So tonight I figured it was time.
Last week I introduced my stoopid idiot of a 10 month old lab to gunshot with a trip to the clay ground. Everyone has their own approach to this, I’ve been cautious with her as she’s a tit, the other day whilst walker her and her mum, her mum sneezed behind her and she jumped out of her skin, so please appreciate my apprehension in the intro to gunshot!
Anyway, that experience at the clay ground went faultlessly and she was a dude. Totally unfazed by it so I figured sh1t or bust. Let’s see about a stalk.
The weather was lovely today but there was a stiff breeze when I got to the farm. First challenge was getting a dog that thus far had only experienced being on a slip lead, tonight was going to be a shoulder sling hands free hunting/stalking lead I bought at Jagd und hund a few years back. Wasn’t sure how well that would work and her early enthusiasm tested our limits a little!
We found a munty buck, not in an ideal location making his way back down the drive of the farmhouse, but he kept looking as though he would pop through the hedge head into a shootable spot in the next field so we stalked and waited.
At this point the bored bellend decided to pick up a stick and crunch it loudly. The buck was instantly alerted and exited stage left pretty sharpish. Hmm. Was I running before I could walk????
We persevered and continued our stalk, I figured a full perimeter of the 250acre farm would serve two purposes, firstly we could see what was there but also blow off some enthusiastic steam in the process.
Spotted 3 sets of roe does with last years followers but nothing shootable.
I had resigned myself to a fruitless if enjoyable evening and was just returning to the truck when something caught my eye on the margin of the neighbouring forest, a single fallow. Too far at this point to see if it was a buck or doe I figured we would stalk it regardless for the experience.
Sure enough it was a young buck, it had us pegged from 800m, eyes fixed on our every move. We got closer when I spotted a second larger buck in the field, again, it was locked on us and sure enough both dived for the forest.
Then my cunning kicked in, and a long held belief tested. Just pretend to be a dog walker out for a stroll.
We did, we walked right past them, a glance out of the corner of my eye said they were only 30m into cover, they hadn’t gone. So we walked a further 100m past them and holed up on a hedge line. Theory proved to work rather well, ten minutes passed, the yellow peril (aka Florence, flozzle chops, or at times tonight, tw@tflaps) sat motionless as I stood ther with the rifle on sticks waiting.
The younger of the two bucks appeared first bouncing back out of cover, shortly followed by his slightly more cautious companion, who was sporting a pronounced limp on his hind left. No weight bearing at all, easy choice of which to try and take. The shot took a few seconds to materialise and he offered a broadside shot. Longer than I normally generally like but needs must at 168m.
The buck thankfully ran into the field, circled once and went down. I looked over my shoulder and she was just sat there patiently, “what next dad”?
We walked to the shot site, her nose hit the floor. Aside from seeing dead deer in my garage this was all new to her. She didn’t lift her head once, but followed every spot of blood meticulously, so much so she failed to spot the buck lying right in front of her and nearly shat herself when she realised that was where the blood was coming from!
Class act from start to finish. Couldn’t be happier (and neither could she!)
She wasn’t too keen on sitting with her prize so sadly no proud dad photo of her and her first deer, but a memory I will cherish for a long long time nevertheless!
Last week I introduced my stoopid idiot of a 10 month old lab to gunshot with a trip to the clay ground. Everyone has their own approach to this, I’ve been cautious with her as she’s a tit, the other day whilst walker her and her mum, her mum sneezed behind her and she jumped out of her skin, so please appreciate my apprehension in the intro to gunshot!
Anyway, that experience at the clay ground went faultlessly and she was a dude. Totally unfazed by it so I figured sh1t or bust. Let’s see about a stalk.
The weather was lovely today but there was a stiff breeze when I got to the farm. First challenge was getting a dog that thus far had only experienced being on a slip lead, tonight was going to be a shoulder sling hands free hunting/stalking lead I bought at Jagd und hund a few years back. Wasn’t sure how well that would work and her early enthusiasm tested our limits a little!
We found a munty buck, not in an ideal location making his way back down the drive of the farmhouse, but he kept looking as though he would pop through the hedge head into a shootable spot in the next field so we stalked and waited.
At this point the bored bellend decided to pick up a stick and crunch it loudly. The buck was instantly alerted and exited stage left pretty sharpish. Hmm. Was I running before I could walk????
We persevered and continued our stalk, I figured a full perimeter of the 250acre farm would serve two purposes, firstly we could see what was there but also blow off some enthusiastic steam in the process.
Spotted 3 sets of roe does with last years followers but nothing shootable.
I had resigned myself to a fruitless if enjoyable evening and was just returning to the truck when something caught my eye on the margin of the neighbouring forest, a single fallow. Too far at this point to see if it was a buck or doe I figured we would stalk it regardless for the experience.
Sure enough it was a young buck, it had us pegged from 800m, eyes fixed on our every move. We got closer when I spotted a second larger buck in the field, again, it was locked on us and sure enough both dived for the forest.
Then my cunning kicked in, and a long held belief tested. Just pretend to be a dog walker out for a stroll.
We did, we walked right past them, a glance out of the corner of my eye said they were only 30m into cover, they hadn’t gone. So we walked a further 100m past them and holed up on a hedge line. Theory proved to work rather well, ten minutes passed, the yellow peril (aka Florence, flozzle chops, or at times tonight, tw@tflaps) sat motionless as I stood ther with the rifle on sticks waiting.
The younger of the two bucks appeared first bouncing back out of cover, shortly followed by his slightly more cautious companion, who was sporting a pronounced limp on his hind left. No weight bearing at all, easy choice of which to try and take. The shot took a few seconds to materialise and he offered a broadside shot. Longer than I normally generally like but needs must at 168m.
The buck thankfully ran into the field, circled once and went down. I looked over my shoulder and she was just sat there patiently, “what next dad”?
We walked to the shot site, her nose hit the floor. Aside from seeing dead deer in my garage this was all new to her. She didn’t lift her head once, but followed every spot of blood meticulously, so much so she failed to spot the buck lying right in front of her and nearly shat herself when she realised that was where the blood was coming from!
Class act from start to finish. Couldn’t be happier (and neither could she!)
She wasn’t too keen on sitting with her prize so sadly no proud dad photo of her and her first deer, but a memory I will cherish for a long long time nevertheless!
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gets down and he looks at you as if to say look what I've done since you went and left me here I’ve been busy boss, look at all the logs we now have - you just gotta love em, best pal a man can have
