Quick post about last night.
I'm shooting one of my permissions under CL55 in an attempt to hit the muntjac and especially the fallow. The latter are totally transitory and I have to be in the right place at the right time to ambush them. I caught up with a group of 3 prickets on Thursday night, initially off ground but when they moved off they came straight into my ambush - one taken
Last night, I was way up in the top fields where they had been before when I looked down to the bottom field (1km away) to see "them" ambling out of the wood (not mine) heading straight down the arable field for the wood at the bottom. I legged it as fast as I could down an old drover's track to attempt to head them off and closed to 290m - far to far for me at night! But, despite my "stealth" and being deep in the trees, both had me and were watching me!
Watching them slowly disappear into the far wood (220m closest but unsafe backstop), I legged it across the grass field, over the stile into a seldom shot field next to the nature reserve just in case they popped out there - nada! Back up the landslide to have a look at the upper 3 fields. On reaching the first hedge, I spied a small deer browsing the far hedge - 300m. I quietly closed the distance only to see it disappear through a gap into the next field. Convinced it was a roe, I slowly pressed on only to see the roe barely yards the other side of the low stone wall/bramble. Then, what looked promisingly like a fallow-sized lump suddenly emerge from behind a mature oak truck and started to browse the same hedge where the roe buck had been. I pushed forward using the shadow of the mature oaks in the hedge to provide some cover in the half moon light. Suddenly, at the gap where the roe disappeared, that one fallow turned into 2 - they had been steadily browsing both sides!
By now, I had moved out slightly into the field and was on sticks looking into the second field. That first animal turned out to be a young roe buck, his antlers clearly visible in the thermal. He can wait and I let him saunter on. Then, heading towards where I had first seen the 3 fallow on Thursday off my ground, the remaining 2 prickets slowly ambled into view heading down the field. Pause, steady, wait for the drop of the head to browse and bang - the second was down on the ground (80m). The other pronked past the second wondering WTF and I very briefly pondered whether too.... I decided better as I'll be out for a last look on Thursday and the one on the ground looked like a lump! The first hung around for what seemed like an eternity providing ample opportunity but, I stuck to my plan. Back to the car (3 fields away), rifle unloaded and stowed, kit divested ready for the long drag in the excellent Jet sled - thankfully, all of which after the first 500m, all downhill. Here the fun started.
On getting the beast back to the car I saw that my Apple watch was no longer on my wrist. No problem I thought, that's why I have a SIM in it and I can use Find my Device. Open up the App on the phone and there's the watch in the garden barely 30m from me - great!
After 40 minutes searching and watching the reported watch position inexplicably move towards the centre of the garden, way off the drag track, I was beginning to get quite frustrated! Play a Sound would only teasingly say connecting so eventually, back to basics - where could it most likely have come off? The steep bank into the garden where the sledge overtook me was the obvious thought and I headed there. Suddenly, I see a green flashing light and hear a little repetitive chime - the watch TFFT! Back to the car, gralloch completed and headed off home to get the 41kg lump in the chiller.
Incidentally, the outside of the watch band is orange - which way up did it land 
TF that it also flashed the green health LEDs 
However, as I cruised down the M5 Southbound just opposite my shoot behind Michelwood Services, what did I see..................
I'm shooting one of my permissions under CL55 in an attempt to hit the muntjac and especially the fallow. The latter are totally transitory and I have to be in the right place at the right time to ambush them. I caught up with a group of 3 prickets on Thursday night, initially off ground but when they moved off they came straight into my ambush - one taken
Last night, I was way up in the top fields where they had been before when I looked down to the bottom field (1km away) to see "them" ambling out of the wood (not mine) heading straight down the arable field for the wood at the bottom. I legged it as fast as I could down an old drover's track to attempt to head them off and closed to 290m - far to far for me at night! But, despite my "stealth" and being deep in the trees, both had me and were watching me!Watching them slowly disappear into the far wood (220m closest but unsafe backstop), I legged it across the grass field, over the stile into a seldom shot field next to the nature reserve just in case they popped out there - nada! Back up the landslide to have a look at the upper 3 fields. On reaching the first hedge, I spied a small deer browsing the far hedge - 300m. I quietly closed the distance only to see it disappear through a gap into the next field. Convinced it was a roe, I slowly pressed on only to see the roe barely yards the other side of the low stone wall/bramble. Then, what looked promisingly like a fallow-sized lump suddenly emerge from behind a mature oak truck and started to browse the same hedge where the roe buck had been. I pushed forward using the shadow of the mature oaks in the hedge to provide some cover in the half moon light. Suddenly, at the gap where the roe disappeared, that one fallow turned into 2 - they had been steadily browsing both sides!
By now, I had moved out slightly into the field and was on sticks looking into the second field. That first animal turned out to be a young roe buck, his antlers clearly visible in the thermal. He can wait and I let him saunter on. Then, heading towards where I had first seen the 3 fallow on Thursday off my ground, the remaining 2 prickets slowly ambled into view heading down the field. Pause, steady, wait for the drop of the head to browse and bang - the second was down on the ground (80m). The other pronked past the second wondering WTF and I very briefly pondered whether too.... I decided better as I'll be out for a last look on Thursday and the one on the ground looked like a lump! The first hung around for what seemed like an eternity providing ample opportunity but, I stuck to my plan. Back to the car (3 fields away), rifle unloaded and stowed, kit divested ready for the long drag in the excellent Jet sled - thankfully, all of which after the first 500m, all downhill. Here the fun started.
On getting the beast back to the car I saw that my Apple watch was no longer on my wrist. No problem I thought, that's why I have a SIM in it and I can use Find my Device. Open up the App on the phone and there's the watch in the garden barely 30m from me - great!
After 40 minutes searching and watching the reported watch position inexplicably move towards the centre of the garden, way off the drag track, I was beginning to get quite frustrated! Play a Sound would only teasingly say connecting so eventually, back to basics - where could it most likely have come off? The steep bank into the garden where the sledge overtook me was the obvious thought and I headed there. Suddenly, I see a green flashing light and hear a little repetitive chime - the watch TFFT! Back to the car, gralloch completed and headed off home to get the 41kg lump in the chiller.
Incidentally, the outside of the watch band is orange - which way up did it land TF that it also flashed the green health LEDs However, as I cruised down the M5 Southbound just opposite my shoot behind Michelwood Services, what did I see..................
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