I've been determined to get my Alpex 4k Lite christened. The last few outings it just hasn't happened but I was determined!
At least it's not such a ridiculous start now. Up at 0515, having made as much effort the night before to make my wife's morning as easy as possible. Kids packed lunches sorted, uniform all laid out, housework done. That's it, there can't be any comeback to me going shooting again this week.
It's nice and mild, none of the drizzle they'd forecast. The drizzle that made my shooting buddy drop out. Oh well, in all honesty I have more success solo.
I pull up on the farm and immediately see a deer in the open field. The backstop can be a bit iffy and the wind is against me, so I decide to ignore it and walk on down into the woods so I can approach from the bottom with the wind blowing to me.
I get part way down the path when I see the one deer in the field has become 5, and they've shifted over so the lower field becomes a back stop. The wind is still against me but I turn around and walk back up to the field entrance. I get up on sticks but it's only just shooting time and even the Alpex Lite isn't managing. There's no ambient light. No moon at all. I keep watching on thermal but they're off down the field and into the woods.
Back to the original plan... back down the path into the wood.
I've been really working on my fieldcraft, and it definitely shows in the amount of times I am now able to get close to the deer. I'd say the biggest thing has been knowing to stop trying to make the situation work by pressing closer. Let the situation evolve on its own. Get up on sticks and give the deer the opportunity to move into the zone on their own. If you press the issue, they'll hear you and bugger off.
This has resulted in lots of moments where I am on sticks but they wander off the wrong way.
This time I see a small group of fallow, a long way off in the wood. They're over 100m away, which in a woodland is a long shot (in my mind anyway). I set up on sticks, looking at a clear path between the trees. They're off to the left, but fingers crossed.
My phone rings... My wife. I ignore it. It rings again. I ignore it again. Text message... Answer your F**king phone. It rings again... oh well, no deer today then. I answer the phone, being as quiet as I can. The bloody shower is broken. I talk her through a few things and by the time I am off the phone I expect the deer to be gone.
Nope, they're still in the same position. Get in! I probably stand there for 30 minutes before they move into position. Once takes a position laying down behind a tree. I can see it's a buck, and he leaves just his front half showing.
I ping him with the LRF. 104m
The Habrok show him clearly enough, but the Alpex is only able to show me a grainy shape at max zoom. I tinker with the focus but it's no good. It's not glass, but it is good enough.
I pop the crosshairs on him and fire. It's a 308 so I immediately lose sight picture, but when I get it back I can see him on the deck about 5m further from where he was.
I reload, pop the safety on and walk towards him. When I get there I can see him still kicking. No bother, I'll just wait him out.
It's not long before I decide he's a bit too active for my own morals. I've never had to do a follow up shot other than my DSC1. I remember to account for height over bore, move round to get a clear head shot and I fire. It's perfect, exiting the top of the skull and he's done.
The shot was in the DSC1 circle, and took out both lungs but missed the heart. He was gone but just didn't know it yet.
Gralloch done, this one was particularly hard to free up the pluck. No idea why, but everything had to be cut free and I end up opening the chest a bit. Something I have never had to do previously.
The extraction is a bugger. He's at the furthest possible corner of the woods. I decide to go back for the sled. It's all uphill, 537m to be exact.
The Apex ReadySled does the job for the amount of deer I take, although the extraction really takes it out of me. I want a quad!
By the time I get it back it's weighed in at 50.3KG and I need a shower.
If you've been reading you know how that's going to go... bugger!
To top it all off the Alpex didn't even record the shot. I'm fuming!
Oh well, at least I've broken the run of blank outings.
At least it's not such a ridiculous start now. Up at 0515, having made as much effort the night before to make my wife's morning as easy as possible. Kids packed lunches sorted, uniform all laid out, housework done. That's it, there can't be any comeback to me going shooting again this week.
It's nice and mild, none of the drizzle they'd forecast. The drizzle that made my shooting buddy drop out. Oh well, in all honesty I have more success solo.
I pull up on the farm and immediately see a deer in the open field. The backstop can be a bit iffy and the wind is against me, so I decide to ignore it and walk on down into the woods so I can approach from the bottom with the wind blowing to me.
I get part way down the path when I see the one deer in the field has become 5, and they've shifted over so the lower field becomes a back stop. The wind is still against me but I turn around and walk back up to the field entrance. I get up on sticks but it's only just shooting time and even the Alpex Lite isn't managing. There's no ambient light. No moon at all. I keep watching on thermal but they're off down the field and into the woods.
Back to the original plan... back down the path into the wood.
I've been really working on my fieldcraft, and it definitely shows in the amount of times I am now able to get close to the deer. I'd say the biggest thing has been knowing to stop trying to make the situation work by pressing closer. Let the situation evolve on its own. Get up on sticks and give the deer the opportunity to move into the zone on their own. If you press the issue, they'll hear you and bugger off.
This has resulted in lots of moments where I am on sticks but they wander off the wrong way.
This time I see a small group of fallow, a long way off in the wood. They're over 100m away, which in a woodland is a long shot (in my mind anyway). I set up on sticks, looking at a clear path between the trees. They're off to the left, but fingers crossed.
My phone rings... My wife. I ignore it. It rings again. I ignore it again. Text message... Answer your F**king phone. It rings again... oh well, no deer today then. I answer the phone, being as quiet as I can. The bloody shower is broken. I talk her through a few things and by the time I am off the phone I expect the deer to be gone.
Nope, they're still in the same position. Get in! I probably stand there for 30 minutes before they move into position. Once takes a position laying down behind a tree. I can see it's a buck, and he leaves just his front half showing.
I ping him with the LRF. 104m
The Habrok show him clearly enough, but the Alpex is only able to show me a grainy shape at max zoom. I tinker with the focus but it's no good. It's not glass, but it is good enough.
I pop the crosshairs on him and fire. It's a 308 so I immediately lose sight picture, but when I get it back I can see him on the deck about 5m further from where he was.
I reload, pop the safety on and walk towards him. When I get there I can see him still kicking. No bother, I'll just wait him out.
It's not long before I decide he's a bit too active for my own morals. I've never had to do a follow up shot other than my DSC1. I remember to account for height over bore, move round to get a clear head shot and I fire. It's perfect, exiting the top of the skull and he's done.
The shot was in the DSC1 circle, and took out both lungs but missed the heart. He was gone but just didn't know it yet.
Gralloch done, this one was particularly hard to free up the pluck. No idea why, but everything had to be cut free and I end up opening the chest a bit. Something I have never had to do previously.
The extraction is a bugger. He's at the furthest possible corner of the woods. I decide to go back for the sled. It's all uphill, 537m to be exact.
The Apex ReadySled does the job for the amount of deer I take, although the extraction really takes it out of me. I want a quad!
By the time I get it back it's weighed in at 50.3KG and I need a shower.
If you've been reading you know how that's going to go... bugger!
To top it all off the Alpex didn't even record the shot. I'm fuming!
Oh well, at least I've broken the run of blank outings.
