I couldn't quite believe it when I received the news that I would actually be travelling to England to hunt for two such fascinating species. But after a few months of preparation, the time had come. The day of departure had arrived.
Even the morning of departure brings with it great excitement and anticipation. After all, it was my first foreign hunting trip and therefore my first flight with a weapon. Despite good preparation and a folder of documents, I'm wasn’t entirely sure whether everything would go smoothly, so I arrived at the airport 2 hours early...
Contrary to my expectations, however, everything goes smoothly. An interesting situation arose when I was asked what I had to check in. When I answered with "weapon and ammunition", the eyebrows of the people around me inevitably shot up.
Now comes the usual travelling chaos. A quick coffee at the airport, boarding and off we go from Munich to Birmingham.
Arriving in England, it's the other way round. Everything goes smoothly until I reach the police counter and want to collect my gun. The problem is that the gun is not there and nobody can tell me where it is. At least not exactly. Apparently, it was scanned at the airport and then disappeared in the confusion of baggage handling. After about an hour, the all-clear is given. The weapon has turned up and is handed over to me. Again, surprisingly uncomplicated.
So, I walk into the reception area of the airport with my gun case, where a broadly grinning James is already waiting for me.
Into the car and off we go in left-hand traffic towards the guesthouse. We have a two-hour journey ahead of us and some interesting conversations develop. At some point, James suggests we visit a clay pigeon course. I am immediately excited. It's a rare opportunity for me to hone my shotgun technique again and also on such an impressive course. I'm looking forward to testing my skills.
It takes me a few pigeons to get used to James' shotgun, but after a short time the shots are spot on. It is particularly fascinating when we arrive at the "High Pheasant Tower". Here the pigeon is thrown from a high tower in the direction of the shooter. The shot is made very intuitively and almost vertically upwards while standing with a hollow back. James bursts pigeon after pigeon. I always miss... But even with this unfamiliar discipline, the learning effect kicks in at some point and my pigeons start breaking high above our heads. An incredibly great start to the weekend.
After the shooting range, we treat ourselves to a short break and enjoy the obligatory tea while we talk about the upcoming hunting days. Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer are still completely unknown to me in terms of hunting, which only increases the anticipation of the coming days. The prospect that both hunts will take place on foot is particularly exciting. I personally enjoy stalking more than just sitting, so it's exactly my kind of experience.
We continue on to our accommodation. A beautiful bed and breakfast. It's an old brick house with a bell tower. Right next door is the pub, our next port of call. The "Hare & Hounds" is a very apt name considering our plans.
Nice chats and our stalking guide Jason are waiting for us in the pub. After a hearty dinner and more hunting stories, we go to bed early. We want to start the next day well rested. The alarm clock is already set.
The first morning starts early. It is still dark when we arrive in front of our accommodation. We don't have to wait long and Jason's Range Rover is already rolling up the road. We get in, ready to set off. A quick stop at a petrol station for a quick coffee and then we're already at our destination. Today we're off to see Chinese water deer (CWD). An iron gate blocks access to a pasture. We park there.
A herd of sheep is grazing in the pasture. The light drizzle and damp grass lend a special atmosphere. This is exactly how I had imagined English hunting weather to be.
The stalk takes us across the pasture to a ditch, from where we can see another pasture. Nothing to see there. We turn round into a small copse. The stalk continues through the undergrowth, across meadows and ditches, while we keep an eager eye out for the roe deer. At first, they all seem to be hiding, but then suddenly something jumps out in front of us. We resolutely continue our stalk. As we cross the small copse, we spot a water deer in a pasture. Out of reach for us. Outside the hunting boundary.
Our focus is now on the extensive pastures and fields where the water deer gather to seek safety in the distance. We keep spotting and observing a few animals, but there is no suitable one yet. We are interested in a representative buck of a suitable age.
We continue our search attentively, over ditches and along hedgerows, until we finally discover a group of roe deer in a wide field. One buck stands out among them. It has a slightly different colouring and is driving a weaker opponent in front of it. Our attention is now focussed on this buck, it should be him. The hunt is approaching its climax, we have to approach cautiously to place a perfect shot.
I use my rangefinder to determine a distance of 140 metres. A shot from the quad stick stalking sticks that James has built himself is definitely doable but still a challenge.
The buck is always hidden behind other animals. I wait patiently for the right moment to take the shot. Time passes and the tension increases noticeably as more and more Chinese Water Deer gather in the field. But then it comes, the decisive moment, the buck breaks away from the group and presents me with a clear shot. He spreads out, I seize the moment and the shot breaks.
"Shit, you missed him!" I hear Jason mutter, he thinks I missed the buck because he saw the water behind the buck splashing up from the wet field.
But when the buck takes one last jump and clearly draws, it's clear that we've been successful. He falls to the ground after a few jumps and remains motionless.
We approach our buck. In keeping with tradition, I give my quarry the last bite. You'll forgive me if I don't have one of the species that is traditional, I didn't have one to hand and as the bite is a sign of respect for me, this tradition can look a little different when abroad.
I am grateful for what I have experienced and now examine all the unique features of my quarry up close. I am fascinated by the large and amazingly sharp canines. I had never seen anything like it before.
Of course, the buck is also entered in the MyHunt app, as I was only able to go on this trip thanks to them. James documents the entire process with his camera and captures this unforgettable experience. Tangible memories that will probably last a lifetime.
We return to our B&B where a traditional English breakfast is already waiting for us. It is delicious.
Now we have some time before the evening stalk, during which we will try to get hold of a Muntjac.
James suggests visiting a nearby aviation museum and view the historic aircraft. The museum turns out to be a veritable treasure trove of aviation history. From the early designs of the Wright brothers to aeroplanes from both world wars. What I find particularly fascinating is the fact that there are regular air shows where the old aircraft are actually still flown.
After we have explored the museum, it is already time for the next stalk. So we get ready again and meet up with Jason, who picks us up again. This time the hunt takes us to the well-kept grounds of a large estate. It's hard to believe, but the small Muntjac deer are romping around there. We can spot a few on the mown lawn, but the majority are hiding in the hedges, bushes and undergrowth of the forest surrounding the estate. Their small bodies make it difficult to spot them there.
The stalking is difficult but at the same time very exciting as we make our way from forest edge to forest edge and from meadow to meadow, always on the lookout for the little guys.
Time and again we have encounters where we are in close proximity to a deer. A young buck even passes us at a distance of just 5 metres. Again, however, we are looking for a mature, representative buck and let him go.
But despite our efforts, it seems as if our hunting luck is coming to an end this evening. As we are almost at the end of our stalk, we notice a single muntjac in a pasture. However, it is already too dark and the animal is too far away for us to get a good look at it. We therefore decide to call it a day for the evening.
The evening takes us back to the local pub, where we round off the evening with a hearty dinner and a beer.
The next morning the same game, Jason's car rolls up the road and we get in. Today we're going hunting on the estate again. As it's still very early, James lends me his rifle. A Kimber Montana bolt action magazine rifle with a moderator, we don't want to disturb the morning peace and quiet, and my short-barrelled kipplauf rifle would probably startle one or two people out of bed. A sensible decision that I gladly agree with.
With James' rifle in hand, I stalk through the undergrowth with Jason. There are also a few opportunities today and we set ourselves up for a shot a few times. However, there is never a suitable buck. None of the animals match our criteria or we miss the opportunity because we can't properly approach the animals in the dense undergrowth.
After about an hour of stalking, we reach a wall overgrown with brambles that leads to the edge of the forest. Here my experienced guide Jason notices movement, there are some Muntjac in the undergrowth. However, from our position it is not possible to see exactly what is there, so we decide to stalk closer to assess the situation more accurately.
We have now got within 35 metres and Jason locates a suitable buck. It's a challenge for me to recognise the right buck in the group, usually you can only see parts of their small bodies between the branches. Getting a clean shot will not be easy.
After a while I spot the right buck and follow him with the reticle. The crosshairs dance slightly behind his shoulder while I wait for the right moment. Shooting in this thicket is difficult. Any noise could give us away, the situation requires concentration, calm and patience.
Then the opportunity presents itself for a clean shot. The buck stands free, I make a quick adjustment and pull the trigger. The buck has disappeared from our field of vision, but the sound of the bullet's impact gives us away. The hit was on target. A brief moment of silence follows. Then the tension slowly eases and we set off to find the shot animal. The search for the shot in the dense undergrowth is difficult, but we are lucky. A clear trail of sweat leads us directly to the shot animal.
I also do him honour and hand over the last bite. This time it's a branch of a yew tree with some of the red berries still attached. Even though they are poisonous to us, the little Muntjac love to eat these berries. So this last bite seemed appropriate.
This special moment of peace and respect makes me feel the significance of this hunting experience even more intensely. We carefully pack the shot animal into our rucksack and make our way to a nearby road, where James is waiting for us in the Range Rover. We are delighted with our success.
This weekend will linger in my memory for a long time. I'm already looking forward to going hunting with James again, be it in England or here in my Bavarian homeland. Good hunting!
-Vinz
