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Deerstalking in the British countryside is becoming increasingly popular amongst shooting and conservation enthusiasts in the UK. Whether you are a recreational stalker or full time deer/woodland manager, in this article we will be highlighting the essential kit needed for carrying out deerstalking in any manner.
Firstly you will need a valid firearms certificate, with an adequate and legal calibre for shooting deer within the UK and the intended use of the rifle must be stipulated on your certificate. In other words, if you wish to shoot deer, this should be stated on your firearms application and on approval from your firearms officer, will be added to additional conditions on your certificate. At the time of writing this article, it is not yet a legal requirement to possess a DSC1 (Deerstalking certificate) in order to have deer as a target species on your licence, HOWEVER, due to Home Office guidance being open to interpretation, it very much depends on your local firearm departments conditions. Some will be happy to approve deer as your target species on your licence whilst others will insist that you attend a DSC1 course even though it is not yet a legal requirement. Be prepared to prove to your local firearms department with documented evidence that you have some understanding and first hand experience of deerstalking. You can find more information on deer seasons in the UK by heading over to our previous blog post on deer seasons, or if you'd like more information on what legal calibres you can use for each deer species in the UK, take a look at our article on deer calibres.
Deerstalking 'must haves'
So your application has been approved, you have lawful permission from landowners to manage the deer population and you have acquired a suitable calibre rifle for your requirements which is stipulated on your certificate. Now what?
Insurance
It would be considered good practice to secure public liability/shooting insurance prior to participating in any deerstalking. You should be covered for any unforeseen issues that may occur whilst out in the field. Insurance will not only protect you from incidents but can also offer you cover for your working dog, theft, free legal firearms advice and much more. Fieldsports Guardian has secured a discount code for you to use from the Country Cover Club. They cover a huge range of field sports including deerstalking and have a range of other benefits to fit your requirements. If you wish to take advantage of your discount code, all you have to do is SUBSCRIBE to the Fieldsports Guardian website completely FREE, and you will receive your discount code via email to use on the Country Cover Club website HERE. If you refer a friend the Country Cover Club will also kindly give you an additional discount on your annual membership! Valid until October 2024.
Clothing
The majority of your deerstalking will more than likely take place during the Autumn and Winter period so it is inevitable that you'll encounter unpredictable British weather conditions. It is therefor advisable that you seek suitable clothing that you will stay comfortable in, whatever the weather may be. You will almost certainly need a good pair of weatherproof trousers and a coat or smock. We are personal users of Ridgeline Clothing and Deerhunter. We have used multiple products from these two brands and find that their clothing is comfortable, weatherproof, durable and silent, which is extremely important whilst out deerstalking. Some of our recommendations would be the Deerhunter Pro Gamekeeper Boot Trousers for the warmer months, during the cold winter period we would highly recommend the Deerhunter Muflon Bib Trousers. The Muflon trousers are absolutely superb in cold and wet conditions! Deerhunter also have a fantastic range of women's products for the lady stalker like these Lady Estelle Winter Trousers.
Base layers can also be beneficial in harsh conditions or if you intend to wait it out in the high seat. You will probably notice a trend here. Again, we are personal users of either Ridgeline Clothing or Deerhunter. They have a large selection of fleeces and knitwear that act perfectly as either base layers in the colder months or as lightweight breathable options during the warmer periods.
A good quality pair of boots are essential for all types of country pursuits. Whether your upland or lowland stalking, it is essential that you find a pair of boots that are weatherproof, comfortable, hardwearing and provide support for any uneven terrain that you may encounter. An inexpensive option that covers all basis would be the Grisport Gamekeeper boot https://amzn.to/3QmuKv0 (Amazon). The Grisport boots are extremely good value for money boasting vibram soles, spotex waterproof lining and a protective scuff rand. If wellingtons are your go to choice of footwear, you can pick up a very reasonably priced pair of Aigle wellingtons for as low as £80 over on Amazon https://amzn.to/3WguBxd.
Binoculars
Binoculars are an essential piece of equipment for deer stalking. Personal preference will determine what binoculars you choose for your stalking, however it is worth keeping in mind that when it comes to optics, the more expensive products will typically be better quality optics. Having said that, it's not absolutely necessary to rush out and purchase the most expensive brand on the market. We have used an inexpensive £50 pair of binoculars with great results. You should determine what magnification is best suited for your personal circumstances. Typically, most stalkers will choose between 8 x 42 or 10 x 42 depending on whether the majority of your stalking is in woodland/arable/pasture or open moorland/hill stalking. You can head over to our blog post on binoculars HERE where we discuss the difference between 8 x 42 and 10 x 42. This will guide you on what binoculars are best suited to your requirements. We do however personally recommend the Vortex Diamondback binoculars, https://amzn.to/3y4v23i (Amazon), amongst many great features, they come with an unlimited, unconditional lifetime warranty! Providing you keep your receipt safe.
We also like to include a carry case for our binoculars in our list of must haves for deerstalking. A carry case will ensure your binoculars have a safe and dry home to live in, will give you freedom of movement and generally, most carry cases have a small handy storage compartment. Something like these Kahu Bino harness would be perfectly adequate for the job.
If you would prefer something a little more simplistic, there are basic binocular harnesses available that you simply clip your binoculars onto a shoulder harness without the case element. These can be slightly lighter in weight and provide extremely quick access to your binoculars when needed. As you can see from the photo below, Bushnell have a perfect example of these binocular harnesses which can be picked up on Amazon for a very reasonable price https://amzn.to/3wdYuDF.
Quad Sticks/Rifle stabilisation
We never leave home without a set of quad shooting sticks. Whilst it is likely that you will inevitably choose to fit a bipod to your rifle, it is also wise to carry a set of shooting sticks with you for all eventualities. Shooting sticks have multiple uses, from the obvious of providing a stable rest for taking a shot, to providing a stable rest for scanning your environment with your binoculars and can even be utilised to aid in a suspended gralloch. Personal preference will determine the type of shooting sticks that you wish to add to your essential deerstalking equipment. There are multiple options to choose from including quad sticks, tripod or bipod sticks and also look out for our future blog post on how to make your own quad sticks for less than £20!
Our personal choice would be quad sticks. We find that the extra support from the design of quad sticks gives us the most stability whilst taking a shot. There are numerous options available to you like these quad sticks from Seeland (Amazon) https://amzn.to/4b3B2Yy which offer fantastic value for money.
If quad sticks are not for you, there are other options available. Another popular choice are tripod sticks. Primos have designed these Trigger Stick Gen 3 shooting sticks https://amzn.to/44fQsqe (Amazon) which feature a clever leg angle lock system and a rotating joint for smooth panning, amongst other features.
Gralloching knife
An essential piece of equipment that you will certainly need for deerstalking is a knife for gralloching deer. There is an abundance of knives suitable for gralloching deer ranging in price from £10 all the way up to custom built knives that can sell for up to £400. Our advice would be that if you have little to no experience of sharpening knives, it would be advisable to start at the lower end of the price scale until you have mastered your sharpening skills, as it is very easy to ruin a custom knife with poor sharpening. You'll want to keep your knife in tip top condition and as sharp as possible so that the gralloching process can be carried out with ease. A blunt knife is a contributing factor to many knife injuries due to excess pressure needed to cut. To keep your knife sharp, a knife that has a scandi grind would be a good choice to learn the art of sharpening. The Scandinavian grind has a single bevelled grind right to the edge of the blade with no angle change, meaning that the knife edge is very thin and very sharp, one caveat being that due to such a thin edge, they don't tend to hold a sharp edge as long as other grinds. Having said that, it is very easy to sharpen a scandi grind knife which is why that is our recommendation. It is also very important that your knife handle is non porous for hygienic reasons. A budget knife that is perfectly adequate for the job would be the Swedish made Hultafors Craftsman's Knife https://amzn.to/4bdG6d2 (Amazon).
That concludes our list of 'must have' equipment for deerstalking. There are a number of additional items that can be added to your kit bag to make your deerstalking more efficient and enjoyable, however this list is what we would consider to be the minimum essentials to get you started. We will of course be discussing these additional items in a later blog post which you can keep up to date on by subscribing to the Fieldsports Guardian website completely FREE.
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