Well as I don't get out much, I haven't done a write up before, so here goes.
I've been to a bit of paid stalking 3 times now, first time didn't see anything, second time only a muntjac through the guides newly acquired thermal in the dark.
Yesterday was the third visit and this time I opted for an afternoon site. Unlike the first two times, where the deer hadn't read their instructions, they had this time!
An hour or so in, and out the corner of my eye I see an almost white in comparison to its background CWD moving through the bushes some 20 yards away.
I'm told "gun up" which was the easy part, even though we're 12 foot up, I'm sure it was looking straight at me.
I got ready, but being left handed and it was to my left, I needed to move my left leg to get further round. Balls, gone in a flash!
I'm now thinking that's my chance gone for the day, not so this time. What seemed like minutes, I get a nudge "muntjac up front, 95 yards", it stops perfectly centre on the ride broadside looking our way.
I squeezed the trigger and had just christened the 6.5 swede I've had for almost a year! It happened so quickly, I didn't have the time for the adrenaline to kick in that I was expecting.
Now having just woken up the entire wood, I thought it was going to be a quiet last hour, not so.
I hear a whisper "a fallow's just crossed the ride at 200 yards, get ready, there'll be more" I whisper back, "I hope they're closer, 200's too far for me at the moment".
Well, the deer really had been reading their instructions. 120 yards out popped the first, second ....5 minutes later, I'm looking at 5 fallow mulling around.
One minute, the left one is good, then the right one, then the middle one....
This went on for a couple of minutes, until a pricket decided it wanted to nibble some head high buds.
Having never shot a fallow, I was dreading, but expecting the "run", suddenly, the nerves and adrenaline disappeared I get a good shot off.
"Well done, that'll be 15 odd yards in the bushes" I'm told. We gave it 15 minutes and got out the high seat, walk past the muntjac and start looking for the fallow.
There's a good bit of bloody lung at the shot site and a small sign the other side of a small ditch, but nothing else!
My heart sinks, nothing in the thermal, it sinks again and I start thinking the shot through. It was good, did I pull at the last second?
Its dark by now, I'm asked to stand at the last point of blood and the search begins.
What felt like ages, but really 10-15 minutes I get the call to come over, I can barely see the torch light through the trees some 30 yards away, but there he was, found!
Thank F##k I'm now over the moon he's found and secondly my shot went exactly where it should have been and where I wanted it to!
I'm now looking forward to muntjac loins for dinner tomorrow evening
I've been to a bit of paid stalking 3 times now, first time didn't see anything, second time only a muntjac through the guides newly acquired thermal in the dark.
Yesterday was the third visit and this time I opted for an afternoon site. Unlike the first two times, where the deer hadn't read their instructions, they had this time!
An hour or so in, and out the corner of my eye I see an almost white in comparison to its background CWD moving through the bushes some 20 yards away.
I'm told "gun up" which was the easy part, even though we're 12 foot up, I'm sure it was looking straight at me.
I got ready, but being left handed and it was to my left, I needed to move my left leg to get further round. Balls, gone in a flash!
I'm now thinking that's my chance gone for the day, not so this time. What seemed like minutes, I get a nudge "muntjac up front, 95 yards", it stops perfectly centre on the ride broadside looking our way.
I squeezed the trigger and had just christened the 6.5 swede I've had for almost a year! It happened so quickly, I didn't have the time for the adrenaline to kick in that I was expecting.
Now having just woken up the entire wood, I thought it was going to be a quiet last hour, not so.
I hear a whisper "a fallow's just crossed the ride at 200 yards, get ready, there'll be more" I whisper back, "I hope they're closer, 200's too far for me at the moment".
Well, the deer really had been reading their instructions. 120 yards out popped the first, second ....5 minutes later, I'm looking at 5 fallow mulling around.
One minute, the left one is good, then the right one, then the middle one....
This went on for a couple of minutes, until a pricket decided it wanted to nibble some head high buds.
Having never shot a fallow, I was dreading, but expecting the "run", suddenly, the nerves and adrenaline disappeared I get a good shot off.
"Well done, that'll be 15 odd yards in the bushes" I'm told. We gave it 15 minutes and got out the high seat, walk past the muntjac and start looking for the fallow.
There's a good bit of bloody lung at the shot site and a small sign the other side of a small ditch, but nothing else!
My heart sinks, nothing in the thermal, it sinks again and I start thinking the shot through. It was good, did I pull at the last second?
Its dark by now, I'm asked to stand at the last point of blood and the search begins.
What felt like ages, but really 10-15 minutes I get the call to come over, I can barely see the torch light through the trees some 30 yards away, but there he was, found!
Thank F##k I'm now over the moon he's found and secondly my shot went exactly where it should have been and where I wanted it to!
I'm now looking forward to muntjac loins for dinner tomorrow evening
Lovely write up. I know that heart sinking feeling well!
