Sooooo its been about 3 weeks since I was out and, having just come back off a great cruise from Istanbul to Athens (see my timely post here in the Remembrance thread) , I was staggered to be contacted by a restaurant that I had dropped off some samples in JULY, wanting some product for their Christmas menu. No problem thought I, I really need to make a start on the fallow does so I go up on the next night (Wednesday) with the dual aim of bringing the quad back ready for the next day's game shoot and to fill the chiller. First farm, 4 fallow does and 3 calfs but well out of range in failing light so let's try the other farm. Nothing! That's deer stalking for you so I open up the barn to get the quad - it won't start. No problem, I'll use my deer winch cables to jump start it. I eventually manoeuvre the car close enough to get the leads to reach, connect them and try the starter. Nothing! Then thin wisps of smoke coming out from everywhere under the quad 
I quickly yank the Anderson connectors apart and run for the old BCF fire extinguisher I keep in the car, completely forgetting there's another on the side of the front box 
I wait and watch with fear and trepidation - there's no sound or sight of any flames and the smoke seems to be getting thinner (or is that just hope) - I don't pull the trigger on the extinguisher. Skipping ahead, I used the dS' winch to pull the quad on to the trailer and head home as time is now getting on. No deer in the bag and a f*cked quad - this is not going to go down well with the shoot captain (my brother). Once home, I let him have the "good" news and start stripping stuff off the quad on the trailer in the dark on the driveway. Eventually I get to the battery and electrics to be met with THAT smell you know means problems. Some of the cables are chewed, some are melted and the covers of the battery posts are heavily gnawed and guess what, there's a bloody mouse nest in there! I test the battery - 0.7V
and have a quick root around trying to see how bad it was going to be - actually, not as bad as I feared so I retired inside to hastily order a replacement winch relay off Amazon for next day delivery and order a new quad battery from Halfraud's that'll be ready for collection in the morning.
The shoot day dawns and guess what: the other quad owner decided not to bring his as I always have mine! FFS So no quads whatsoever and guess what, it turns out to be a really good day with a fair bag, all of which had to be carried miles back to the pub in hand.
Exhausted, I head off immediately to go stalking. In a word (or two), absolutely NOTHING! I head home dejected, only to receive a message from a Farm Shop I had also left samples with in August saying could we possibly meet next morning! Talk about good news, bad news! Orders and no f*cking deer in the chiller! Suffice to say, the farm wants rather more than a little stock so I hastily call a friend who can usually help with a carcass or 2 at short notice - nothing! Talk about coincidences - I immediately receive a FB "check-in" - he's at Heathrow skiving-off to oversee another diving exped How can I have so much good luck AND bad luck at the same time!
Saturday is spent rewiring and testing the quad - its dark again as I drive it off the trailer. Thankfully the cable damage was not to OEM looms but those I'd laid in for the winch, heated seat/handle bars, etc. The winch relay was a melted mess too. All replaced, rewired or where damage was minimal, resleeved and heat shrink applied. Phew! With that done and no parade on the Sunday morning this year for a change, my mind turned to a FL stalk. That way, I could still do the required chores for the big family dinner this evening. So off I set at 6 wondering how St Hubert would look upon me today.......................
As I approach the first farm what is this I see feeding on the verge?
Ooooo - a fallow sorrel. I slow down and hope it heads right into the ground I have permission to shoot - to the left, there's fresh cut maize where I cannot shoot - I don't feel lucky. As I'm slowly moving forward, it turns and runs off down the road, until it reaches the entrance to the farm:
It stands there in the middle of the road looking at me! I turn the lights off, slowly drive left down the farm road and park up. Gear on, rifle ready, I head back up the track to where the hedge allows clear sight over into the first field - did it or didn't it? Did it choose the maize or the woods behind me
Eureka, it did! Up on sticks, wait for it to pause, squeeze NOTHING Safety on! It's now barely 3m from the fence at the bottom of the field over which is steep woodland where I last extracted a monster buck! Safety off, pause, squeeze - BANG! I hadn't had time to focus the Hik Alpex, range it or do any of my normal prep - it was a "now or never". But, I had used that spot before and knew that it was 80m to the fence closest to me or thereabouts so happy to point and shoot. It ran the 3m, collided with the fence and fell dead - TFFT! Ranging it afterwards, it was 73m, with the shot severing the arteries from the heart.
That was certainly not what I was expecting today but St Hubert definitely smiled upon me this time
Sadly, not for the buck - had he headed for the maize it would have been a different outcome - there is so much luck in stalking. The other good news/luck was that examination showed no sign of rutting, so busy with butchering tomorrow to get the initial farm shop order sorted - he'll more than cover it
I quickly yank the Anderson connectors apart and run for the old BCF fire extinguisher I keep in the car, completely forgetting there's another on the side of the front box I wait and watch with fear and trepidation - there's no sound or sight of any flames and the smoke seems to be getting thinner (or is that just hope) - I don't pull the trigger on the extinguisher. Skipping ahead, I used the dS' winch to pull the quad on to the trailer and head home as time is now getting on. No deer in the bag and a f*cked quad - this is not going to go down well with the shoot captain (my brother). Once home, I let him have the "good" news and start stripping stuff off the quad on the trailer in the dark on the driveway. Eventually I get to the battery and electrics to be met with THAT smell you know means problems. Some of the cables are chewed, some are melted and the covers of the battery posts are heavily gnawed and guess what, there's a bloody mouse nest in there! I test the battery - 0.7V
and have a quick root around trying to see how bad it was going to be - actually, not as bad as I feared so I retired inside to hastily order a replacement winch relay off Amazon for next day delivery and order a new quad battery from Halfraud's that'll be ready for collection in the morning.The shoot day dawns and guess what: the other quad owner decided not to bring his as I always have mine! FFS
So no quads whatsoever and guess what, it turns out to be a really good day with a fair bag, all of which had to be carried miles back to the pub in hand. Exhausted, I head off immediately to go stalking. In a word (or two), absolutely NOTHING! I head home dejected, only to receive a message from a Farm Shop I had also left samples with in August saying could we possibly meet next morning! Talk about good news, bad news! Orders and no f*cking deer in the chiller! Suffice to say, the farm wants rather more than a little stock so I hastily call a friend who can usually help with a carcass or 2 at short notice - nothing! Talk about coincidences - I immediately receive a FB "check-in" - he's at Heathrow skiving-off to oversee another diving exped
How can I have so much good luck AND bad luck at the same time!Saturday is spent rewiring and testing the quad - its dark again as I drive it off the trailer. Thankfully the cable damage was not to OEM looms but those I'd laid in for the winch, heated seat/handle bars, etc. The winch relay was a melted mess too. All replaced, rewired or where damage was minimal, resleeved and heat shrink applied. Phew! With that done and no parade on the Sunday morning this year for a change, my mind turned to a FL stalk. That way, I could still do the required chores for the big family dinner this evening. So off I set at 6 wondering how St Hubert would look upon me today.......................
As I approach the first farm what is this I see feeding on the verge?
Ooooo - a fallow sorrel. I slow down and hope it heads right into the ground I have permission to shoot - to the left, there's fresh cut maize where I cannot shoot - I don't feel lucky. As I'm slowly moving forward, it turns and runs off down the road, until it reaches the entrance to the farm:
It stands there in the middle of the road looking at me! I turn the lights off, slowly drive left down the farm road and park up. Gear on, rifle ready, I head back up the track to where the hedge allows clear sight over into the first field - did it or didn't it? Did it choose the maize or the woods behind me
Eureka, it did! Up on sticks, wait for it to pause, squeeze NOTHING Safety on! It's now barely 3m from the fence at the bottom of the field over which is steep woodland where I last extracted a monster buck! Safety off, pause, squeeze - BANG! I hadn't had time to focus the Hik Alpex, range it or do any of my normal prep - it was a "now or never". But, I had used that spot before and knew that it was 80m to the fence closest to me or thereabouts so happy to point and shoot. It ran the 3m, collided with the fence and fell dead - TFFT! Ranging it afterwards, it was 73m, with the shot severing the arteries from the heart.
That was certainly not what I was expecting today but St Hubert definitely smiled upon me this time
Sadly, not for the buck - had he headed for the maize it would have been a different outcome - there is so much luck in stalking. The other good news/luck was that examination showed no sign of rutting, so busy with butchering tomorrow to get the initial farm shop order sorted - he'll more than cover it
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