After several blank outings, I had arranged to head out Saturday morning with a stalker local to where I live.
We met up at 0715 (fairly sociable hour of the day) then had a quick chat as it was the first time either of us had met before, then off to one of his grounds. We arrived just as the sun was trying to get over the horizon and battle through the drizzle that was falling.
So off into the first bit of woodland and other than a fleeting glimpse of a white backside nothing was about. So we carried on slowly to the next bit of woodland, where there was a definite white spot in the wood, this then moved and another two were clearly seen. Lying about 120 yards away and just glassing them waiting for them to hopefully pop out the wood into a nice broadside position. Then something spooked the 3 of them and off they ran. We kept still and lo and behold they did a circle and came out of the wood into the field next to us. Slowly up into the aim to take the shot, when, CLICK CLACK of heels were heard on the driveway adjacent to the field, and off they run ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH, my luck is never going to change. The owner of the heels happened to be the elderly landowners nurse finishing for the night. Who so very nearly ended up with a set of stalking sticks rammed somewhere dark
So onto the next wooded area. As we approached what looked like a small rounded boulder in the field slightly moved, hmmmm. Down onto our bellies and inched forward luckily the field was slightly undulating as we crawled up to the top of one bump, we were able to see a mature roe with a large buck kid and smaller doe kid in tow. All slowly walking directly towards us occasionally stopping to graze. Lying dead still and praying to whoever it is up there, to turn the smaller kid 90 degrees, when a 4th Doe presented herself, good backstop, 60 - 70 yards away, slowly brought the rifle up, drew a mental line 1/3 of her body up from the back of her front leg and squeezed the trigger. She totted and fell, unload, reload, safety on, keep still. Waiting. After what seemed an eternity we got up slowly approached, stick to eyeball, nothing.
Bleed, gralloched, hand shakes then photo time. The carcass into a Roe Sack, then back to the local gun shop for a coffee and then it got expensive, so not only did I get my first Roe I am now the owner of a pair of Swavorski 7x42 slc's (owned by previous owner for 2 weeks, then he traded in for really expensive ones)
We met up at 0715 (fairly sociable hour of the day) then had a quick chat as it was the first time either of us had met before, then off to one of his grounds. We arrived just as the sun was trying to get over the horizon and battle through the drizzle that was falling.
So off into the first bit of woodland and other than a fleeting glimpse of a white backside nothing was about. So we carried on slowly to the next bit of woodland, where there was a definite white spot in the wood, this then moved and another two were clearly seen. Lying about 120 yards away and just glassing them waiting for them to hopefully pop out the wood into a nice broadside position. Then something spooked the 3 of them and off they ran. We kept still and lo and behold they did a circle and came out of the wood into the field next to us. Slowly up into the aim to take the shot, when, CLICK CLACK of heels were heard on the driveway adjacent to the field, and off they run ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH, my luck is never going to change. The owner of the heels happened to be the elderly landowners nurse finishing for the night. Who so very nearly ended up with a set of stalking sticks rammed somewhere dark
So onto the next wooded area. As we approached what looked like a small rounded boulder in the field slightly moved, hmmmm. Down onto our bellies and inched forward luckily the field was slightly undulating as we crawled up to the top of one bump, we were able to see a mature roe with a large buck kid and smaller doe kid in tow. All slowly walking directly towards us occasionally stopping to graze. Lying dead still and praying to whoever it is up there, to turn the smaller kid 90 degrees, when a 4th Doe presented herself, good backstop, 60 - 70 yards away, slowly brought the rifle up, drew a mental line 1/3 of her body up from the back of her front leg and squeezed the trigger. She totted and fell, unload, reload, safety on, keep still. Waiting. After what seemed an eternity we got up slowly approached, stick to eyeball, nothing.
Bleed, gralloched, hand shakes then photo time. The carcass into a Roe Sack, then back to the local gun shop for a coffee and then it got expensive, so not only did I get my first Roe I am now the owner of a pair of Swavorski 7x42 slc's (owned by previous owner for 2 weeks, then he traded in for really expensive ones)