Activites to do while staying in ireland

There's lots of things and places to do and visit during your hunt here in Ireland. We can organise sightseeing trips around Wicklow to places like Glendalough where there are many historical site such as St. Kevins tower and the three lakes in the national park. From there one can drive the famous and very scenic "Sally gap" which will lead us into Co. Dublin where a visit to the Jameson distillery where our well known whiskey is made and of course sampled!! 
There are many Wicklow walk routes for the budding hiker catering for the amateur and experiences walker. Then there is Glenmalure valley where during the English rule of Ireland Irish rebels took shelter during their many battels with the "  red coats" of England. The local lodge serves fine food and wines and also offers bed&breakfast. 
The Japensese gardens in Co. Kildare offer a wonderful walk around their huge garden and water displays.
In Co. Carlow we have the "Duckets Grove" castle and walk ways for tourists which is a must for everyone coming here to hunt or travel. Near our hunting grounds are the very famous "Meetings of the waters" where three well known rivers converge into one which is spectacular to watch and right beside it is a lovely quaint gift shop and dining area and pub. Then we have the weaver shops in nearby Avoca where one can see and purchase our well known Aran jumpers. Each sweater has a unique pattern which each fishing related family from years ago knitted to identify their loved ones should they down at sea. 
These are only some of the many sites and places to visit on your stay here.

Bob and his first sika stag

2012 stags from Co.Wicklow

Walt with a mature sika shot during the rut 2012

Hind culling

Sika hind and yearling culled during a management plan in February 2012

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.