Thread: Roe deer hunting

A short film from roe hunting. Very soft landscape and easy hunting compared to SI.

https://youtu.be/yUqj2HMIPio

Another great film thanks Thomas.

The comment from the guide in this film that .243 is a good choice for roe, and that .270, .308 etc is too much gun, that's a very interesting comment. For quite a few years now I've observed guys in England shooting roe deer with fast 130-180gr bullets, with everything from 6.5s and European 7mm cases like 7x57 and even 7x64, lots of .270s and onwards up to .30 cal and sometimes even medium bores.

I grew up shooting roe with .243 in the 80s, and back then very very rarely did we see anyone with a more powerful cartridge than maybe an old 6.5x55. Anything more powerful than that was a red deer rifle. So what's changed I wonder?

I really like your 6.5 Grendel films, with the 123gr at 2550fps. Seems like a perfect balance of weight and speed for the little roe deer.

Nice looking little deer. Cool hunting country.

another neat wee film,sure is different to our normal hunting here. the roe deer look ideal for a .223 rem...but I guess your laws are different and dont allow it.

Great vid Norway, I enjoyed that.

I've said it before, but that is one species that should have introduced here. We could be deer stalking on all our highly productive landscapes as well as having reds etc in the hills.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

another neat wee film,sure is different to our normal hunting here. the roe deer look ideal for a .223 rem...but I guess your laws are different and dont allow it.

.224 calibre rifles are legal for roe in Scotland, but not England, where .243 is the minimum (with a 100gr bullet and 1700 ft-lbs or thereabouts). So all the poms buy .270s and .308s for these tiddler deer that are smaller than a good sized NZ feral goat.

The English roe must be made from kevlar and kryptonite, and prone to fighting back.

Originally Posted by Dama dama

Great vid Norway, I enjoyed that.

I've said it before, but that is one species that should have introduced here. We could be deer stalking on all our highly productive landscapes as well as having reds etc in the hills.

Way too many poachers here for it to work.

Originally Posted by MSL

Way too many poachers here for it to work.

It's amazing how the poms aren't switched onto deer like people in NZ. Travelling around in July / August I was seeing roe all over the place, often in broad daylight. At the end of my sister's garden, in the fields from the train, around the Scottish castles. We stayed for a couple of nights in North Yorkshire, and walking home from the pub both evenings we saw roe in fields, they saw us, and carried on grazing. They just don't get the pressure around the edge of villages and towns, blokes don't go shooting them there. A lot of farmers don't allow deer stalking, and like cockies here with their fallow, they tolerate the roe deer and as such the roe deer tolerate people to an extent.

Get onto a property where they are regularly shot at, and its a totally different story.

Originally Posted by MSL

Way too many poachers here for it to work.

And the pragmatic honesty award for 2019 goes to...

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Another great film thanks Thomas.

The comment from the guide in this film that .243 is a good choice for roe, and that .270, .308 etc is too much gun, that's a very interesting comment. For quite a few years now I've observed guys in England shooting roe deer with fast 130-180gr bullets, with everything from 6.5s and European 7mm cases like 7x57 and even 7x64, lots of .270s and onwards up to .30 cal and sometimes even medium bores.

I grew up shooting roe with .243 in the 80s, and back then very very rarely did we see anyone with a more powerful cartridge than maybe an old 6.5x55. Anything more powerful than that was a red deer rifle. So what's changed I wonder?

I really like your 6.5 Grendel films, with the 123gr at 2550fps. Seems like a perfect balance of weight and speed for the little roe deer.

Excessive marketing, internet loud-mouthers and lack of experience? I was lucky to "grow up" as a hunter around professional stalkers and take my cues from them. It really helped skyrocket my progression and skill level and as you say, everything was 6.5 and down.

The 6,5 Grendel was possibly the most successful gun project I've had. It dropped the roe just as hard as anything I've used and the slower speeds (2550 fps, barely deer legal) more or less eliminated excessive carcass damage. Deer shot with the 22-250 could be horribly blodshot and basically dogfood.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

another neat wee film,sure is different to our normal hunting here. the roe deer look ideal for a .223 rem...but I guess your laws are different and dont allow it.

There was a period where 222 and 223 seemed to be around but the common complaint was "ooooh they run and they run". For forestry culling, not dropping the deer on the spot can add a fair amount of work as the plantations can be horrible to retrieve the deer in. Crawling under firs, sap and needles getting in everywhere. For agricultural lands, sure why not.

whenever someone tells me "oooh they run and they run" I KNOW the shot placement wasnt flash....take out the front wheels or CNS and an animal is going nowhere. but I agree to some extent re open country vs bush...thick bush is .308/.270 and big fat round nose territory see deer,what twiggy bush in the road?? deer goes down fast,having a four footed sniffing machine along sure makes finding anything that does move easier.
keep the vids coming,they are great.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

whenever someone tells me "oooh they run and they run" I KNOW the shot placement wasnt flash....

I agree. I suspect less-than-perfect shooting, wind sensitivity and a lack of factory ammunition with something more solid than a varmint bullet contributed to the reputation. Today there's plenty good bullets available, but these cartridges just never seemed to fall back in favour.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

whenever someone tells me "oooh they run and they run" I KNOW the shot placement wasnt flash....

I shot a Roe,center of the chest with a .222 Rem.I was sitting down and shot it front on from about 50 meters.It ran a good 50 meters before it collapsed.I was usind Sako 55 grn ammo.

Bullet performance/Animal reaction is never 100% guaranteed. What surprises me about Roe Deer,after shooting a few as how hard they can be to put down for such a small Animal.

Absolutely. My longest runs has been with the smallest ones. I suspect the bullets didn't open properly.