Jon Snowdon

Jon Snowdon

Jon Snowdon is a professional stalking guide and his passion is with Roe deer and their life cycle. Jon has also guided guests on most of the deer species in Britain. He is also a BASC approved assessor and trainer for the Deer stalking qualifications DSC 1 & 2.

 

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deer dogs

The opening of the roebuck season starts on 1 April. The deer management group occasionally go out together to catch up on the last few does for the cull and…

roe

For us here in Northumberland, whilst we hope to have at least come close to our management plan cull, the month of February is a critical period. As an aside…

Deer in rut

The glorious roe rut is alive. Proceedings start around mid-July and rise to the peak later in the month and into the first weeks of August. That said, rutting behaviour…

Roe deer

Deer stalking: My deer stalking friend tells me it’s possible to ‘call’ Roe deer. Is this only possible at certain times of the year or can they be called anytime?…

deer fighting

Last October I saw for the first time a battle between two big fallow bucks. The violence astonished me and makes me wonder how often they are killed?

save the red squirrel

We are fortunate in Northumberland to still have pockets of the native red squirrel in several areas. This is not by accident. The work that is quietly being carried out…

Roe deer hunting

We are in the thick of the doe season as I write and trying to catch up the numbers on one estate. Parts of this ground can be quite disturbed…

taking a shot

  Leaving aside the stalking skill, knowledge of the quarry, correct rifle mount, stability of position, breath control and all the other disciplines needed for an accurate shot, what do I wait for in…

This January, I was thrilled to be asked back to France by my old deerstalking guest Thomas and his father, Gilles, to take part in two driven shoots on boar…

spot tb in deer

The first recorded instance of tuberculosis having been transferred from a cat to a human was reported recently. I wonder if this surprised any of us whose work involves animals.…

The many laws around deerstalking are designed to protect animal welfare, which is why poaching is not only illegal but often also cruel

Forget about meat loss caused by a bullet, says Jon. The overriding consideration for every stalker is to bring about the quickest kill possible.