The challenge
Roe stalking is a strange business. For the hunter, the challenge is to get in close, but to do that with a mature male seems impossible at times
Roe stalking is a strange business and I have written often enough about the passion we have for stalking them. This is not a deer we see in herds, unlike fallow and red deer they are, on the whole, a solitary deer.
The roe deer holds a territory that is often exclusive to that individual. In the case of bucks they will attempt to keep any other male deer out of their territory but of course they will not fully succeed in their quest. Other roe bucks will constantly test the holder of territory hard won by edging into their ground, youngsters will generally, and sensibly, stay on the boundaries so as not to end up with a battle they know they cannot win. That will have been learned earlier in the season when the older boys were in full territorial behaviour – there are winners and losers for the best habitat and it is usually the animal with some age on his shoulders that will succeed, but not always. For the hunter, the challenge is to get in close and to do that with a mature male seems impossible at times. They are so aware of their ground that any mistake a stalker makes, no matter how small, will alert them to a predator in their midst. It is why I do it and I am sure most other hunters are the same. The well executed shot on a mature buck is really the end result of an accomplished stalk that may have taken hours using every skill we have in the repertoire. Many of which I have mentioned in past articles for Sporting Gun.
Don’t forget the does
I have lost count of the number of does, unseen, that have wrecked a stalk on a roe buck. The tendency is to concentrate too much attention on the buck one is hunting, forgetting that there are other deer around. I can recall one stalk where I had managed to get to within 40 metres of a good buck, rifle mounted ready to squeeze the trigger when a young doe bounced off some 80 metres away barking as though all hell was on her heels. The buck, no fool this one, took that as his queue to leave. The joke was definitely on me and it serves
me right, the two deer went leaping off and voicing their derision of my woeful stalking skills. It was still a very exhilarating experience, no meat in the larder – but so what? What a treat to get that close and see him with all of his dominance on display, an unforgettable experience to be sure.
We tend to think it's the male of the species that is aggressive and territorial. Not so, the doe is just as aggressive – especially in the summer months. She has young to protect and in the rut that buck is hers until she has wooed him and mated, after that he can do what ever he likes, she is certainly not bothered. I know we males like to think we are in charge, but let’s face it, deep down we know it's the women who are really in charge!
Calling bucks
Most of you will be reading this August issue in July, gird your loins – the rut is about to kick off with a vengeance. You will of course have practiced your calling technique already!
When you are off on an outing to call the buck don’t forget about the doe. It is very likely that she will appear first, she may even come in barking, she is in charge after all! The roe doe can just about get the buck to do anything, let's face it he is after just one thing and that isn’t a quiet chat over a coffee. No flowers, no letters of devotion, he may let her eat the best browsing though – that is about as smooth as the roe bucks courting technique gets!
So if a doe appears while you are calling, do not think he is not around. If he is not right behind her it is most likely he is close, very close. The lure of a doe in oestrus is overpowering for him, it beats anything else in his calendar for that year. After all that is one of the reasons he fought over and suffered the bruising, to tempt females into his desirable estate during this mad, frantic period when all his caution is thrown to the wind.
Exciting? Yes. Exhilarating? Yes.
Worth the blank outings? Yes, certainly. Good hunting.