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Spending a year in old West Germany back in the early eighties I did quite a bit of hunting in various areas, used a 6.5x54 MS full stocked rifle to take my first Roe Buck, a 7x65R to take a doe and yearling, a 6.5x55 for another doe and can't recall what I was using for another buck. I carried a variety of other loan rifles on other hunts but can't recall what they were other than definitely do recall being handed an 8x57 with a loaded magazine by a farmer who had his own hunting area to do an evening hunt for roe deer. Once I found and climbed into the hochsitz I was given directions to my horror when opening the bolt I saw a variety of cartridges in the magazine, all 8x57 but I don't think any two were the same. Was praying that I didn't need to shoot, would likely have not attempted even if I did get a chance. Was not buck season so only shooting does however I wasn't about to sully my record to date for one shot kills.

Went on some driven hunts and chamois hunts but let my friends do most of the shooting as I had vastly more and varied hunting experience than my German acquaintances and by then had shot a pile of our various deer species, chamois and tahr so was happy just to be in the field with gun in hand and let my friends take animals.

Everyone used a variety of cartridges in various action types and seemed to try and match different cartridges and loadings for different game. I know there were calibre and energy limits for some game but personally I would have chosen a 222 or 243 for the small Roe deer or just stayed with a 7x57 or 7mm-08 and my favourite, a 140gr Sierra Gameking for everything. Much of the hunting is from the hochsitz so the shot can be picked and most avoid taking running shots at all cost unless they wound with the first shot or are on a driven game hunt. Running shots for me were bread and butter but when in Rome do as Romans do so I had to keep my finger off the trigger more than I normally would.

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Interesting post.

My experience has been my Europeans friends do a lot more running shooting that I do. The opposite to your experience. Running elg/alg/moose. And running boar and driven game hunts.

I have enjoyed joining friends and acquaintances in hochsitz. Never fired a shot from one myself though.

I would love a roebuck or two on the wall. I am envious of European friends here or over there with a "hundred" roebuck skull mounts on the wall. One or two would satisfy me. A proper shoulder mount too. When at University I used to walk past a store selling a lovely ceramic roe buck head. I would have loved to buy it. Out of my student wallet capacity at the time. Hunted them in several places but no "trophy" buck. Now I do have an invitation, starting 15 years ago or so from one good member to visit him. I should have back then. A few years ago he mentioned it again, when I wasn't heading to Europe anytime soon and two years ago again, when I was heading to Romania. Flying over to Bavaria should have been easy, but alas my wife had booked everything already and it could not be changed. I just want to visit a good guy and spend some time in his forests with him.

The 5.6x50 mm and R, makes a great roe deer choice as well. I need to find the pdf of an article I wrote on using one here in the Barossa.

Your experiences and time in Europe sounds like a very good experience.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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