I find enjoyment in all field sports, and now and again it's nice to do something a
little bit special.
I've stalked deer in the UK for years, but I've never made the conscious effort to go
for gold.
This year I want to try and find some of the best examples of all six UK wild deer species.
First up is the Chinese Water deer.
So this morning we're here in Buckinghamshire with Owen Beardsmore of Cervus UK, we're after
a giant Chinese Water deer buck.
Now it's about 6.30, it's just getting light, the winds in our favour. Not seen anything
yet but there's still plenty of time.
They come out for about half an hour in the morning, they move around for a bit then they
lay low for the rest of the day. We're going to try and get one this morning, if not we'll
have some breakfast and come back a bit later but the weathers good and fingers crossed.
Also guiding us today is Andy Asher, he knows there are bucks out there which are long enough
in the tooth to be considered world class animals. However, buck fever has set in early.
Owen Beardsmore from Cervus UK is a highly experienced guide, he has just spotted an
SCI world record, I think it was a gas bottle but we won't mention that right now.
The Chinese water deer population is carefully managed here.
The animals are given space to mature, although the numbers still have to be kept in check,
to protect the crops. Which are also under attack from pigeons, of which Andy shoots
quite a few every summer.
I think last year we did twenty five and a half thousand pigeons, the year before twenty
seven thousand and that's just in three months in the summer.
Crikey, you don't find it's affecting the numbers negatively.
No.
Still getting the same yield?
Still the same every year.
Eventually we come across our first Chinese of the morning; they're not quite on the hard
shoulder but its close.
The M1 is as much a part of their lives as the rolling countryside of Buckinghamshire.
So it's kind of funny, we're seeing plenty of deer this morning, literally 200 yards
away from one of the UK's busiest motorways.
And actually that's providing us useful sound cover, because the sound that is coming off
there because the wind is blowing this way will actually mask any sound that we make.
But they don't seem overly concerned; they seem quite comfortable with that level of
traffic I suppose.
Just imagine how many hundreds of thousands of people travel there and they've got deer
within 100, 200 metre and have no idea.
They don't even know what they are.
We break and come back later in the afternoon and there are deer everywhere, but not the
one I want.
I'm going to have to work hard if I want a nice Buck hanging on the wall at Harford towers.
The light goes and so do our chances, but there's always tomorrow.
A new day and the conditions are not ideal, thick fog is making life a little tough for
us.
But as it clears there's good news.
So we've seen a deer we think is our buck coming in off the field, now it's pretty thick
fog this morning, it's kind of lifting you can see it burning through already. But we
just had the right sort of cover then but he had seen the skyline here so he's headed
off into the other field.
So, Andy what's the plan now?
He's gone through this cover here and he's gone through the next hedge, there's a good
chance he's going to be out in that next field somewhere.
I don't think he realised what we were it's just something that didn't quite look right.
So he's not ran off determined he's just sort of trotted off.
So we'll probably head out into that next field and have a look if that was him.
There's still plenty of time yet for some more to come in off this field here.
Sounds like a plan.
The Buck has us on our toes all day. During the stalk we witness some wonderful Chinese
Water Deer behaviour, and if you think a fence will keep these little deer off your land,
think again.
Time and time we see does or less impressive bucks, normally this would have me itching
to pull the trigger, but with my mind-set there can be only one.
During late afternoon our Buck is spotted laid up in a field.
We can't risk an approach so decide to work into a good prone shooting position
and wait and wait and wait some more.
Finally at last light a chance meeting gives me the shot and down he goes.
So Andy, this little fella has given us the run around today, how's that for a hunt?
Just a little bit Ian, he's given us the run-around for two days this one.
We spotted him about two or three weeks ago, we knew where he was living and you've come
in and we've tried as best, we've seen it briefly in the morning and the evenings but
only for a couple of seconds.
But he definitely knew what the score was this one does.
But he was obviously very, very careful, we bumped him a few times and he kind of lay
down it wasn't really until another buck came over to him that he stood up.
So you know if it wasn't for the other buck intervening I don't think we would have got
a shot at him.
I don't think we would, the light was going and going and going and this one wasn't going
to stand up.
It was very alert, very twitchy and his ears were here there and everywhere. But eventually
the other buck just got a bit too close, and the funny thing is the other buck was a gold
as well.
We've spent two days trying to get one then we've had two in the scope at the same time.
But no, this is the one we wanted.
This is the one we wanted.
He's been giving me the run-around, I don't care how good the other trophy is, this is
the one we've been looking for.
Yep. So he made us work hard and now he's in the bag.
You definitely deserved him Ian well done.
Thank you very much.
Well done.
Right, now you deserve a beer, let's take him off.
This was no Chinese take-away, Owen, Andy and I worked hard for this impressive animal and
with patience and a little bit of luck I finally got the animal I was hoping for.