Rifle Shooter – July 2019

80 http://www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

FEATURE Roe with Owen Beardsmore

THE FRUSTRATIONS

OF THE RUT

For professional guide, Owen Beardsmore, the roe rut is a highlight of the year, with

excitement and unpredictability in equal measure...

F

or anyone that stalks roe deer on a regular basis, the

highlight of the year is surely the rut. As frustrating,

exciting and disappointing as it may be, nothing stirs

my blood as much as a mature buck thundering into

the call on a summer’s morning!

In general, the majority of roe bucks are shot in late

April through to early June when they can be more reliable

to present to clients, as they normally decide in early

spring where their territory is to be – based on a suitable

female and a good food source to fatten up on prior to the

breeding period.

After this busy couple of months in the field, we leave our

hunting areas to settle down and hopefully new bucks

replace the ones we’ve harvested. The cover within the

woodlands and field margins is now too high to do anything

with so we wait for the mowing of meadows and hopefully an

early harvest to expose areas to stalk in. From the middle of

July, I start getting messages asking if it has started, as

friends and associates become impatient for the rut to kick

in and the excitement and crazy behaviour to begin.

From memory, the earliest I have called a mature buck

was 10 July and the latest was 14 August (last year). Quite a

long period of sexual activity don’t you think? During this

time, it can be the hottest weeks of the year and much of the

action is carried out during the coolness of the night and only

witnessed on our trail cameras. Nothing is reliable during

PICTURES:

CERVUS CREATIVE

BELOW: The

rut is nearly

always fascinating

to observe