Due to the overtly depressing set of circumstances which has recently been plaguing the entire world for more than two months now , most of us have not had the good fortune to hunt recently ( except for those who have access to private properties , where game can either be found , or frequently wanders in , such as
@Major Khan Sir and
@Kawshik Rahman ) for quite a while . Hopefully , the lockdown in Bangladesh will be lifted on the 25th of this month and then I may be able to go back and resume my favorite hobby of all time .
Until that happens however , I have decided that I would keep the spirits of all the members of AH forums up today . By relating a story about my most recent Shikar , prior to the outbreak of the nefarious COVID19 Coronavirus- My Shikar for a Kakar Deer . Granted , it is pretty mundane compared to some of my Shikars for more dangerous game in the past ( namely man eating Hunting Leopards ) . However, I believe that sometimes the stories about the simple Shikars are worth writing about , as well .
There are three types of deer found all across the country . They are :
1) Chital ( Axis ) Deer : Found in the Sundarban mangrove forests , Nijhoom Deap and Jamalpur ( South West side of the Country) .
2) Kakar ( Barking ) Deer : Found in the Maulvi Bazaar forests and the Chittagong Hill Tracts ( North East and South East sides of the country )
3) Sambhar Deer: Found only in the Bandarban forests , near the Chittagong Hill Tracts ( South East side of the country ) .
A Kakar Deer is the smallest of these three , and a fully mature male weighs only 18 kilograms .
They are either shot in forested area between the 1st of December to the 30th of January ( with permission being taken from the local police DC of the area ) or they are shot on private property ( with the consent of the land owners ) . They may either be taken down with a rifle or a shotgun , depending upon the hunting style which the Shikari feels most comfortable with .
Aside from the sporting calibers for which firearms and cartridges can be readily found at local firearms shops ( .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire , 12 Bore ) , license holders for firearms may also use an authorized importer to import a rifle or cartridges of any of the four following calibers ( Currently . This list is scheduled to hopefully increase over the next few years. ) for their private ownership and use :
1) .22 Hornet
2) .243 Winchester
3) 7x57 millimeter Mauser
4) 7 millimeter Remington Magnum
License holders for fire arms not mentioned in the above list ,typically purchase their firearm from a foreign country and bring back cartridges ( or reloading components) privately into the
country , every time they are returning from a trip made to a foreign country ( from where they purchased the cartridges ) .
By far , the most popular firearms for hunting Kakar Deer are either a .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire ( employing a 40 grain full metal jacket cartridge) or a 12 Bore shotgun. If the Kakar Deer is to be taken by way of stalking at long range , then the rifle is the preferred option . If the Kakar Deer is taken by way of stalking at close range , then a rifle or shotgun can both be viable options.
If the Kakar Deer is taken by way of conducting beats , then a shotgun is preferred . This is because the Kakar Deer is moving extremely fast towards the direction of the Shikari.
While I have shot quite a few Kakar Deer in the past with my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum by way of stalking , I mostly prefer to use a 12 Bore shotgun to shoot Kakar Deer which the beaters drive towards me . I own a Beautiful William Wellington Greener 12 Bore ( 2 3/4 inch chambers) double barrel side by side Wildfowl Gun , which is equipped with double triggers, automatic ejectors and 30 inch long barrels ( Left= Full Choke. Right= Improved Modified Choke ) , and this serves all of my wing shooting and Kakar Deer hunting needs , marvelously. For hunting Kakar Deer , the ideal shot size is either American 4 Buck or English AAA or Australian AAA ( The whole idea is to get a spread ) .
I myself have been exclusively using Winchester Australia’s 12 Bore 32 gram 2 3/4 inch AAA cartridges ( which hold 42 pellets to the cartridge) since the last 45 years of my life , and I am am quite pleased to say that they have never let me down. Even though Winchester Australia ceased to manufacture AAA cartridges quite a few years ago , I have stockpiled enough fresh unopened cartridge boxes over the years to last me at least five more years before I need to even consider making a switch of ammunition choices . As of now , I still possess over 560 cartridges of Winchester Australia 12 Bore 32 gram AAA , and I intend to put them to very good use.
This January 1st , my son in law and I visited the Tea Estate of a close , personal friend who lives in Sri Mangal . He ever so generously invites us a few times through out the year to hunt Kakar Deer on his property . And this year was no different. My son in law ( who prefers to stalk his Kakar Deer ) had brought along his 7x57 millimeter Mauser ( An Anschutz Savage Model 110 bolt action rifle ) , while I had brought along my 12 Bore William Wellington Greener Wildfowl Gun.
We spent the first day resting , chatting with my friend and his family and preparing all of the staff at the Tea Estate about our plans for the Kakar Deer Shikar on the following day . It was decided that on the very first day , I would hunt my Kakar Deer by way of having a beat conducted . On the second day , my son in law would hunt his Kakar Deer by stalking it .
We set off early in the morning , into the depths of the Tea Estate. I had my 12 Bore William Wellington Greener Wildfowl Gun , loaded with an AAA cartridge in each barrel. I carried eight extra cartridges , in the pockets of my sleeveless hunting jacket ( as an added precautionary measure) . Accompanying us , were two of the employees of the Tea Estate . These hard working men are of Shaotaal ancestry ( Their tribes have been living in the hills of the Maulvi Bazaar forests for centuries ) and therefore , they are intimately familiar with every nook and cranny of the Tea Estate . They were appointed as our head beaters . Each of them , were leading three very well trained Alsatian dogs .
In less than an hour , we reached a patch of the Tea Estate where our head beaters had ( on the previous night ) reported the presence of at least two dozen Kakar Deer . On the other end of this area , we could see 14 more Shaotaal beaters ; ready to carry out their duties faithfully . All of them were wearing bright orange aprons . This is an absolute necessity , for Shikars which are to be conducted by way of beats. It is a mandatory precautionary measure , in order to prevent the Shikari from mistakenly shooting one of the beaters . Our two head beaters ( and our six Alsatian dogs ) ran off to join the other beaters , while my son in law stayed behind with me .
In roughly 20 minutes , the beat had begun . The beaters used bamboo sticks and shouted continuously , in order to “ Drive “ the Kakar Deer towards the direction of myself and my son in law . The well trained Alsatian dogs certainly were useful . I waited on my edge of the area , carefully clutching my 12 Bore . I could see the Kakar Deer slowly making their way towards our direction. My son in law ( having a pair of binoculars on his person ) proceeded to provide me with “ intel “ as to which of the Kakar Deer were the largest , most matured males . I quickly made up my mind , as to which of the beasts I wanted to shoot . At a distance of 26-27 feet , I whipped the 12 Bore up to my shoulder and took aim at him . I pulled the right trigger, just as he was turning his head to look at one side of the area .Those 42 pellets of Australian AAA caught the Kakar Deer, right in the area where the neck meets the shoulder . With a low guttural sound , the animal dropped to the ground . His life had been extinguished , cleanly and quickly .
I let the other Kakar Deer pass through the area , unharmed . As soon as they were gone , I handed my Schrade Old Timer “ Trapper “ model carbon steel pocket knife to my son in law and told him to go and make the meat , “ Halal “ . The young man went and recited “ Bismillah Hirrahman Irrahim “ ( Praise be to Allah . He is most gracious and most merciful to all of His creations ) , while cutting the throat of the dead Kakar deer ; taking great care to sever all of the veins and arteries properly . And , that was that . My very first Kakar Deer Shikar for 2020 was a success and we had some lovely Kakar venison for the larder . He weighed just above 17 kilograms.
I tipped every single one of the Shaotaal beaters generously for their top notch service and hard work . They then, shyly asked me if I could shoot a wild boar for them to be able to enjoy some fresh pork , knowing all too well that I would definitely say , “ Yes” . It has long since been an unspoken agreement between the Shaotaal beaters and us , for many years . Every time that they aid my son in law and I in hunting a Kakar Deer , both my son in law and I each shoot a wild boar to give to the loyal and hard working men ( and their families ) . Thus , I spent the later part of the day hunting a 135 kilogram wild boar , knowing that I would be accompanying my son in law on the following day for his Kakar Deer Shikar . But , those are stories for another day .
Hopefully , I shall be returning to Shikar in less than a week and I cannot wait .
I hope that this relatively mundane story was not too boring. I heartily apologize , if it was . Normally , I get more excited writing about the exciting stories of my “ Golden Days “ where I used to hunt man eating Hunting Leopards . However,
@mark-hunter ,
@375Fox and
@gesch have voiced a desire to read about a basic deer Shikar story from modern times . And thus , here we are . I genuinely hope that this small and simple story may cheer up at least a few of our fellow members of AH forums.
THE END
My dear friend Panther Shooter
Is your son in laws rifle an Anschutz or a, savage 110. I am confused as to which.
A beat sounds a wonderful way to hunt. Are wild boar hunted the same way? If so that could get ver y interesting. I would prefer Winchester 00SG 9 pellet buckshot followed by a solid slug. A very effective combination.
Your humble reader and friend
Bob Nelson
View attachment 343023
Kakar Deer shot by the Author.
View attachment 343022
12 Bore William Wellington Greener Wildfowl Gun.
View attachment 343021
Winchester Australia 12 Bore AAA 32 gram cartridges stockpiled by the Author.
View attachment 343024
Winchester Australia 12 Bore 32 gram AAA cartridge used by the Author to hunt the above pictured Kakar Deer.
