Been looking and trying to plan a hunt for stag and always something coming up. Well I threw a hunt together on short notice and it worked out great! Ended up hunting with Daniel Haverlah southeast of Junction. Young man was great company on hunt and helpful from first contact till I left his place. Met me at gate with old story of good news/bad news! Told him just spit it all out, turn out the bad wasn't so bad...about 7 miles of dirt road to house. Not bad road but the Escalade crowd might not be as gung ho as most of us. The good news was stag are on the roar! I was ready and willing to put in 3 or 4 days if needed but the roar helps thin that number down. We got out and toured around that evening and saw a couple smaller stag just no mass but were crowning, passed and set in popup till sundown. Right before sun set you could hear them tuning up all around me but were coming in fast enough for dark. Monday morning Daniel and I were out waiting for sunrise on bluff watching over meadow. Sun had barely broke and could hear four stag in meadow out of sight and maybe another 4-5 on top with us. Spotted one on bottom with couple hinds but about 700 yards away. I have shot my 264 that far but it was at a rock so not same as game. We walked awhile and listened to the stag music, it was everywhere! Hard to pick a direction when they sound so promising. We ended up where we could work down to meadow but somehow our walk down must have been as stag was on his way up! We walked the long way back to top to keep good wind and in doing so we stalked about 50 yards behind a small stag in oak mote, we passed him on our loop back to Polaris but 1/4 mile from our ride we saw a big body through the oaks. We dropped and looked through binos and I saw hinds to the right of stag so knew he was a decent stag to have some this soon in roar. He turned his head and Daniel said good mass ,best we had seen yet. Good enough for me as it's my first stag and personel troghy I am good to go! He threw out shooting sticks and my handy old Pre 64 264 mag plopped right on them, we were half squatted down to see stag under oak limbs but over cedar bush. Had clear view of vitals and stag didn't look like he was waiting long, rifle sat, Daniel ask if shot was clear, saftey went off, and loud boom from 140 grain drifting along around 3200 fps! Saw stag jump and kick and run into thicket, we discussed shot and decided to give him time and we would go get Polaris and come back. We came back and went to where stag was at shot and found no blood but there was tracks in grass thanks to dew, walked slowly about 75 yrds and found him laying dead. I was shocked the bullet didn't pass through but dead is dead, found bullet during skinning and still had 83 grains out of 140 with great expansion right under skin on off side of body. I have pictures just no photobucket. I can text them if someone would post them! Not a monster but I am very pleased with my 8x8 stag.

Nice Stag!

Pretty stag

Congrats!

he is a beautiful stag and a great story

Very Nice

Super stag & loved your story! Congrats!!
Diane

X2

Congrats on a fine Stag and thank you for all the detail in the recap. Well Done Sir. Baker

Nice stag and nice story! My brother and I both shot red stag during the roar in Argentina last spring. It's every bit as thrilling as hunting elk in the rut. We also used 140 bullets, but Barnes TTSXs in 7mm RM, which resulted in complete pass-throughs (and also on two fallow deer and one blackbuck). What brand of bullet did you load in your .264? And I presume your pre-64 M70 was the one marketed as the "Westerner"? If so, they're very much the collector's item these days.

Congrats!

Congratulations. Sounds like you had an exciting hunt.

Eddie

Great story and nice Stag!

Thank you. The bullets I load are the old Winchester bullets, they are dual diameter. Not made anymore, it all they could get to shoot out of the pre 64,it's not the westerner just standard grade M70 pre64. Dad wasn't real fond of the stamped checkering of latter versions of post 64's. He tried to talk me into shooting the Super Grade 375....that ain't happening! Dad is pre 64 nut! Thanks for photo Daniel, he took some good photo's for me!

That is a beautiful red deer! Congrats!

Beautiful trophy and great read - congratulations!