Just around the corner!! Sept. 1st

Well everyone its just around the corner now and Im sure we all share the same anticipation and eagerness to hear that alarm at 5.a.m!! By now the stags will be shedding their velvet and some believe it or not will be mock scraping their rutting stands. By all accounts deer numbers are very good and Ive been scouting plenty of places and have counted decent numbers so far. By now most preperatory work should be complete- high seats in place or next week at latest to allow deer to adjust to the strange metal or wooden object. Make sure to always have a warning sign attached to the ladder to warn curious would be climbers. No harm in checking the rifle either for accuracy and a good de-coppering. Pick a nice calm evening and test your grouping at 100 yds/mts. The shots should be hovering a shade over an inch high @100yds or for some cals, 1.5-1.9 inches high. This will ensure a central hit out to 200yds. Remember to inform the landowner of your hunting intentions fot the opening morning as a vehicle going through a yard or pulling up nearby and lights suddenly going out could send all the wrong signals to the landowner. The last thing you want is a blue siren at that hour of the morning and ruining you hunt. As always remember that safety is paramount and no deer is worth a life or an accident through a careless misshap. Enjoy the season-  Irishsafaris.

10 weeks until deer season-prep work

Ok so its only around the corner now or almost and now is the time to be getting stuck in with your pre season work for the upcoming stag season in Sept. By now most stags will be in full velvet and calves will be born so its an ideal month to get the trail cams out and monitor whats happening on your grounds. A stag that I thought was dead from the heavy snow we had last December has thankfully survived and is now in full velvet with 8 fine points. Its always a good idea to clear shooting lanes and by this I mean the path from where one would normally lie in for a shot in the evening. Now and then branches will have grown out to much and could be blocking a shot or weeds and brambles might need clearing. Make sure that ground blinds are still intact should you hunt forestry leases's and if using high seats, that they havent been tampered with. Regarding your rifle, its not a bad idea to fire 3-4 shots every second weekend on deer sized targets from the positions we find difficult like sitting or the quick off the shoulder shot. Wax the stalking boots now not the day before the season when the smell of the wax will linger and alert every deer to something unnatural. Something I like to do is to put a few euros every week into a jar, even a €5 note. Come Sept 1st you have  that " rainy day" money for extra ammo or diesel or a new pair of hunting pants should you rip a pair in the field.

Highseats

Now is a good time to start to thinking and acting on setting up high seats and ground blinds.The traditional wooden high seat while looking good and blending in with surroundings, can be easily wrecked by vandals and if not properly maintained, will start to rot. I use inch and a half box iron which we weld up into both folding and fixed models in various heights and sizes. All they need is a good lick of green paint and they'll last a lifetime.

post season work

So now that the deer stalking season is over we need to plan for next September and the management plan for the following 6 months. By late May most calves will be born and difficult to find in the long grass.By the middle of July you should have a good idea of what numbers are on your patch of ground(s). Trail cameras are a great idea to monitor what stags are hanging around and to get an idea of antler size and quality. I normally spend the next few weeks erecting new high seats or checking present ones for safety and condition. Not a bad idea either to try and obtain new hunting grounds before someone else beats you to it. Try not to leave getting permission slips resigned at the last minute.Enjoy the next months off!!