Hi folks! It's been a while... We're back after taking June off, which is usually our quiet period away from the field. These summer weeks can sometimes feel like a long slog for a deer stalker, with the cover at its highest and the deer at their laziest. However, spotting that Roebuck you've been after all spring can bring a smile and make it all worthwhile. During the first weeks of July, we focus mainly on office work and reconnaissance. Looking ahead, our minds are fully focused on the Roe rut at the end of July and the preparations needed to make it as successful as possible.
This month's newsletter is a little different. Here's why:
We're splitting this month's newsletter into two parts. This first email is brief and covers the usual "Things To Consider This Month" column, which you can read below. Next week, we'll deliver a Roe rut special, sharing our ideas and thoughts on calling, what has historically worked well for us, and how you can maximize this special period in the stalking calendar to enhance enjoyment (and hopefully success) and minimize frustration.
Things To Consider This Month:
Continued maintenance of our high seat areas is essential. It's not just about the seat itself, but also the surrounding site. This involves maintaining clear lines of sight by cutting back low-hanging tree branches and limbs, trimming vegetation and brambles to ensure proper access to the seats, and mowing rides and deer lawns for clear and safe shooting.
Redeploying trail cameras to different sites: Leading up to the Rut, we typically increase our trail camera activity. This helps us monitor the onset of rutting behavior and assess fawn and kid mortality. The wet summer may have affected the survival of the next generation of deer. We also observe the activity at our mineral licks to gain a basic understanding of the deer species visiting our sites and to plan for winter culling. This includes assessing the three species of deer present on our ground.
During the Summer months, it's a good time to ensure that all the stalking ground you have for the coming season is covered by some form of written consent or lease. Unfortunately, the days of ground given 'on a handshake' is gone, and you should protect your investment of time and effort (high seats, labor etc.) by having a simple contract of agreement with your farmer/landowner. The Deer Initiative have a very informative document that you can download here to give you the correct advice and best practice to follow.
Ensure that your mineral lick sites still have a block on them, especially if you have Fallow, Red, or Sika deer in the vicinity. Our own areas have Fallow bucks now on them every day supporting their mineral intake, increased by current antler growth.
What's New:
It's the season of dreaded ticks, and we are always keen to raise awareness about Lyme disease and emphasize the importance of deer stalkers regularly checking themselves after every outing in the field. However, what we thought we knew about ticks was just the surface. In our latest podcast episode with Dr. Al Gabriel, we discuss in detail what ticks really are and how we can best defend ourselves against an enemy that has had 100 million years of evolution to perfect its weaponry. Listen to the episode now.
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