Hunting Roebucks in the Swedish Wilderness

This article was contributed by Kevin Björkman who is an avid hunter and outdoorsman located in Sweden. We are excited to bring some international flare to our website. In this adventure article Kevin will be telling the story of shooting a Roebuck on the opening day of the season.

What is a Roebuck you ask? Simply put, a Roebuck is a male Roe Deer. Roe Deer are a Eurasian species of deer which populate almost the entire European continent. They are smaller than North American Whitetail Deer and often fluctuate in size depending on the availability of food. They are usually grey and reddish brown in color. These deer are very well adapted to the colder weather found throughout Europe. Roe deer have a diet that is very similar to that of most other deer to include grass, leaves, and berries. The meat from this dear has been described as being “delicate” and is popular in many regions of Europe.

It was a cold August morning in Southern Sweden. The fog was so thick over the fields that it could clearly be seen, even at night. I was setting out to hunt Roe Deer on the morning of the season opener. I had scouted the area several times and had chosen a location to sit for opening morning.

I walked in the dark to my  chosen hunting site and sat down to get comfortable. I patiently watched as the sun began to slowly rise up over the horizon. I continuously scanned my surroundings because knew the deer would go out in the field within the next hour. I sat and waited while I enjoyed the morning as it was unfolding in front of me. The sun began to light up the large filed which laid before me.
The sun fully rose and after a few minutes, a female roe deer walked out of the woods with her two calves [fawns]. I felt my adrenaline rush immediately because I knew that the females Roe Deer rarely travel without a Roebuck following. The two calves started to play out in the field and did not see me sitting near a tree. They leaped around and played with each other. This was enough to brighten my day beyond my normal level of excitement.

The morning became more enjoyable when, after about 10 minutes, a buck appeared out of the woods to greet the other deer. He was standing at 200 meters [218 yards] which was a bit far for me to shoot. So I started to call him closer. Roebucks generally respond very well to calls and will quickly advance in the direction from which the call originates. He was attentive but was moving slowly towards me. He continued to creep gently but eventually he stopped and stood at 120 meters [131 yards].

I looked though my scope to look him over more closely. He showed sound body characters in relation to the other Roebucks that I have seen. I don’t know what startled him but he began to run. I leveled my sights on his center mass and squeezed the trigger. The bullet fired from my rifle and struck him as he ran. He collapsed immediately and ceased moving.

I waited a few minutes and then walked over to where the deer had fallen. As I walked, I thought about how successful the hunt had gone and how enjoyable my morning was. I stood over the deer and inspected the animal.

It was not the biggest buck I had ever shot but he was a quality deer none the less. That morning was a pleasant hunting memory that I will never forget.

Be sure to check out Kevin’s Instagram and Youtube Channel where he documents his adventurous hunts in Sweden.