Thread: Sika deer in Ireland

Sika deer, but I suspect a little different from what you're used to. Very soft and cultivated terrain. I think I saw 200 deer in a day, mostly in the twilight hours and not able to capture that on camera.

Cool video, interesting looking country that you where hunting in. Thanks.
That single shot looks very slick, what cal?

Looked like 6.5 mm x 57 on the sub title.

Great looking country, didn't know there were sika in Ireland. Some nice shooting there also.

I reckon Ireland is the best place for sika in Europe? I'd like to know more about deer hunting in Japan, I know the island is seeing a surge in wildlife numbers as parts of the countryside is now being depopulated (!), but the language barriere is kinda huge.

Cartridge is 6,5x57 Rimmed. It's like any 6,5 class cartridge, but I'm not familiar enough with it to say anything about accuracy potential yet. It is a really stupid cartridge to get (7x57R is easier) unless there is a very specific reason like mine : supply of 6,5mm bullets. Since the kipplauf works similar to a shotgun (point of difference being the jaeger lock which is a lot stronger), extraction will benefit from a rimmed cartridge (just like a shotgun cartridge) as the extractor has an easier job. With a rimless cartridge (any modern) you rely on a small spring to push a small extractor into the groove. With no bolt to assist, all the gripping/extraction force is right there. When it works, it works (and it does most of the time), but when it doesn't you must assemble a cleaning rod and stoke the case out from muzzle. There's no way of gettting your fingers on the case. With a rimmed cartridge you must tear the case for the extraction to fail.

6,5x55/ 6,5 Creedmoor are the most useful 6,5mms. 6,5x47 and 260 rem does the same but possibly with some strain on component supply. Go 6,5x284 or 6,5 PRC only if you have a need for power and forget about all the old european 6,5s unless there is a very specific reason (like my 6,5x57R)

Thanks for the video, bought back great memories of many days and nights in those hills, with many sika seen, they'd often come right down to our camp at night. We would often go up during the rut, and watch the stags controlling their harems. I've eaten a hell of a lot of sika from there, although I did not shoot 1 myself.

Great to see you are still getting out and about.

They can grow gorse better than us!

@Norway, Re Japan: Some years ago I read an article about Sika hunting in Japan. Hunting could only be undertaken with a shotgun - rifled barrel and slugs. The Sika were very big, big bodied and heads, far bigger than the strains introduced here from the Duke of Bedfords herd. Despite the limited range of the shotgun it was easy to shoot a good stag as there were plenty about. Hunting was on one of the lesser islands.
I dont know if persons other than residents were allowed to use a shotgun in Japan.

I heard the rumour that you could get a firearm licence only if you were more than 60 years old, but I don't know if it is true.
My understanding as well is that Japanese farmers have an easier access to firearms than townies.