Shako Badhan
AH veteran
I had hoped my next hunt would be in African. However, a growing and chaotic schedule made that unlikely and so I planned a hunt to coincide with a trip to visit family in the UK. After a bit research I found Tusk and Antler who came highly recommended and I booked a Roe Deer hunt for the hight of the rut at the start of August.
I arrived in London in the middle of a heat wave, which after having traveled from North Carolina didn’t seem all that bad. I can’t go to London with stopping by some of its fabled gun rooms and took the opportunity this time to visit Rigby. I made some arrangements and on the appointed day I arrived for a tour. The experience suppressed my expectations. Their excellent team showed me around the gun room, museum and workshop.
After paying my respects to Corbett’s fabled rifle I was able to get my hands or eyes on an array of Highland Stalkers, Big Game and PH rifles in a number of configurations and calibers. This included a number of special addition models including the Field Ethos and Dugga Boy rifles. I also got to handle a Shikari boxlock double in 500 NE. I was very impressed, it had the weight, feel and character of its vintage forebears. It was hard to put in down.
I then got a tour of the workshop where a Rising Bite double was being born. It was a great experience as the Rigby premises has the feel a real working gun room and factory. As a side note there were a large number of rifles packaged up and ready for shipment and I think some members here might be very happy soon as your order is almost on its way. I have to say my own burning desire for one of their rifles has only been increased by the visit.
A remarkable transformation takes place only hours out of London and you suddenly find ourself in the picture perfect countryside of the Cotswolds. It’s a beautiful place and what most people imagine when they think about rural England. The evening before the first day of stalking I met up with Oliver my professional hunter and guide for a quick session on the range.
The rifle I would be using was a Blaser R8 Professional in 6.5x55 equipped with a suppressor or moderator. I own an almost identical rifle and had been practicing off sticks so the practice was concluded quickly. The next morning I met Oliver before 0500 to drive out to the mixed wood and farmland we would be hunting. This was the first time I had done British/ European style stalking having grown up on the thickly wooded East Coast of the U.S. and I instantly became a convert. The experience of moving through the landscape, glassing with binoculars and thermals, getting up on the sticks and calling all made every minute far more stimulating than the deer hunting I grew up with.
We saw deer quickly, a doe and her fawns but no bucks. Later that morning we came across a buck sitting down at the corner of a field having been pushed off his patch by a more dominant animal. Despite calling to him he just didn’t seem all that interested and we moved on. My first really good opportunity for a buck came that afternoon within minutes of starting the stalk. He had been a nice four point, but after looking at him for a few moments I passed. A decision I would soon regret as by the end of that evening stalking nothing else had presented its self. Opportunities for other game was however frequent. We saw Fallow Deer and the seemingly ever present Muntjac. We saw probably for 30 of them over the course of our stalks. For those not familiar these diminutive deer are real characters and a joy to watch. We came across a few really nice bucks, but unfortunately they were still mostly in velvet.
By the afternoon of the last day I was starting to feel the pressure a bit. I had passed on another four point that morning and was starting to think I might go home empty handed. And so was my state of mind as we set out on the last stalk of the hunt that evening. We checked a few areas I had not been it. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful bit of country to walk in but nothing presented itself. With a few hours of hunting light to go we made our way back to another area we had hunted a few times before. Stopping in a clearing we had traversed several times before Oliver scanned the area with his thermal and give a call. The buck came bouncing out from a thicket about a hundred or so hards away. Quickly up I went on the sticks and found him in the glass as he stopped about forty yards away. I could see he was a good example and possibly a six point. The decision was made and off went the heavy Blaser safety. The buck dropped and rolled to the shot, but was up again running. We found him about 20 yards from where he first fell with less than an hour of shooting time left. Time to go make an offering to Diana or whatever old pagan deity holds sway over this part of England.
I couldn’t have been happier with my first stalking experience in the UK. Even though it came down to the wire I saw a large amount of game and other wildlife in a really nice pastoral setting. Oliver was a excellent guide and would recommend him to anyone looking to go stalking in England. I definitely plan to be back as soon as I can.
I arrived in London in the middle of a heat wave, which after having traveled from North Carolina didn’t seem all that bad. I can’t go to London with stopping by some of its fabled gun rooms and took the opportunity this time to visit Rigby. I made some arrangements and on the appointed day I arrived for a tour. The experience suppressed my expectations. Their excellent team showed me around the gun room, museum and workshop.
After paying my respects to Corbett’s fabled rifle I was able to get my hands or eyes on an array of Highland Stalkers, Big Game and PH rifles in a number of configurations and calibers. This included a number of special addition models including the Field Ethos and Dugga Boy rifles. I also got to handle a Shikari boxlock double in 500 NE. I was very impressed, it had the weight, feel and character of its vintage forebears. It was hard to put in down.
I then got a tour of the workshop where a Rising Bite double was being born. It was a great experience as the Rigby premises has the feel a real working gun room and factory. As a side note there were a large number of rifles packaged up and ready for shipment and I think some members here might be very happy soon as your order is almost on its way. I have to say my own burning desire for one of their rifles has only been increased by the visit.
A remarkable transformation takes place only hours out of London and you suddenly find ourself in the picture perfect countryside of the Cotswolds. It’s a beautiful place and what most people imagine when they think about rural England. The evening before the first day of stalking I met up with Oliver my professional hunter and guide for a quick session on the range.
The rifle I would be using was a Blaser R8 Professional in 6.5x55 equipped with a suppressor or moderator. I own an almost identical rifle and had been practicing off sticks so the practice was concluded quickly. The next morning I met Oliver before 0500 to drive out to the mixed wood and farmland we would be hunting. This was the first time I had done British/ European style stalking having grown up on the thickly wooded East Coast of the U.S. and I instantly became a convert. The experience of moving through the landscape, glassing with binoculars and thermals, getting up on the sticks and calling all made every minute far more stimulating than the deer hunting I grew up with.
We saw deer quickly, a doe and her fawns but no bucks. Later that morning we came across a buck sitting down at the corner of a field having been pushed off his patch by a more dominant animal. Despite calling to him he just didn’t seem all that interested and we moved on. My first really good opportunity for a buck came that afternoon within minutes of starting the stalk. He had been a nice four point, but after looking at him for a few moments I passed. A decision I would soon regret as by the end of that evening stalking nothing else had presented its self. Opportunities for other game was however frequent. We saw Fallow Deer and the seemingly ever present Muntjac. We saw probably for 30 of them over the course of our stalks. For those not familiar these diminutive deer are real characters and a joy to watch. We came across a few really nice bucks, but unfortunately they were still mostly in velvet.
By the afternoon of the last day I was starting to feel the pressure a bit. I had passed on another four point that morning and was starting to think I might go home empty handed. And so was my state of mind as we set out on the last stalk of the hunt that evening. We checked a few areas I had not been it. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful bit of country to walk in but nothing presented itself. With a few hours of hunting light to go we made our way back to another area we had hunted a few times before. Stopping in a clearing we had traversed several times before Oliver scanned the area with his thermal and give a call. The buck came bouncing out from a thicket about a hundred or so hards away. Quickly up I went on the sticks and found him in the glass as he stopped about forty yards away. I could see he was a good example and possibly a six point. The decision was made and off went the heavy Blaser safety. The buck dropped and rolled to the shot, but was up again running. We found him about 20 yards from where he first fell with less than an hour of shooting time left. Time to go make an offering to Diana or whatever old pagan deity holds sway over this part of England.
I couldn’t have been happier with my first stalking experience in the UK. Even though it came down to the wire I saw a large amount of game and other wildlife in a really nice pastoral setting. Oliver was a excellent guide and would recommend him to anyone looking to go stalking in England. I definitely plan to be back as soon as I can.
