I have been out with maybe 5 or 6 times with others either as the shooter or just accompanying to learn the ropes including a trip out with JRoe from here where I shot my first Buck. I picked up a reasonable bit of land with roe and at times red so over the last two months I have been getting to know the land but never been successful, either no backstop, only seeing does or hinds, and on one occasion only a prized bull as backstop with what to my untrained eye was a medal buck.
I found one particular area carrying a good number of roe but unless the wind was from the east it involved a stalk through the uncut barley field, or going past the house of an anti who the farmer asks I avoid, save him the irritating phone calls complaining about people with guns being near his house.
Well, last week the barley was cut. On Saturday I got out at 6am for a look I had a look through my binoculars from the road some two fields away and spotted a buck and doe in the barley field, but although I was down wind and some 500m away they seen me and disappeared into a hollow so I left them until later. I had a drive around the farm but could not see anything else moving so I returned to try to get into the two I had seen earlier.
I’ve never noticed how loud it is to walk through barley stubble before but sticking to the tramlines it was quiet enough and I was able to stalk into the area I had seen them disappear into. As I got closer I got slower always glassing the area to ensure I seen them before they seen me. Eventually I spotted a small red patch moving in a small grassy hollow, a roe but only the top of its back. Its head came up, bugger a doe. I knew from a earlier there should be a buck with her so I got the rifle ready and waited still. Five minutes passed of this doe head up head down. So long I got my phone out and took a quick picture
I decided to move next time the head went down to get a different view into the hollow. Aprox five yards to the left I stopped and there he was, must have been there all the time. He was back on but I was ready with the rifle on the sticks, after what seemed like forever he turned side on and I pulled the trigger.
I looked for shot reaction but could not see him, reload, them kept looking in the area to spot him, nothing, did I miss did I hit and he ran. Then I spotted a leg kicking from the long grass right where he was before the shot. The kicking stopped, excellent my first solo deer.
After the shot at least ten roe emerged from the reed bed at the back of the first photo and disappeared around the hill but the doe he was with did not move, she kept grazing as if nothing happened. I gave her a while to move off on her own accord but eventually made me presence known to her and she disappeared where the others went.
Once I got to the buck I checked his eye for a reaction and did my first solo gralloch, no problems there must have a reasonable memory. He was a five pointer in a good condition. Then the drag, I should have taken my jacket off for this I was a sweaty mess by the time I got him to the side of the barley field, luckily I could drive the truck through the field to pick him up from there.
Back at home he weighed in at a larder weight of 19.5kg, hopefully the first of many over the years.
I found one particular area carrying a good number of roe but unless the wind was from the east it involved a stalk through the uncut barley field, or going past the house of an anti who the farmer asks I avoid, save him the irritating phone calls complaining about people with guns being near his house.
Well, last week the barley was cut. On Saturday I got out at 6am for a look I had a look through my binoculars from the road some two fields away and spotted a buck and doe in the barley field, but although I was down wind and some 500m away they seen me and disappeared into a hollow so I left them until later. I had a drive around the farm but could not see anything else moving so I returned to try to get into the two I had seen earlier.
I’ve never noticed how loud it is to walk through barley stubble before but sticking to the tramlines it was quiet enough and I was able to stalk into the area I had seen them disappear into. As I got closer I got slower always glassing the area to ensure I seen them before they seen me. Eventually I spotted a small red patch moving in a small grassy hollow, a roe but only the top of its back. Its head came up, bugger a doe. I knew from a earlier there should be a buck with her so I got the rifle ready and waited still. Five minutes passed of this doe head up head down. So long I got my phone out and took a quick picture
I decided to move next time the head went down to get a different view into the hollow. Aprox five yards to the left I stopped and there he was, must have been there all the time. He was back on but I was ready with the rifle on the sticks, after what seemed like forever he turned side on and I pulled the trigger.
I looked for shot reaction but could not see him, reload, them kept looking in the area to spot him, nothing, did I miss did I hit and he ran. Then I spotted a leg kicking from the long grass right where he was before the shot. The kicking stopped, excellent my first solo deer.
After the shot at least ten roe emerged from the reed bed at the back of the first photo and disappeared around the hill but the doe he was with did not move, she kept grazing as if nothing happened. I gave her a while to move off on her own accord but eventually made me presence known to her and she disappeared where the others went.
Once I got to the buck I checked his eye for a reaction and did my first solo gralloch, no problems there must have a reasonable memory. He was a five pointer in a good condition. Then the drag, I should have taken my jacket off for this I was a sweaty mess by the time I got him to the side of the barley field, luckily I could drive the truck through the field to pick him up from there.
Back at home he weighed in at a larder weight of 19.5kg, hopefully the first of many over the years.
