So am back after a number of days in the mountains and no comms contact - wonderful. A very intense few days, but I am not going to spoil the story. I am not going to mention names or the exact position cos that would betray trust, so I will just use initials.
F rang me and can you pick up S in the morning and he will show you the way up. My two German friends who arranged it had been delayed and would be arriving first thing on Friday. S will bring you up to the hut - but no rush.
After a good walk on Wednesday evening, a good plateful of Sauerkraut and Roasted meets and a litre of local cider, I slept reasonably well but was wide awake at 7. Got up had some breakfast, sorted hunting gear into my pack and all the rest into my duffel bag. Squeezed it all into the Pram - a Fiat 500 Cabriolet Hire Car - quite fun and handles quite well - and then drove it hard up over the mountain pass. Mind you it's all noise and a cyclist could climb faster than it. Followed my sat nav and picked up S. Just a lad, about 14, but with good English and just about to start at the Ferlach gunsmithing school. Over the coming few days was very impressed with both him and his older brother.
Drove along the valley - through a couple of little towns - lots of little industries - every from high tech to saw mills etc. And then turned right. After about 10km of zigzagging up through alpine pastures, past little ski lifts and villages we came to the end of the tarmac. Park here - so parked next to an old beaten up Susuki Jeep. Loaded all my gear, plus food into the back.
I drive and S drove me up the mountain through lots of mature pine forests. 20 km later of forest roads we came to a littel cluster of three old Alpine Farm houses - we are here. Summer grazing for cattle with the farmhouses being the summer houses for the farmers.
On the way in we meet a lady with a Hanovarian Hound - we are off to look for a Roe Buck.
Met F - he is mid 40's, family has owned the land for centuries - its about 1,500 ha going from 1,000m up to 2,250m. Very like Glencoe, Glen Etive sort of terrain, but with old mature pine forest, rather than plantation forestry. Clearly the forests have been worked and managed for centuries, with mature trees being taken out and natural regeneration (well I am married to a Forester so I notice these things. The forest goes a third of the way up the hills.
We go out later - want a beer or coffee?
So we sit down in the sun on a big trestle table and just chat and get to know each other, whilst constantly glassing the hills.
There's a chamois, says I
No its not, Its a Gams
Whats the difference
Chamois live in France
Gams live in Austria
I rather suspect that the full answer was more along the lines of Chamois live in france, eat garlic, drink red wine and go the the wrong way round the mountain, whereas Gams drink beer, speak Austrian and go the correct way round.
We get the telescope out - he is a nice 5 or 6 year old buck and we watch him as he climbs into a shady ledge on a cliff and goes to sleep.
All the Gams now sleeping - says F
So we go and have a look at the rifles - a choice of a Blaser R8 in 300 Rem Ultra Mag with a big Swarovski Scope and Freyr and Drevic mod, or a K95 with long heavy barrel in 300 Win Mag, with Swar 2.5-15x44. and muzzle break
We shoot long distance - we dial in clicks and just hold on centre of shoulder.
I dry fire the the R8 a few times. It has a very light trigger, and too light for me to really control. I try the K95 - the trigger is light, but much better.
They are shooting 110 grain bullets as fast as they can and most shots seem to me over 200, and typically 300m. My first impression is that is a quite a long way, but then later come to understand why. Range finder binoculars also used, and from what I can gather, are set to give the horizontal distance so that correct dial-in is achieved.
The outdoor fire is lit - this has a large stone slab, takes about an hour to heat up. Other friends of F's walk in - more beer is drunk, about 2pm the lady, who turns out to be F's girlfriend comes back down with another hunter and C who will become the star of the story.
and we have a leisurely lunch of Fleish - marinated pork steaks, with grilled peppers and tomatoes plus home grown salad and potatoes. Wonderful. We keep glassing the hills, F brings out a thermal camera and this really helps to pick out the resting Gams. They don't seem to like the sun or the heat at all, so during the day they rest up in amongst the rocks pretty much hidden.
Get you kit, we go hunting says F in mid afternoon. Everything goes from leisurely to full on. Grab my Rucksack - through out half of what's in there - big camera etc. Its hot and humid and big clouds building.
F, S, C and I jump into the Jeep - pretty squeezed - we drive another 3 or 4kms up the track and then get out. And we set off up through the woods.
I am glad I went for several runs and fast walks up Arthurs Seat and the Pentlands, and regret not getting myself up into the bigger hills. I am quickly blowing hard and sweating, don't even try to keep up, just go steady at your own pace I keep reminding myself. After about 20 minutes it starts to thunder hard, and five minutes later we a hiding under overhanging trees to keep out of the rain. Thanks to the rain I recover
.
20 minutes later we set off again and quickly up the side of the valley -
Its steep but just keep plodding. Every few moments F stops a scans with the thermal. Nothing - so carries on. I come to hate the thermal. At least with binoculars he would have to scan to glass for a few minutes, giving me the chance to catch up and catch my breath and recover from the heart attack, and somebody has stolen all the oxygen cos this is no harder than the Pentlands really, but then remember we are much higher, and bloody hell F is off again with S carrying the rifle just behind him, so just grit my teeth and keep putting one foot well above the other.
40 minutes later we are on the shoulder of a big Corrie. Now we wait.
Its getting towards 6pm - we have a couple of hours till 6pm. Take off soaking wet T-shirt, put on a fleece and windproof and we hunker down and start glassing.