Last night had an even better stalk. Weather was hot, sultry and pregnant with rain - would be like the African spring just before the rains, but up here in Scotland only 20 degrees rather than 30+. A good evening me-thinks. As am driving out big heavy rain drops hit the windscreen, but with a bright patch of sky to the west not too concerned.
Had a good chat with friend who owns the farm. A buck has been doing good damage to his young fruit trees around the house. He's put plastic tubes around them, peed on them but does reckon the best solution is the barbeque. Had a look around the woods near the farm, but not much moving other than a couple of horse riders. Spy a doe running through a wheat field across the valley, but no buck after her. Tried the buttalo a few times but nothing moving so decide to go up the other end of the farm where I had seent he bucks I recounted above.
Park the car and immediatly see the cracking good buck at the top of the next field. He is 500 yds away, but would be visable the whole way if did the direct approach and where he is is not a safe shot any way. So will trot off the other way and see what happens. It is spitting with rain on and off, but given the rain over the last ten days, every thing is much greener and lusher - not like down in Wiltshire last week, where it looked like southern France it was so dry.
Creeping up to the field where the buck was - saw that he had moved down the field - will just creep along the wall to the end, poke my nose round and see what happens. And a fox appears in front of me - should I, should n't I - still a few hundred yards from the buck - crouch down, and buttalo in pocket squeeks. Fox pricks his ears up comes running towards me. Ten yards, a dose of number fives from the shot barrel, and he is off to the happy hunting grounds.
Give it five minutes and carry on towards the buck. Get to the end of the wall - where is he - there he is under the Oak tree on the edge of the wood - a wee bit spooked by the shot, but feeding. Too far though for a shot, and too close to the boundry. Will give him a squeek and see what happens - pricks his ears up, give him another and he starts trotting towards me. I close the gun, but like a fool forget to hold the top leaver across, and the metallic rattle amkes him prick his ears up - three bounds he is over the fence. B............. Now 10 pm and getting dark. Will walk back the long way round and may see something. So walk back quietly arund the field and into the next.
In the next field there is a good amount of nettly, dock leafy type scrub. Look carefully with the bins - nothing much. Take two more steps and one of the docks moves - docks don't move - that's a beast. Freeze - he is 250 yds away. He puts his head down again - have a good look at him, he is big bodied beast, can't see his head - tis now pretty dark, but given the size, and body thickness definatley a good buck, the one I had seen earlier? Don know.
Back up till I have dead ground between us - move sideways and forwards, lets get 100 yds closer following that dead ground and then will have a good downhill shot into dead ground. Crouch and crawl forwards - move quite quickly as am loosing the light and also the wind is from me to him. He sticks his head up and stares at me, freeze again - he turns and takes a few steps to his right - excellent - now away from all the cover with a nice green backdrop. Get seated, sticks ready, slip a round into the breech, close the rifle very quietly - nice seated position, slip the safety off, he takes a step so he is now quartering towards me - come straight up the nearside foreleg, cross hair steadies a third of the way up - relax and squeeze and think the bullet into the beest (see Lawrence Van Der Post, Story like the Wind where the foresight becomes at one with an elephant) - boom, but didn't feel the recoil and he he drops on the spot.
Give him five minutes - pace out to him - 150 paces - and there he is - a cracking good buck. Say thanks - and am then joined by the midges!!!
Got to bed at 1.30am, having skinned out the cape and jointed him into the fridge - its in the freezer and may go off to the taxidermist. Carcass weighed over 15kg, skin off, with plenty of fat around the kidneys and under the skin - really good condition and will make excellent eating. And really happy as first proper buck with the Heinrich Munch combination gun - 16 bore over 7x65R. Worked up my own load of 139 gr Hornady soft point over 51.5g IMR4831. Have had a couple of scruffy wee bucks with it, but at close range - this was the first "proper" shot and bullet hit exactly the point of aim. Really confidence building, even though I know it is a good accurate rifle on paper, it is always a different matter in the field.