Forecast looked excellent for today, at last, so took the day off to see if I could add one or two more to the cull.
Up early doors, arrived on the ground 15 minutes early, sat tight until I could see and set off with the dog.
Covered about 100 acres. Didn't see a sausage, apart from 4 very safe Roe who were 400 yds over the boundary.
Quick cup of tea, only 0830, so set off for a second patch. Covered a couple of hundred acres this time, two fields which are usually absolute bankers. But again, not a sausage. Didn't see anything, didn't bump anything and the dog didn't wind anything. Most unusual.
Went and had a cup of tea with the keeper. He had been seeing a few but not many. Plenty of slots about though.
1100, and another 100 acre patch. It's mostly arable, 30 acre fields with little spinnies in the corners. Maze is pretty flat now, so covering a lot of ground quite quickly is pretty easy. Again, nothing.
I have been on this piece of ground for 8 years now and I don't think I have every covered so much ground and not seen anything before.
Time for a spot of lunch. I thought I would go and eat it in the high seat in the woods. Sat the dog up underneath, climbed up, took the first bite of ham, cheese and pickle on brown and out pop 5 Roe, 3 Does and 2 Bucks. 100 yds away on the ride. Shot two Does (well, a Doe and last years calf), finished my sandwich and tidied them up.
5 hours of creeping around the fields and seeing nothing. 5 minutes in a high seat and bingo.
Still prefer creeping around the fields!
Up early doors, arrived on the ground 15 minutes early, sat tight until I could see and set off with the dog.
Covered about 100 acres. Didn't see a sausage, apart from 4 very safe Roe who were 400 yds over the boundary.
Quick cup of tea, only 0830, so set off for a second patch. Covered a couple of hundred acres this time, two fields which are usually absolute bankers. But again, not a sausage. Didn't see anything, didn't bump anything and the dog didn't wind anything. Most unusual.
Went and had a cup of tea with the keeper. He had been seeing a few but not many. Plenty of slots about though.
1100, and another 100 acre patch. It's mostly arable, 30 acre fields with little spinnies in the corners. Maze is pretty flat now, so covering a lot of ground quite quickly is pretty easy. Again, nothing.
I have been on this piece of ground for 8 years now and I don't think I have every covered so much ground and not seen anything before.
Time for a spot of lunch. I thought I would go and eat it in the high seat in the woods. Sat the dog up underneath, climbed up, took the first bite of ham, cheese and pickle on brown and out pop 5 Roe, 3 Does and 2 Bucks. 100 yds away on the ride. Shot two Does (well, a Doe and last years calf), finished my sandwich and tidied them up.
5 hours of creeping around the fields and seeing nothing. 5 minutes in a high seat and bingo.
Still prefer creeping around the fields!