Winter hunting begins..

Although there is nothing more exciting than hunting testosterone filled roaring stags during the peak of the Rut most people overlook the advantages of winter hunting.

Stags loose up to 30% of their body weight during the roar, the lack of food and sleep has its toll. At the tail end of the roar, in mid to late April, we often see stags scattered over the hill sides lying flat on the ground sound asleep. After a week of catching up on sleep there is one thing on their mind: FOOD!

Thru winter a stag wants to re-condition as well as possible so come spring he can grow a big new set of antlers. If he is bigger than other stags he can pass on his genes. He will take some risks to do this. Stags will travel miles to find the best quality feed. The stags will group up in winter so you can often see 10 to 15 stags together grazing and hopefully among them is a big one!

Glassing a big grassy meadow surrounded by pines at dusk and dawn produced this great stag for me just recently. We never saw him during the roar.

So, if you’re looking for big trophies, don't overlook winter hunting as a great option.