monarman
Well-Known Member
Out this morning to see if a buck was hanging around an area that always holds a few does...... 12 degrees when I praked the motor so a nice temperature to keep the flies from being too active, a very slight breeze which was in my favour and a dampness to the grass which mean't less sound from brushing through......
The sun was behind me as I started along the track which gave me the advantage of being able to spot the deer as they stood out amongst the green landscape of spring wheat and grassland.... and also meant they had to look into sun if they stared in my direction. So all in all the odds so far were in my favour......
I carried along slowly down the track stopping to glass every 50 yards or so as I got closer to where I had a feeling there may be a deer....... I approached the cattle grid just before the the spying point and noted the slot marks in the mud... .. three different sizes and only a day or two old.... so deer were about for sure.
I slowly stepped up to the junction and had a careful spy...... nothing ... so I continued along the track towards the spot I'd seen a doe a few weeks earlier.
I skirted the edge of the wood.... a couple of rabbits popped up onto their hind legs like merekats.... I got to within 5 yards before they decided I was too close and slowly they hopped off into wood.. without drumming an alarm. As I got to gap in the hedge that I was going through i unslung the rifle and and carried it in the 'trail' position.... at the same time pulling the sticks close to my body so I made as little noise as possible as I crept through the hedge....
I got through the gap an quickly glassed the area ahead of me and to the left but at that time saw nothing...... so after hearing on the grapevine that bucks and does are paired up in some places... and knowing that the area next to where I was stood was a regular fawning ground I decided to set the rifle up on the sticks and give a couple of kid peeps on the buttalo......
Immediately I was greeted with a crashing through the waist high grass in front of me.....where a doe appeared only 10 yards away and stood looking in my direction.. licking her nose and fidgeting.... just then I saw another movement in the grass about 70 yards away..... it was a set of antlers.... the tips just visible above the grass and slightly contrasting in colour to their surroundings. .
I gave another peep on the call which brought the doe a further two yards closer...... then she darted across in front of me into the standing wheat where she stopped... again licking her nose and fidgeting. I gave another peep and she ran down the tramline in my direction..... hesitated.... then continued down the field and into the small copse where I assume her kids were.
I turned my attention back the antlers in the grass...... saw a slight movement.... enough to make out the ears and strong but not very pearled four pointed beams sat on top of a very grey head..
I watched through the scope..... and then the heart started beating harder......so I took my cheek off the stock and composed myself. I put my head down and peered through the scope again....... the antlers moved..... I cold again see the top of the head but nothing else..... the heart started again but this time not as bad so I remained behind the scope.
5 minutes passed and all I kept seeing was movement of the antlers...... so I squeezes the buttolo a couple of times to try and stir him to his feet... nothing!
I waited another few minutes and let out a deep bark.... all I got was a movement of the head...... so I tried again...... nothing!
Again I waited 5 minutes and made a noise like a peacock!...... thought that'd make him stand.... but nope!
I tried the 'gazump' noise that the but talon makes when pressed hard and fast..... all I got was a head turn!
By this time my back started aching as I'd been down on the sticks for quater of an hour, so I stretched up and shuffled my feet a bit...... then got back into position with the antlers in my scope.......
I shouted "oi buck".....and got ready...... he moved his head to one side and that was all!... was this buck a dwarf or just hard of hearing??!!!!!!
I whistled...... nothing....... nearly half an hour I stood, on sticks, with a nice four point bucks antlers in the scope.......
I then had an idea...... I got my phone out my pocket , and clicked onto an app I had that was ringtones in the form of songs by the heavy metal band slipknot.... I pressed play.... and immediately put the scope back on the buck who in one swift move sprang to his feet an bounded off up the side of the grass to the far hedge without stopping!.... then dissappeared..... followed by a doe who must of been sat further away in the grass!!!
And that was that!..... all the noises I made wouldn't shift him but heavy metal made him do a runner!!!!!!!!!
After chuckling to myself and pondering over what just happened I carried on stalking, I headed to where I lost sight of the buck and doe...... but to no avail, although further along around 250 yards away a doe was making its way down the wheat towards the hedge...... on a mission. So I took it upon myself to go and see where she was heading incase she had a buck waiting somewhere.
I continued through the damp grass again spying every few yards incase something was couched down..... I stopped at a point where I could see the clear track that deer were taking across a ditch from the adjacent wheat..... I checked the barbed wire for hair which confirmed it as deer.
As I turned and looked up the field I saw something move..... it was a very beige coloured fox!.... 50 yards away it stared at me and moved along 5 five yards before stopping just long enough for the 139sst out of the 7x57 to turn one side of the beige into red!
The keeper was happy......
A very enjoyable and informative morning...... and still love getting buck fever!
I WILL EVENTUALLY GET A GOOD FOUR POINT BUCK!!!!!
The sun was behind me as I started along the track which gave me the advantage of being able to spot the deer as they stood out amongst the green landscape of spring wheat and grassland.... and also meant they had to look into sun if they stared in my direction. So all in all the odds so far were in my favour......
I carried along slowly down the track stopping to glass every 50 yards or so as I got closer to where I had a feeling there may be a deer....... I approached the cattle grid just before the the spying point and noted the slot marks in the mud... .. three different sizes and only a day or two old.... so deer were about for sure.
I slowly stepped up to the junction and had a careful spy...... nothing ... so I continued along the track towards the spot I'd seen a doe a few weeks earlier.
I skirted the edge of the wood.... a couple of rabbits popped up onto their hind legs like merekats.... I got to within 5 yards before they decided I was too close and slowly they hopped off into wood.. without drumming an alarm. As I got to gap in the hedge that I was going through i unslung the rifle and and carried it in the 'trail' position.... at the same time pulling the sticks close to my body so I made as little noise as possible as I crept through the hedge....
I got through the gap an quickly glassed the area ahead of me and to the left but at that time saw nothing...... so after hearing on the grapevine that bucks and does are paired up in some places... and knowing that the area next to where I was stood was a regular fawning ground I decided to set the rifle up on the sticks and give a couple of kid peeps on the buttalo......
Immediately I was greeted with a crashing through the waist high grass in front of me.....where a doe appeared only 10 yards away and stood looking in my direction.. licking her nose and fidgeting.... just then I saw another movement in the grass about 70 yards away..... it was a set of antlers.... the tips just visible above the grass and slightly contrasting in colour to their surroundings. .
I gave another peep on the call which brought the doe a further two yards closer...... then she darted across in front of me into the standing wheat where she stopped... again licking her nose and fidgeting. I gave another peep and she ran down the tramline in my direction..... hesitated.... then continued down the field and into the small copse where I assume her kids were.
I turned my attention back the antlers in the grass...... saw a slight movement.... enough to make out the ears and strong but not very pearled four pointed beams sat on top of a very grey head..
I watched through the scope..... and then the heart started beating harder......so I took my cheek off the stock and composed myself. I put my head down and peered through the scope again....... the antlers moved..... I cold again see the top of the head but nothing else..... the heart started again but this time not as bad so I remained behind the scope.
5 minutes passed and all I kept seeing was movement of the antlers...... so I squeezes the buttolo a couple of times to try and stir him to his feet... nothing!
I waited another few minutes and let out a deep bark.... all I got was a movement of the head...... so I tried again...... nothing!
Again I waited 5 minutes and made a noise like a peacock!...... thought that'd make him stand.... but nope!
I tried the 'gazump' noise that the but talon makes when pressed hard and fast..... all I got was a head turn!
By this time my back started aching as I'd been down on the sticks for quater of an hour, so I stretched up and shuffled my feet a bit...... then got back into position with the antlers in my scope.......
I shouted "oi buck".....and got ready...... he moved his head to one side and that was all!... was this buck a dwarf or just hard of hearing??!!!!!!
I whistled...... nothing....... nearly half an hour I stood, on sticks, with a nice four point bucks antlers in the scope.......
I then had an idea...... I got my phone out my pocket , and clicked onto an app I had that was ringtones in the form of songs by the heavy metal band slipknot.... I pressed play.... and immediately put the scope back on the buck who in one swift move sprang to his feet an bounded off up the side of the grass to the far hedge without stopping!.... then dissappeared..... followed by a doe who must of been sat further away in the grass!!!
And that was that!..... all the noises I made wouldn't shift him but heavy metal made him do a runner!!!!!!!!!
After chuckling to myself and pondering over what just happened I carried on stalking, I headed to where I lost sight of the buck and doe...... but to no avail, although further along around 250 yards away a doe was making its way down the wheat towards the hedge...... on a mission. So I took it upon myself to go and see where she was heading incase she had a buck waiting somewhere.
I continued through the damp grass again spying every few yards incase something was couched down..... I stopped at a point where I could see the clear track that deer were taking across a ditch from the adjacent wheat..... I checked the barbed wire for hair which confirmed it as deer.
As I turned and looked up the field I saw something move..... it was a very beige coloured fox!.... 50 yards away it stared at me and moved along 5 five yards before stopping just long enough for the 139sst out of the 7x57 to turn one side of the beige into red!
The keeper was happy......
A very enjoyable and informative morning...... and still love getting buck fever!
I WILL EVENTUALLY GET A GOOD FOUR POINT BUCK!!!!!
