2016 Season rut gets going in Scotland

[ElmerThud]

My four friends and I made it to the cottage in Scotland last week in Sept. & first in October, getting back home again on last Thursday 6th.

The stags were roaring and the rut full underway. My own count was just one 'spiker' a young stag, but the tally in total was nine stags and three roebuck. A couple of decent heads among them.

While we were busy in Scotland, seeing stags running with their hinds, a great sight to see; and, listening to them roaring & clashing antlers through the trees, another good friend was enjoying some sport in Finland and took a nice bull moose.

 

[SJB358]

Awesome ET!

What rifle did you use for your spiker?

 

[DrMike]

Excellent! Glad to see the harvest.

 

[salmonchaser]

Sounds like a great hunt, also curious about rifles and cartridge.


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[longrangehunter]

Nice looking Stag there ET! Looks like the tops were about to form a crown, and has more then a few branch antlers, is that still considered a spike?

 

[ElmerThud]

Awesome ET!

What rifle did you use for your spiker?

Used the .25-06 @ a 230yd shot. Whacked the beastie, but it wasn't the best shot. Couldn't get comfortable & hit the spine. Spiker went down right enough & the bullet went down through lungs & killed him. Fell immediately & died there.
Not my greatest shot at all, but hey....at least he's dead & not a runner.

The MSch loads aren't yet good enough in my view & the 160gn bullet not a legal MV in Scotland for deer, so I can only use it on goats & fox there.

 

[ElmerThud]

Nice looking Stag there ET! Looks like the tops were about to form a crown, and has more then a few branch antlers, is that still considered a spike?

No Roger's stag has eleven tines so, he's a mature stag.

A spiker is a young stag & has just two spikes as antlers, no tines yet grown, so could be one, possibly two years old.
Likely a young stag from last year though. Good young venison.

 

[ElmerThud]

Sounds like a great hunt, also curious about rifles and cartridge.


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Rifles used were: Custom 6.5x47Lapua, Sako Finnlite 6.5x55SE, 6.5x68 Sauer Vom Hoffe, 7mm 08 Browning A Bolt & my Blaser .25-06.

It was great to note over and above the stags shot, an equal number were also seen rutting well & holding groups of hinds. So within the 8,000 acres of our hunting estate we'd seen 18 good stags & plainly there'd be quite a few others in the trees where they weren't visible.

We reckon the land currently holds around 300 deer across three species and up to 400 feral goat.
We completed our cull on stags in the week and will now leave them alone to breed. The next move is to go back on 21st Oct when the hind season opens and shoot around thirty-thirty five hinds by 15th Feb when the season closes.

 

[DrMike]

Sounds as if it will be a grand season for your party.

 

[ElmerThud]

Sounds as if it will be a grand season for your party.

I certainly hope so Mike, we'll see what the winter weather does for us. After the rut, the deer will go quiet for a while, then liven up again

 

[lefty315]

Nicely done, and what a beautiful animal! 25-06 should put a smile on Guy's face too...