My Deer Stalking Certificate, Level 1

[mirage]

BTW, where is the deer in this picture, I cant see it...

mirage

[ANDYLASER]

You should be able to pierce those quite nicely with a good shot.

[Noddy]

its just the other side of the hill

What is that a hill of? It's full of house bricks. These deer on an old council estate or something?

[mirage]

Seems strange having all the H+S stuff but then insisting you walk about with a chambered round? Wouldn't it be safer to only chamber a round when you needed to

"One up the spout, safety on" is what the manual asserts for lowland stalking.

mirage

[jerbal]

What is that a hill of? It's full of house bricks. These deer on an old council estate or something?

Fly tippers Interesting thread. If you chambered a round wouldn't you be giving the deer a heads up and chance to leg it before you got a shot.

[roestalker270]

Seems strange having all the H+S stuff but then insisting you walk about with a chambered round? Wouldn't it be safer to only chamber a round when you needed to

Good point well raised Ian,

As Mirage has said, the test was carried out with the lowland stalker in mind. It's generally assumed and in most cases is correct that the stalkers of England are all Woodland stalkers. At this time of year the cover in many woodlands and field margins is well up, and so a lot of the time you just don't see the deer until you're on top of them. (My deer management group actually stops taking clients out for about 2-3 months for this very reason.)
In these situations it's bad enough just having to take the rifle off of your shoulder and mount it on your sticks, the noise of lobbing one up the spout would almost certainly send the deer off running. So Lowland stalkers nearly always have one up the spout, unless you're in a group and only the lead man will be hot.

In the Highland scenario, a lot of the deer you'll come across will be at extended ranges, so you can afford to carry a rifle "Under loaded" ie a full magazine fitted to the rifle, but no round in the chamber. On formal highland estates the ghillie will carry your rifle and will position the rifle for you in the final firing position before you then crawl in behind the rifle to take the shot. Too many ghillies have been given new anal tracts by people with no chin, so they can get funny about it. The Highland DSC 1 shooting test reflects the extended range shooting in that they engage targets out to 150 yards. (last time i read the manual anyway)

The reason they'll have you with a hot rifle on the test is to see how you Really handle a loaded rifle. Some folk get lax in their weapon handling, and if that shows on the safety test with a loaded rifle in the vicinity of other people then what are you going to be like on your own?

[Ian Atkinson]

Thanks for the explanation roestalker that does make sense! I used to go for rabbits (bit of a kids game compared to all this deer stuff I know) and you're right the sound of the cocking action of the rifle was enough to make them run a mile if you were too close. I guess I was just thinking you'd be far enough away from the deer to be able to cycle a bolt without them hearing but if you're coming up on them close then I guess maybe not! I really don't know anything about deer hunting so am reading with interest.

[Martyn]

mirage

I did consider that, but then you said you'd have taken the shot and I though, nahhh, he wouldn't shoot the ears. I was looking for something shootable. I though they were duckers sticking out of the soil.

[Danzo]

A superb thread mirage. Informative, interesting, great to read and well illustrated too.

Congratulations on your achievement.

Danzo

[dougster]

Getting that blue cert is a great feeling. I was really ill on day one of mine, burning up with fever and managed to miss the zero targets! After an early night I put that right on test day but sweated over the tests as I knew as soon as he took them in a few were wrong....

My test target:



With my Tikka T3 in .243

But today I bought my T3 light in 6.5 X 55 and I can't wait to take it out.

A few days after my certificate arrived my mentor told me to go on his land on my own and cleared it, what a great evening:



Deer stalking is fascinating, it never becomes boring and going after Roe is a challenge every time. Watching beautiful, very aware animals and pitting yourself against them never gets dull.

The little black dog in the pics is my lab / bavarian who's training is coming along brilliantly.

Mirage, are you looking to do your L2 or are you happy to stay at 1?

[mirage]

Mirage, are you looking to do your L2 or are you happy to stay at 1?

Well done, and good shooting.

I've no plans to do DSC.2 at the moment as I don't even have a permission yet.

Perhaps if I can get some munty/roe land locally I might consider it.

mirage

[dougster]

Well done, and good shooting.

I've no plans to do DSC.2 at the moment as I don't even have a permission yet.

Perhaps if I can get some munty/roe land locally I might consider it.

mirage

Thank-you.

Where are you? If your boringville is near my boringville I hope I can help.....

[mirage]

Where are you? If your boringville is near my boringville...

Thanks, but

Boringville is waaaay away from Wiltshire.

mirage

[paul w]

Congratulations on your new qualification, they obviously weren't dishing out fancy badges in April 2000

[paul w]

I hear grumblings of it being made compulsory

It already is, on some land....as far as i am aware if you wish to shoot on Forestry Commision land and unaccompanied, you must hold a DSC Level 2 or be registered and working towards it.