Hunting deer with a WWI Mauser

Joe Wood MBE takes his First World War Mauser out to find a muntjac or roebuck in Lincolnshire. It’s an unusual rifle, with open sights and he talks through its capabilities to a backdrop of deer.
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Why shoot deer?
There are more than two million red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer in Britain’s countryside and semi-urban areas, the highest level for 1,000 years. Numbers have doubled since 1999, according to the Deer Initiative, the UK government’s deer agency.
Deer are an attractive and an important part of our wildlife. However, they have no natural predator in the UK so numbers must be sensibly and strategically managed to keep them in balance with their habitat and to prevent damage to crops, trees, woodland flora, gardens and other wildlife.
Deer cause £4.5 million-worth (Forestry Commission Scotland) of damage to plantations and other commercial woodlands in Scotland. Crop damage is estimated at £4.3m a year according to DEFRA, with the greatest damage on cereal crops in east and south-west England.
More than 8,000 hectares (Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology) of woodland with SSI status is currently in ‘unfavourable’ or ‘recovering’ condition due to deer impacts such as browsing and fraying. Deer can also influence the variety of wildlife in woodlands and other habitats by altering structural and plant species diversity. According to the University of East Anglia’s Dr Paul Dolman, that has resulted in a 50% decline in woodland bird numbers where deer are present, impacting particularly on nightingales, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and warblers.
Deer are susceptible to Bovine TB and may be responsible for the transmission of TB to cattle. They are also the likely driver behind the UK’s increasing tick population (Scharlemann et al 2008).
Happily, venison is a delicious meat. It is wild, natural and free range, and - almost fat-free - it is one of the healthiest meats available today. Results from research commissioned by the Game-to-Eat campaign (Leatherhead Food International Research 2006) suggest that there are real health benefits to eating game. Venison is high in protein, low in saturated fatty acids and contains higher levels of iron than any other red meat.
We’re proud to promote enjoyment of fieldsports and the countryside. There are three guiding principles to everything we do on Fieldsports Channel:
▶ Shoot responsibly
▶ Respect the quarry
▶ Ensure a humane, clean and quick kill

[@kokorico5416]

Classic rifle,iron sights,wooden stock,no fancy camo clothes. Sometimes simplicity is the biggest luxury.

[@high_elms]

My thoughts exactly

[@andrewtheisen7072]

8 mm is a great deer hunting round . Last year I shot a nice 9 point buck dropped dead In its tracks. With a 1943 K 98 Mauser open sights.

[@gbrinfo]

Hi from France ! 8X57 IS is a great cartridge to reload (196 grs) . I reload it with 2.75grams of N150 and S&B bullets . Some change the WWI 98 front sight with WW2 98 front sight to offset the 400m range

[@lisamccrary3202]

That cartridge is really good. I have some for my 30-06 and 243.

[@coreystoner4129]

A trick for seeing your iron sights in low light is to paint the front blade with white nail polish and it shows up well. I wouldn’t be afraid to shoot that gun out to 200 yards open sights. I use a 50 cal flintlock and I can stack 3 round balls on top of each other at 100 yards

[@MrPh30]

8mm is one of finest cartridges of them all going strong since 1888 ,and IS in 1905

[@dennispfeifer7788]

I have an M96 Swedish Mauser made in 1900. sights lowest setting is 300 meters...it's 1.5 inch groups hit 8 inches high at 100 yards if this helps. You will need to aim about 10 inches low or the bottom of the belly at 100 yards. I thought you government would not allow blokes to own a firearm because the politicians consider you children or they consider you a threat against their corruption.

[@texascastblast5011]

I love using ww1 and ww2 rifle for wild boar hunting, I intend on taking my Finnish Mosin 1891 this deer season

[@CroHunter001]

Quite popular round in Croatia, and in Germany

[@Wildwestwrangler]

50 to 70 meters only for an accurate shot?!!!! Really dude?!!! You should be able to get at least a 4 inch group at 100 yards!!!

[@JeremyS86]

rifling/muzzle could be worn out

[@Wildwestwrangler]

@@JeremyS86 true. Or maybe sat after a wet hunting season and rifling degraded. I have learned that without a bore scope a barrel can look good, but have problems in the middle of the barrel that damage your projectile and harm accuracy.

[@JeremyS86]

@@Wildwestwrangler a lot of those old milsurp guns are worn out. ive thankfully lucked out, but i always buy in person. ive seen some bad ones

[@mgriffin42455]

I much prefer the 6.5 swede from the same era. -Kentucky

[@PepeSnow]

beautiful rifle

[@seppa1019]

Sako makes off the shelf hunting ammo for that.

[@tomslongguns443]

I've killed many of deer with a 8mm Mauser . Great rifle to hunt with .

[@Jamesabernathy2010]

Where do you buy one from plz

[@goodbarbenie5477]

Ahem...In me good olde days, I managed to catch and take out a"Gook" in the Bushwar in Rhodesia at 600yards. For he'd been give us a lot of problems. It was hot and sweaty, no wind I cased him as he was climbing a hill. I lay down literally melted into the Earth and give him my best shot, before he disappeared. And I dropped him as he was takin his final step. I managed to do just that with my Mauser with telescopic sights... Hah. I became the hero of the day... If nothing else Germans do make good weaponry...Hahaa.

[@user-herang]

👏👏

[@billwhitman5705]

What a complete waste of time.

[@peterchilds2436]

what a brave man he is family must be so proud of him feeding deer then killing them a true man ???? Let’s hope he don’t fall over with a gun oh shit

[@robbiecarswell4566]

I take it you don't eat meat then?

[@Baron-Ortega]

He's an MBE what are you?

[@donmarshall4888]

I think he identifies as a cat. Cat’s only eat cat food, not meat, because cats are vegetarians right? Probably Californian as well.