m from agreed location…

Taking the stag from the forestry was not easy either. A lot of winching quad from wet places, pushing and dragging…

The stag was 79kg at the dealer so not a monster, but still hard work… I should think twice before pulling the trigger next time…

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