Hi all,
I'm just sat at my desk at work now and thinking back over what was a fantastic weekend up in Bedfordshire with Malc and the lads on CWD and Muntjac.
I arrived on Friday afternoon to stiff breezes and low temperatures and got settled in to the B&B we were all staying at. While a few of us were exchanging some banter and downing coffee like it was going out of fashion (no? Just me then!) the guys down from Fife arrived back with a stunning gold medal class CWD and a munty buck, also with a good head on him. That definitely whetted my appetite for the weekend to come!
After some dinner at the local pub we all retired to bed ready for the early start the next day.
Saturday morning came and the temperature and humidity were right up. Malc and I headed out on a foot stalk to see what we could spot, me silently regretting putting a jumper on that morning!
After a bit of a scout around Malc spotted a CWD right over the other side of a field we were on, so we stalked down the other side of the hedgerow and then crossed back through where there was an appropriate clearing. During our stalk the deer had carried on walking across the field and disappeared into cover.
Malc told me get set up on my sticks while he went back around the hedgerow to try to flush it out. Sure enough the deer reappeared however it wasnt hanging about and quickly vanished into a nearby hedgerow about 120m away. Exciting stuff for my first outing on CWD, great to see these little deer out in the wild and really interesting to learn more from Malc as always!
We headed back to the lodge ands picked up both Andy's en route. We also agreed that wearing jumpers was perhaps a tad overoptimistic!!
The weather worsened as the afternoon wore on and by the time the afternoon stalk came round the rain had set in heavily. Malc took Andy out and directed me to a high seat a few fields away.
By the time I had walked across several fields I had what felt like a stone of wet clay stuck to each boot and was lightly soaked by the rain hehe! My jacket was holding up well but the rain was starting to make its way through my trousers.
I got myself comfortable in the high seat and set in for the wait, glassing the field regularly for a sign of any deer. As the light started to fade and the rain seemed to intensify there was a small part of my brain that wryly questioned why I do this for fun
My wife certainly questioned me on just that when I got home the following day haha!
As the light drew in further a CWD starting making its way across the field to my left. Immediately my heart rate was up and, with a solid back stop due to the soft earth of the field and my elevated position, I knew the shot was on. I couldnt tell at this point whether it was a doe or a buck in the low light but it was definitely a CWD.
As I swung the rifle silently round the deer spotted the movement and looked up at me. By this point I had the deer in my sights and was motionless behind the rifle. The deer started picking its way across the field again and I gave a quick bark to stop it and took the shot.
Even with the moderator (yes, I now concede it is far better to use one and started using mine!) the crack of the .308 going off seemed loud in the quiet that existed moments before. I cycled the bolt as the deer took off for the hedges on the far side of the field, but within 20ft it was down and motionless.
I waited for a few minutes with the crosshairs on the fallen beast ready to take a follow up shot if needed, but none was. After the wait I unloaded, got down from the high seat, reloaded and made my way across the field. I would guesstimate the distance at 60-70m in the end and walking it felt like a surprisingly long way!
When I arrived I could see that I had taken a CWD doe and she was in good external condition with no patches in her coat. Flipping the doe over I could see that the 150gr Federal Power Shok had easily done the job with a small entry wound and larger exit wound, though without doing excessive meat damage. Overall I was impressed with the performance of the round!
To say I was buzzing at this point was an understatement - I had taken my first deer with my rifle and flying solo as well! I pinged Malc a text to see how he wanted me to do the extraction - Once I had the go ahead I got my head torch on (that paid for itself 10 times over that night!!) performed the gralloch, inspected the pluck and green for anything amiss and carried the carcass back to the truck where Malc and Andy were waiting.
Once back at the B&B I got all my wet kit on the radiator to dry, dried the rifle and ammo off and got showered and changed for dinner. Andy had to head home Saturday night so Malc and I went down to the local pub for some grub and a celebratory pint.
The next morning I was flying solo again at a high seat about 500m from the B&B - Now why cant all stalking be that civilised hehe!
I left the lodge before sunrise and headed to the seat, glad that the rain clouds had lifted and the sky was bright with stars. The temperature had dropped as well and I was hopeful that a munty or another CWD might show itself.
Sadly it was not to be this time as no deer showed, but I was able to enjoy an absolutely glorious sunrise and relive the previous evenings success in my mind.
Once back to the lodge I packed up my bags and loaded up the car, and Malc and I headed off back to our respective corners of the world.
I had a fantastic weekend with some quality banter in great company. It was great to see some friendly faces again (Malc, Andy and Steve) and great to meet some new people (the other Andy!) as well. I just would like to publicly thank Malc for the opportunity and experience, I'll remember this weekend for a very long time!
I'm just sat at my desk at work now and thinking back over what was a fantastic weekend up in Bedfordshire with Malc and the lads on CWD and Muntjac.
I arrived on Friday afternoon to stiff breezes and low temperatures and got settled in to the B&B we were all staying at. While a few of us were exchanging some banter and downing coffee like it was going out of fashion (no? Just me then!) the guys down from Fife arrived back with a stunning gold medal class CWD and a munty buck, also with a good head on him. That definitely whetted my appetite for the weekend to come!
After some dinner at the local pub we all retired to bed ready for the early start the next day.
Saturday morning came and the temperature and humidity were right up. Malc and I headed out on a foot stalk to see what we could spot, me silently regretting putting a jumper on that morning!
After a bit of a scout around Malc spotted a CWD right over the other side of a field we were on, so we stalked down the other side of the hedgerow and then crossed back through where there was an appropriate clearing. During our stalk the deer had carried on walking across the field and disappeared into cover.
Malc told me get set up on my sticks while he went back around the hedgerow to try to flush it out. Sure enough the deer reappeared however it wasnt hanging about and quickly vanished into a nearby hedgerow about 120m away. Exciting stuff for my first outing on CWD, great to see these little deer out in the wild and really interesting to learn more from Malc as always!
We headed back to the lodge ands picked up both Andy's en route. We also agreed that wearing jumpers was perhaps a tad overoptimistic!!
The weather worsened as the afternoon wore on and by the time the afternoon stalk came round the rain had set in heavily. Malc took Andy out and directed me to a high seat a few fields away.
By the time I had walked across several fields I had what felt like a stone of wet clay stuck to each boot and was lightly soaked by the rain hehe! My jacket was holding up well but the rain was starting to make its way through my trousers.
I got myself comfortable in the high seat and set in for the wait, glassing the field regularly for a sign of any deer. As the light started to fade and the rain seemed to intensify there was a small part of my brain that wryly questioned why I do this for fun
My wife certainly questioned me on just that when I got home the following day haha! As the light drew in further a CWD starting making its way across the field to my left. Immediately my heart rate was up and, with a solid back stop due to the soft earth of the field and my elevated position, I knew the shot was on. I couldnt tell at this point whether it was a doe or a buck in the low light but it was definitely a CWD.
As I swung the rifle silently round the deer spotted the movement and looked up at me. By this point I had the deer in my sights and was motionless behind the rifle. The deer started picking its way across the field again and I gave a quick bark to stop it and took the shot.
Even with the moderator (yes, I now concede it is far better to use one and started using mine!) the crack of the .308 going off seemed loud in the quiet that existed moments before. I cycled the bolt as the deer took off for the hedges on the far side of the field, but within 20ft it was down and motionless.
I waited for a few minutes with the crosshairs on the fallen beast ready to take a follow up shot if needed, but none was. After the wait I unloaded, got down from the high seat, reloaded and made my way across the field. I would guesstimate the distance at 60-70m in the end and walking it felt like a surprisingly long way!
When I arrived I could see that I had taken a CWD doe and she was in good external condition with no patches in her coat. Flipping the doe over I could see that the 150gr Federal Power Shok had easily done the job with a small entry wound and larger exit wound, though without doing excessive meat damage. Overall I was impressed with the performance of the round!
To say I was buzzing at this point was an understatement - I had taken my first deer with my rifle and flying solo as well! I pinged Malc a text to see how he wanted me to do the extraction - Once I had the go ahead I got my head torch on (that paid for itself 10 times over that night!!) performed the gralloch, inspected the pluck and green for anything amiss and carried the carcass back to the truck where Malc and Andy were waiting.
Once back at the B&B I got all my wet kit on the radiator to dry, dried the rifle and ammo off and got showered and changed for dinner. Andy had to head home Saturday night so Malc and I went down to the local pub for some grub and a celebratory pint.
The next morning I was flying solo again at a high seat about 500m from the B&B - Now why cant all stalking be that civilised hehe!
I left the lodge before sunrise and headed to the seat, glad that the rain clouds had lifted and the sky was bright with stars. The temperature had dropped as well and I was hopeful that a munty or another CWD might show itself.
Sadly it was not to be this time as no deer showed, but I was able to enjoy an absolutely glorious sunrise and relive the previous evenings success in my mind.
Once back to the lodge I packed up my bags and loaded up the car, and Malc and I headed off back to our respective corners of the world.
I had a fantastic weekend with some quality banter in great company. It was great to see some friendly faces again (Malc, Andy and Steve) and great to meet some new people (the other Andy!) as well. I just would like to publicly thank Malc for the opportunity and experience, I'll remember this weekend for a very long time!
All the best mate!
