Stalking Diary

With the red deer rut under way, the autumn months mark a busy time on estates, and carefully chosen ‘trophies’ bring vital income

There’s been a definite nip in the air over the past couple of weeks and it’s nice to see the leaves changing as a result of the season rather than the bunches that simply dried up from the hot weather through the summer. Plants and trees can put on a burst of fruit and nuts through harsh conditions in an attempt to sow their own seed if they feel their existence is under threat, so the hedges are full of fruit and the trees laden with nut crops.

Acorns and sweet chestnuts are plentiful on the ground and along with other wildlife, namely grey squirrels, the deer are making the most of them. As the light fades, the deer are literally racing each other out of the woods for first dibs on the acorns our ancient parkland trees have dropped throughout the day. This autumn seems a little different to usual following on from the summer. Usually the grass and cereal stubbles would be greened up after the harvest but they are doing so later this year, offering the deer feed that, at this time of year, isn’t normally as nutritious for them. As a result deer sightings are up, moving round the estate in the same way that many come out of the woodwork in the spring once new growth begins after the winter.

September and the start of October is a highlight of my year, and following on from an annual week in the Highlands for stags with a group of friends, my time is spent constantly looking over the red deer as their rut kicks off around the middle of

September. While I was away, the estate’s building team was doing an excellent job upgrading the inside of our historic deer larder by lining the old painted walls with hygienic plastic panels. This work coincided with an upgrade of the electrical supply into the building.

At the same time, other equipment used for extracting red deer was being serviced and upgraded, including our trailer, which now sports an electric winch, making extraction effortless as long as you can get the trailer to the shot deer.

Start of the rut

“The start of the red rut differs each year depending on the weather”

The start of the red rut differs each year depending on the weather and overnight temperature, but as a general rule in East Anglia it will be in full swing in the last week of September and carries on until the middle of October.

We cull a number of young stags throughout this period, usually obviously poor spikers, with an occasional poor young stag taken. We also take one late-middleaged or old stag that is sold to a paying client. This ‘trophy’ stag is a beast that is ready to be taken from the herd as his best days are behind him, allowing younger stags to move in and pass on their genes. This particular stag is usually chosen in advance from sightings over the preceding weeks. The income is significant compared with the amounts raised from culling other individuals, and while it doesn’t go far in offsetting the damage caused by the red deer, it does signify that the deer are a burden to the estate and need to try to cover their upkeep as much as possible.

Once the main culling of the stags is completed, attention turns to some more maintenance — cross-checking of equipment, including high seats, before the start of November when the females open and we return back to regular culling of all the species’ females. This is the busiest time of the year and we will once again be flat out with clients, the only saving grace being that with the clocks changing my working day in the field is probably on a par with a ‘normal’ job.

For stalking opportunities, email eustondeerhunting@yahoo.co.uk

A ‘trophy’ stag is chosen as his best days are behind him and he is ready to be taken from the herd