News

EXCELLENT GAME FAIR

We had a storming weekend at The Midlands, the weather was perfect and the crowds were out. Our stand was busy as usual, we had the most bookings ever so all our hard work and lack of sleep has paid off! It was lovely to chat to everyone, old faces and new, the tea and banter were flowing and we are really looking forward to the season ahead. It was great to catch up with our friends at Huntershill Safaris, it sounds like they had a cracking weekend too. A big thank you to the lads for all their help at the weekend. And special thanks to Kit for the amazing food, 5 star dining whilst camping cant be bad! Roll on next year!!

Busy as ever

Nice ribs Kit!!

It's alright for some!!

The new hat brigade!

SEE YOU AT THE MIDLANDS

It's that time of year again! And we are all systems go, getting everything ready to head to the Midland Game Fair at the weekend. We are all really looking forward to seeing everyone, old faces and new, so please come in and see us for a chat and maybe even a cup of tea! We are at stand A27 on Gunmakers Row - See you there!!

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!!

Its that time of year again! Despite the hideous weather we were out in force doing our annual jobs around the estates. Kit got stuck into building yet another bridge and Paul, Laurence and John got stuck with painting the larder floor, again! Meanwhile Dave, Sarah, Marie and I were strimming, lopping and clearing around the highseats, while Nick and Becca cleared a pathway through the wood and ditch to where the bridge was going, all getting soaked in the process. The afternoon dried up and we set to getting the bridge in place, lifting it on top of Nicks new Land Rover was no mean feat! All was going to plan until Dave got his truck stuck in a wet hole, with the truck abandoned we soldiered on and with a lot of hilarity and accompanied by the Mission Impossible theme tune we managed to get the bridge in place. Next was the task of freeing Daves truck, Nicks new Land Rover to the rescue!! With a bit of a push from the rest of us he managed to pull it free almost swinging into my truck in the process! Time to call it a day I think!

Sunday was like different season, beautiful weather. Perfect for clearing a path through the clearfell to our new bridge, which was quite a task. We set off like the seven dwarfs, all armed with a different sharp implement, Machete, scythe, axe and loppers to name but a few. With one in front clearing the initial pathway through the nettles then everyone following on behind with their tool of choice we ended up with a fantastic path. Watch out Nick, Becca was very adept with that machete!

Another productive weekend! A huge thank you to everyone for all their hard work and effort. We achieved loads and had lots of laugh along the way, as usual! Can I sign you up for next year?!!

Clearing Highseats

The Seven Dwarfs!!

A clear path at last!

Another stretch clear!

Strimming path to highseat

A well earned rest

Bridge building

Out!! Forty - Love

Just like that!!

No comment!!

(There's a theme here!!)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Last weekend we had a very successful and productive work weekend. The HDMG lads and a team of willing volunteers came up to Norfolk to try and get some jobs done while we are on our break from stalking. There’s always a lot to do and the list was bigger than ever this year but with a team of 11 of us we managed to get everything ticked off and more, even with a later than planned start on Sunday morning – mentioning no names!! The larder floor has been stripped and repainted thanks to Pauls and Laurences determination and Lances help with the roller -so hopefully my disastrous attempt last year can now be forgotten!! Thanks to Kit we now have a brand spanking new shut-able and lockable larder door, Nick and Steve got busy with the new stiles and bridges and Eddie, Ian, Lance and John got two new high seats up and managed to make some sort of clear paths in the dreaded clearfell (filling my trailer with firewood at the same time!!) and last but not least my trusty assistant Marie, armed with loppers and cutters we managed to clear around all of our highseats making obscured shots a thing of the past !
Thank you so much to everyone for all their hard work and effort, it really is very much appreciated and we certainly wouldn’t have got it all done without you . Same time next year?!!

Clearing the paths

Preparing the larder

Before.....

Gotcha Paul!!

..... and after

A well deserved rest!

Sitting down on the job!!

Not that well deserved!!

Installed bridge

No Comment!!!

THANK YOU

I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone for their support through not only the last few weeks but for the last few months. The offers of help and support have been overwhelming. It has been a real tribute to Mark to realise the extent of peoples respect and admiration for him and how many lives he had influenced and been a part of. The sheer number of letters, cards, emails, texts and phonecalls have been unbelievable and the stories and tales have been a real comfort and have certainly raised a few smiles! I would like to thank everyone who attended his funeral service, people travelled from all corners of the country to be there and just proved to us what a truly respected man Mark was. We would also like to thank everyone for their generous donations in memory of Mark, so far we have raised an amazing£1203.49! The collection will be divided equally between Cancer Research UK, The Colney Centre (at Norfolk & Norwich Hospital) and East Anglian Air Ambulance - a charity Mark had supported for years because (in Marks words) 'If I broke my leg out in the field that's who would come to help'!!

As Kit said (see below) we are going to continue with the business that Mark had built up so successfully and with the help of the lads behind me I'm sure that we will do him proud. Thank you all for your continued support and lets start this new season off with a bang!... or several I hope!

Thank you.

Kerrie

A SAD LOSS

It is with deep sadness that I inform you all of the sad loss of Mr Mark Jackson Snr. who died on Monday the 13th of May 2013 having bravely fought cancer for the last year.

In 2004 Mark gathered together a group of like-minded people interested in deer stalking and the management of deer and so HDMG was born. Mark was a keen countryman interested in all aspects of country life and hunting, always willing to impart his vast knowledge of deer management, stalking deer, game keeping, vermin control and the use of dogs for tracking deer. He was especially fond of working his beloved GWP Max, tracking deer whenever the need arose and accounting for many deer that would otherwise have been lost. Mark also had a great passion for sea fishing, which he shared with Kerrie on their annual holiday, this was a release from their hectic lifestyle of managing work, dogs, deer, clients and of course all of us on the HDMG team.

Having put so much time and effort into forming HDMG Mark wished that his legacy should continue in the same vein with Kerrie at the helm. Kerrie and the whole team will strive to move forward with the same professionalism and the fundamental principles that Mark nurtured and so it is with a mixture of pride and sadness that all his colleagues carry on his good works in the new chapter of HDMG. Mark will be sadly missed by all who knew him especially those of us that form the HDMG team.

On a personal note I've lost a good friend. Mark's no BS approach to life was an inspiration to me, he had both integrity and a sense of fair play seldom found in general, or especially in the deer stalking world, these days.

Mark is survived by his wife Kerrie, mum Audrey, sister Melanie, children Lindsey & Mark Jnr and grandchildren Noah & Sienna.

You will be sadly missed my old friend. Rest in peace.

M Kitchen (Kit)

MISSING THE MIDLANDS
Sadly HDMG won't be at the Midlands Game Fair this year. Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to cancel our usual stand. Apologies to any of our regular visitors but hopefully we will be back in full force in 2013.
HDMG hopes that the weather holds out for you all next weekend and that the Midlands is its usual success.

ITS ALL HAPPENING! (24/05/12)
What a week we,ve had! On top of having two calves born, the stags have shed their velvet and have started roaring and eyeing each other up (see picture below). Eeyore seems fairly relaxed about the whole affair this year but Milu seems to be constantly rounding up the hinds that haven’t got calves. Jack has been having some more ‘rutting lessons’ from Eeyore .Though Jack has a bit more body size and bigger antlers than last year he’s still no match for Eeyores bulk, but Eeyore is so gentle with him (see below). The two stags born last year, Zulu & Ronnie, are looking handsome now, they both have pedicles and suddenly look more stag-like, though they are keeping out of Milus way!! The calves are doing fine, they’ve been up and about and this sudden warm weather can’t be a bad thing for them, it’s still cool enough in the shade but at least they are not getting cold & wet like they would have been a week or so ago.

Eeyore (left) & Milu

Jack & Eeyore sparring

Zulu & Ronnie

DOUBLE WHAMMY!!
I arrived at the Park this morning (22/05/12) to find not one but two new calves!! Both were up and about and looking slightly wobbly. Our two year old hinds, Georgie & Raggles, had both had a calf on the same day. We returned later, armed with the camera, and found one laid up in a patch of nettles and the other by the fence. Mums were soon over to see what we were up to and after a quick feed they took them off towards the other hinds and calf, so we managed to get all 3 calves in one photo (see below).

Number 1

Number 2

All 3 calves

SUCCESSFUL COURSE WEEKEND
Despite the horrendous weather we had a great weekend, spirits weren’t dampened by the incessant rain and the banter was flowing. All of the candidates shot well down at the range from different shooting positions and with different rifles. We saw more deer than expected in the wet and windy conditions and four out of the five candidates got a shot. Two were shot on the Saturday evening and the young Red stag was taken back to the larder for the ‘gralloching lesson’. Everyone got their hands dirty and had a go despite being wet, cold and ready for a beer!

It was an early start on Sunday morning and, mentioning no names, some wished they could have stayed in bed! The rain poured and the wind howled but, surprisingly, we all saw several deer, mainly in the sheltered spots. Two more were shot that morning, unfortunately one had run into cover so the dogs were brought in for tracking, we all headed back to the larder for a team photo before breakfast. After breakfast it was back to larder again for skinning and butchering. With two muntjac carcases available the lads took it in turns to have a go at everything, and there wasn’t much left on the bone once they’d finished! Everyone mucked in with the clearing up before heading back to the classroom for a cuppa and a recap and moving on to The Angel for our Venison Dinner.
We would just like to say a huge thank you to our team for all the work they put in over the weekend but also to the 5 lads who came on the course, they were an absolute pleasure to take out and we all thoroughly enjoyed their company over the weekend. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

FIRST CALF FOR 2012
We have our first calf of the year! We are not sure whether it was born late yesterday or early this morning (17/04/12) but the weather is hideous - strong wind and heavy rain, so we hope it will be OK. Its mum was sheltering it from the elements so we didn’t disturb them. We will keep you posted on the sex of it and how it is fairing, the weather is set to stay for the week by the look of the forecast so fingers crossed it will be OK. See the Pere David Diary page for more pictures.

WELL DONE LADS
It is a sign of recognition in your field when people or companies start to claim to be responsible or instrumental in your success, however large or small that may be. However, Hockham Deer Manangement Groups success, or whatever you wish to call it, is due to no one other than the existing team, who's honesty, loyalty, integrity & enthusiasm for deer have actually made HDMG what it is today.
So to all the team at HDMG, you should be flattered, no, proud that other people wish to be associated with us and to take credit for our hard work and commitment.

Well done to all of you and keep up the good work!

Mark

HDMG COURSE FOR NOVICES

HDMG is set to run a new course for Novices in 2012. 'Introduction to Deer Stalking Course' is a practical course tailored to meet the needs of people interested in deer stalking but unsure where to start. It gives novices a chance to learn in a safe and relaxed environment with opportunities to observe, stalk and shoot wild deer and also to learn the practical, safety and hygiene issues surrounding deer stalking. For further information have a look on our 'Courses'page.

AT THE MIDLANDS

We had another fantastic show at the Midlands, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting new faces and catching up with the old ones. A huge thank you to all the team who put a lot of time and effort into the whole weekend. Also a special thank you to Steve, Paul & Mia. Steve & Paul are regular clients of ours who gave up precious shopping time to come on the stand on both days to give a clients perspective on HDMG, Mia kept us topped up with teas & coffees and cleared up from the aftermath of breakfasts!! We were all exhausted after a busy weekend but in Eddies words - ' How can you call talking about deer, stalking, guns & ammo all weekend and then have a drink with your mates in the evening, work?!' ...I couldnt agree more!
See you next year!!

Our stand

We were kept busy all weekend

Thanks to Kit for keeping us fed!

Sad News

Sadly Lulus calf died on Friday. There didn't appear to be anything specific wrong with her but early on Friday morning she was calling to her mum but wouldnt get up on her feet. Lulu seemed distressed but couldnt seem to do anything for her. When we returned an hour later she had already passed away. It's not uncommon with Pere Davids to lose their first calf and hopefully all will be well for Lulu to have another calf next year.

Lulus First Calf!

Lulu with her calf

Lulu, the first calf born in our deer park in 2009, has had a calf of her own. Born on Sunday (11/06/2011) the calf is doing well and though only two years old Lulu seems to have taken well to motherhood. This is our fourth Pere David calf this year and with only four mature hinds on our park, thats a pretty good ratio! Though with two females born last year it looks like we may have to extend the park if they have young ones as well next year!

...And a Third!

We've done it again! Calf number three for 2011 arrived on Thursday (02-06-11). Believe it or not he was born in the wallow with all the other deer around, the stags have started rutting and our guess is that the stag wouldn't let mum go off on her own during labour. Anyway, he is no worse for it, and is mingling in well with the rest of the herd! You can see (in the photo below) how much Minnie and Zulu have grown in two months, they look enormous compared to him!

Strutting her stuff!

New calf with Zulu (centre) & Minnie (left)

Shes not bothered by the stag even though hes in full rut!

All dried up!

Filling the water tanks

We dont expect this sort of weather at this time of year and our Pere David deer were really feeling the heat. With no rain for several weeks their wallow had dried up and they were finding it hard to cool down. Pumping the water out of a nearby source we were able to fill their wallow with water and soak some of the other areas in the hope that they may create another wallow to cool down in. Ensuring they have plenty of fresh clean water is especially important when the mothers are still feeding the calves. As you can see they seemed to appreciate our hard work!

Filling the water trough

Enjoying the wallow

Chase me! Chase me!

Minnie & Zulu, this years Pere David calves, are making the most of the cool morning, chasing around the field with not a care in the world! They appear to be inseperable now and dont seem to be bothered where their mums are, except for at feeding time! They especially enjoyed jumping around in the wallow after we had filled it with water (see above).

Just on its feet!

Still a bit wobbly!

...And another one!

Our second Pere David calf was born today (8/4/11) and was less than an hour old when we took the photos. Because it was only just on its feet and still with mum we don't know the sex yet but will keep you posted. We watched the hind in labour yesterday, hoping to catch the birth on video, but darkness got the better of us and on returning first thing this morning we found it up and about, though still very wobbly!

Less than an hour old.

First Calf for 2011

Here we go again! Born slightly earlier than expected, our first Pere David calf for 2011 was born on 22nd March. She is looking really well and, lucky for her, we appear to be having a mild spell at the moment, bearing in mind she was born 2 months earlier than any of the calfs we've had in previous years. Lets hope we dont have another cold snap !

As you can see, Mum & Calf are doing well.

One day old

Georgie (left) and Raggles, born in 2010.

New Highseats for a New Season
Some of the HDMG Field Operators enjoyed a team-building exercise this month - highseat construction! We managed to replace 2 of the existing highseats and also put another one up in a new location. It certainly tested our team work skills! We would especially like to thank Kit for keeping us supplied with tea and biscuits!!

If you like the look of the seats and would like to order one for yourself please contact Mark for further details. Tel: 07885 949352

Congratulations Martin !
Taxidermist, Martin Berndt took third place in   the 8th European Championship 2010 with his Chinese Water Deer mount.

Martin. from Germany, shot the CWD on HDMG land in January and got to work straight away to get the mount ready to enter into the European Championship.

He was thrilled with the result and, as you can see it is well deserved. We are looking forward to seeing the shoulder mounts of the Muntjac buck and doe he shot with us in March.