Craig Boddington has hunted across six continents and pursued hundreds of game species, yet a spring roebuck stalk in the English countryside still ranks among hunting's great experiences. In this guest article, Simon K. Barr joins Craig in Berkshire to explore the traditions of British roe stalking, the behaviour of mature bucks and the equipment chosen for the hunt, including Hornady's 275 Rigby 140 grain InterLock ammunition. The result is a fascinating account of classic stalking, thoughtful deer management and why some hunting experiences never lose their appeal.

There are few greater pleasures than the spring crack of dawn breaking over England's green and pleasant land, the dew-kissed fields stretching before you and the prospect of a decent old buck in the company of one of the world's most accomplished hunters. My recent trip with Craig Boddington in the rolling downland countryside near Newbury provided exactly this magical combination, along with some fascinating insights into the behaviour of our native roe deer that challenged conventional wisdom.

The stalking ground lay in the heart of Berkshire, just south of the historic market town of Newbury. This is quintessentially English countryside, where chalk downlands meet ancient woodlands and where agriculture has shaped the landscape for centuries. The Berkshire Downs extend southward here, their gentle undulations providing perfect habitat for roe, muntjac and fallow, a mix of open arable land interspersed with copses, thick hedgerows, and remnant woodlands that trace their lineage back to the great forests that once covered southern England.

May in England has been unusually dry this year. For six weeks preceding our trip, there had been barely a drop of rain, most unusual for a country where discussing the weather is a national pastime. The drought had left the ground firm underfoot, creating ideal stalking conditions. The spring vegetation, although late due to lack of rain, was still lush and verdant, providing excellent cover for our quarry, while the wide prairie-like fields offered clear opportunities to stealthily stalk along hedgerows into safe shooting positions.

Alex Nielson, our guide and one of the most knowledgeable stalkers in the UK, revealed his intimate understanding of this particular patch of British countryside. His knowledge extended far beyond simply knowing where deer might be found; he understood their daily rhythms, their preferred feeding areas, and most importantly for our purposes, where specific mature bucks hung out, intelligence gathered through many hours of observation and an established network of trail cameras.

To hunt with Craig Boddington is to share the field with one of the most storied hunters ever to live. A former US Marine Colonel who served with distinction in both the Gulf War and Kuwait, Craig has written over 4,000 published magazine articles and authored 25 books on hunting and shooting, published across six continents. His hunting expeditions have quite literally spanned the globe, taking him to over 56 countries in pursuit of some 300 species. The man has achieved virtually every hunting milestone imaginable, including Africa's Big Five, 100 cape buffalo, all nine principal spiral-horned antelopes and holds both the Capra Super 30 and Ovis Super 20, along with multiple North American grand slams.

Craig also won the highly prestigious Weatherby Award in 2017, an accolade not given for a specific number of animals hunted, but rather for the breadth, difficulty, and ethical standards of a hunter's lifetime achievements.

Yet for all his international adventures, Craig retains a deep appreciation for more simple and traditional hunting pursuits. It had been nearly a decade since we last stalked roebuck together in the UK, that time in neighbouring Hampshire. It was a joy to have him back in Britain again. His enthusiasm for our native roe deer remained undimmed, and his respect for all flora and fauna was evident. A true gentleman and still a student of the animals.

Craig had chosen the perfect rifle for our hunt: a Rigby Highland Stalker chambered in .275 Rigby. This rifle represents the modern incarnation of the classic sporting rifles that made Rigby's reputation in the early 20th century, used by legendary hunters like Karamoja Bell and Jim Corbett. Featuring a stunning walnut stock with hand-cut chequering and traditional Rigby pattern iron sights, it weighed 7.8 pounds. With its 22-inch barrel, the Highland Stalker embodied everything that makes British sporting rifles special. We could have used a plastic rifle to the same end, but it would not have put so much of a smile on Craig's, Alex's, or my face.

The .275 Rigby is one and the same calibre as the 7x57 Mauser, developed in 1892 but rebranded for the British market in 1907, when John Rigby & Co. recognised that a metric designation might have less appeal among their British customers than an Imperial moniker. The 7x57 had also been used in anger against the British in the Boer War, so it made great sense to rebrand and also use the Rigby name that was so synonymous with adventure and hunting. It is one of the only cartridges with two names and can be shot out of rifles proofed for either. This underlines the deep partnership between Paul Mauser and John Rigby that goes back well over 100 years, a partnership that is thriving again since 2012, when both companies became part of the Blaser Group.

Rigby modernised the cartridge for sporting purposes, loading both solid and expanding 140-grain spitzer bullets, with their 1924 catalogue claiming a muzzle velocities of 3,000 fps. The Highland Stalker Craig used featured the "High Velocity" variant, optimised for 140-grain bullets through a modified throat design that gave superior accuracy with these lighter projectiles.

For our roe stalking, Craig opted for Hornady .275 Rigby 140 grain InterLock ammunition an ideal choice for roe deer. The combination of moderate velocity, reliable expansion, and excellent accuracy made this load perfectly suited to the ranges and shooting opportunities we were likely to encounter.

The rifle was topped with a Leica Fortis 1.8-12x42i scope in the glossy edition. Each Glossy Fortis riflescope is hand-polished for 1½ hours, making it genuinely one-of-a-kind. With a vintage Leica badge and its retro look, they are perfectly matched for the Highland Stalker but have all the benefits of modern optics from Leica, plus an illuminated reticle.

For rangefinding duties, not that the shots were likely to be further than 200 metres, I had loaned Craig my pair of Leica 8x32 Geovid Pro binoculars in olive green. These are so compact compared to their larger sibling, the 10x42 Geovid Pro. For me, I would rather sacrifice a marginal amount of last-light optical performance to have something so compact. They are my favourite rangefinding binoculars I have ever owned.

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are one of only two deer species truly native to Britain, the other being red deer. Archaeological evidence dates their presence back to the Mesolithic period, between 6,000 and 10,000 years BC. During the late medieval period, British roe deer populations were severely reduced, probably as a result of overhunting and deforestation, with populations confined largely to parts of Scotland by the 16th century. Remarkably, the current population boom means that roe are now estimated at over 800,000 individuals, making them the most wide-ranging deer species in Britain, with populations growing at approximately 2.3% per year.

Roe deer are relatively small, standing 24-30 inches at the shoulder and measuring 33-55 inches in length, with weights typically ranging from 18-48 pounds for adults. Males are distinguished by their short, erect antlers, which normally feature three points (tines) on each side, when fully developed.

One of the most fascinating aspects of roe deer biology is their unique antler cycle. Unlike most cervids, roe deer cast their antlers in autumn (October-December, peaking in November) and regrow them during winter, with velvet being shed in mid-February/March. This means they carry hard antlers throughout spring and summer—exactly when we were stalking them in May. The antler cycle involves complex hormonal regulation, with testosterone levels playing a crucial role in growth, mineralisation, and eventual shedding.

During the rut, which occurs from mid-July to late August, bucks become highly territorial and aggressive, defending their territories and competing for access to does. After mating, females delay implantation of the fertilised egg until January, ensuring that young are not born during harsher winter months. Two white-spotted scentless kids are typically born to each doe in May.

In England and Wales, roe stalking operates under strict seasonal regulations. Roebuck season runs from 1st April to 31st October, while doe season extends from 1st November to 31st March. This means the species can be hunted year round. The law requires the use of legal minimum calibres and energy and prohibits shooting at night (except under licence).. These regulations ensure sustainable management of deer populations while maintaining high ethical standards.

It is legal for hunters to borrow a rifle from a licence holder under the ‘estate rifle rule’ which makes travelling from aboard to hunt far less stressful as the airlines become less helpful in this endeavour.

Our hunt consisted of three outings, each beginning with the religiously early 4:00 AM starts that May's lengthy daylight hours demanded. At 51 degrees north latitude, dawn breaks remarkably early in late spring, and roe deer are most active during these precious golden hours when the world mostly belongs to hunters and deer alone.

Alex's knowledge proved invaluable, but it also challenged some fundamental assumptions about roe deer behaviour. Conventional wisdom suggests that roe deer prefer woodland edges and thick cover, seeking security in the dappled shadows beneath the canopy. However, Alex's observations over many seasons had revealed a fascinating pattern that contradicted this received wisdom.

"The larger, more mature bucks are consistently found in the open fields rather than the woodland," Alex explained as we glassed across a promising piece of arable land. "It seems counterintuitive given that the fields offer less cover, but the evidence is overwhelming. Woodland bucks take approximately a year longer to reach the same size and consistently develop smaller skulls than their field-dwelling siblings."

This observation makes biological sense when considered carefully. Open agricultural land typically offers richer nutrition than woodland browse, particularly during the growing season. The high-protein crops and varied plant species available in field margins provide the building blocks necessary for optimal antler development and body condition. While woodland offers security, it comes at the cost of nutritional quality, a trade-off that larger genetic bucks seem instinctively to understand.

The stalking itself was everything one could hope for on English downland. We moved carefully through the early morning landscape, using every fold in the ground, every hedgerow, and every copse to mask our approach to the mature bucks we glassed. The firm, dry conditions allowed us to move with unusual stealth, while the lush spring vegetation provided excellent cover for both the deer and our stalks.

Our patience and persistence were rewarded with encounters with four mature bucks across the three outings. While none achieved medal class proportions, each represented a worthy wall-hanging trophy and a successful culmination to carefully planned stalks. Of particular note was one buck sporting fascinating malformed antlers, an unusual asymmetrical formation that delighted Craig. Such deformed antlers are not uncommon in roe deer, with the most extreme form being a 'perruque' a spongy mass of bone and velvet that forms when testosterone fails to arrest antler growth, usually due to testicular injury, an occupational hazard when leaping barbed stock fences in southern England.

What made our hunt even more remarkable was Craig's recent medical history. Just one week before arriving in England, he had undergone cataract and lens surgery, a procedure that had literally transformed his vision overnight. "The clouds have lifted," he remarked with obvious delight during one of our morning stalks, explaining how the surgery had restored clarity he hadn't experienced in years. This renewed vision had rekindled his enthusiasm for using iron sights on a forthcoming African hunt, something he had reluctantly abandoned several years earlier as his eyesight deteriorated.

At 73 years of age, Craig's speed of target acquisition and precision of shot placement were nothing short of extraordinary. His ability to quickly assess the safety of a situation, find his mark in the scope and deliver precisely placed shots was a masterclass in field shooting. Years of experience combined with recently restored vision created a formidable combination.

Perhaps even more impressive was watching Craig handle the right-handed Highland Stalker as a left-handed shooter. His ability to reload and cycle the bolt with his left hand was quite remarkable to observe, a fluid, practiced motion that spoke of decades of adaptation. When I asked him about this unusual technique, Craig smiled and explained that he'd been forced to develop this skill over the years simply because left-handed versions of many rifle models simply aren't available. "You learn to adapt," he said with characteristic pragmatism, "especially when you hunt all over the world with different rifles."

Roe deer now present both opportunities and challenges for British countryside management. They can cause significant damage to young woodlands and agricultural crops through browsing, yet many landowners and rural industries utilise deer stalking and venison sales as supplementary income. Modern management strategies emphasise the need to balance sustainable deer populations with environmental needs, with culling levels of 15-25% typically sufficient to prevent population increases in most British roe deer populations.

Our stalking trip represented exactly this type of sustainable management. Each buck taken was carefully selected based on age, condition, and contribution to overall herd health. None were young animals with their best years ahead of them; all were mature individuals whose removal would benefit the overall population structure.

As our hunt drew to a close, we reflected on the unique pleasures of roe stalking in the English countryside, particularly with a nice rifle. There's something deeply satisfying about pursuing our native deer in their ancestral homeland, something that connects us to centuries of British sporting tradition. The combination of challenging stalks, beautiful countryside, perfect weather, a walnut stock and exceptional company had made this about as good as it gets.

Craig's genuine enthusiasm for hunting, despite his vast international experience, reminded me why roe stalking holds such a special place in the hearts of hunters the world over. These are not exotic trophies from distant lands, but our own deer in our own countryside, this somehow makes the achievement all the more meaningful.

Rigby’s Highland Stalker performed perfectly throughout, proving that the marriage of traditional design with modern manufacturing techniques can produce sporting rifles of exceptional quality. Life is too short for crappy rifles. Similarly, the Leica optics had demonstrated why they remain the gold standard for serious hunters worldwide.

Perhaps most importantly, Alex's insights into roe deer behaviour had challenged our preconceptions and deepened our understanding of these remarkable animals. The knowledge that mature bucks choose open fields over woodland security reveals the complex calculations these animals make in their daily lives, prioritising nutrition over immediate safety in their quest for dominance and reproductive success.

As we gralloched the final buck and loaded it into Alex's Toyota Hilux, we watched the sun climb higher over the Berkshire downs. I was reminded once again why pursuing roe deer offers such enduring appeal. The hunt had been everything we could have hoped for, from sharing my native UK at its spring finest with a sporting legend, to witnessing some exceptional shots and great camaraderie along the way. This was a true reminder of exactly why I love to enjoy and share this every year.

The author wishes to thank Alex Nielson for his exceptional guiding and deep knowledge of roe deer behaviour, and Craig Boddington for his friendship, companionship and knowledge over many years.