Is it me, or has this site become a wee bit 'noisy' in the recent past?
Perhaps it is me (it usually is) and maybe, just maybe, I should become more tolerant of other folks 'passionate' views about issues that none of us can change, and few of us has any control.
Stoicism has a role.
Anyhoo.
It has been a wee while, and I have long felt the urge to immerse myself in the quiet and solitude of nature. Away from everyone, away from every 'thing' - and certainly away from the 'static' and 'white-noise' that seems to assault my senses on a daily basis; in what is euphemistically referred to as the 'modern world'.
For the past month or so, I have been trying to ready the Shoot in anticipation of the arrival of this season's birds.
@stavross I always read (and enjoyed) your posts: and your sentiments and frustrations mirror (all be it, on a much more modest scale) my own. With one notable exception, I too have been left to my own devices to prepare for the upcoming season. When you were kind enough to host my 'visit' to your Shoot a couple of years ago - I saw first-hand the work you put in. You are a credit to the 'industry', and they are fortunate to have you.
Fari enough. As they used to say in my old game - "If you can't take a joke, you should not have joined". Not even sure you can say that anymore!
One of the Guns turned out to help me set up the new 'drinker system'. They have the same system on his other (much grander) Shoot, and his help (just for a couple of hours) was invaluable in understanding how the damn thing worked.
Enough already.
Yesterday morning (0200 hours), I climbed aboard what used to be my Landrover 110.
She is a memory now. After twenty-years of owning her, she has gone on to the next chapter of her (fcuking expensive) life. Good luck to her.
Climbing into my new 'ride', I was delighted to see the doors closed, the heating worked, and I could hear the radio. Takes some getting used to; let me tell you.
0400 hours finds me sat in a High Seat. My Vorn is hanging off the side. My (home-made) shooting platform is secured. The rifle is made ready. There is just me. Gentle sounds of nature. No 'static' and no 'white-noise'. I am at peace.
It is about an hour before light, and so I make use of the TI to see what is about. One Roe. Several Hares. Birds of unknown variety. Despite myself, I find myself scanning for 'threats'.
In the past week the farm has been visited at night. Gates rammed open, locks cut, and signs of Hare coursing. I feel the rage inside me building. They are not even here this morning, and already they are intruding into my tranquility. Bastards.
Stoicism S62....stoicism.
After the first scan, it is time to break out the wraps and (terrible) coffee. It is one of my greatest pleasures, to be sat in a tree before sunrise. The 'worry' of getting there is done. You are in situ. You are settled. You are in Heaven. It is my 'happy place'.
With the light comes an 'unwelcome' sight. From my left comes a line of 'my' Pheasants.
They have wandered from the Pen. There was a time when this would have worried me. Not any more. Stoicism. I bid them 'Good morning' and tell them I will be along directly, to feed and water them. Actually with the new drinker system, that is now easier than ever.
Over the next hour or so, I see a couple of Roe Bucks (one decent), and a couple or three Roe Does.
Across in the next fields I see three Roe (unable to sex) in one field, and a Roe Buck in another field. This Buck has the sun on his back, and the glinting is what alerted me to him. He looks majestic and I am thrilled to see it.
Eventually, I see one of 'my' Bucks chasing a Doe. The first signs, that the rut may be on in our area.
I then see a couple of Muntjac in convoy, They pass from right to left, and then again about an hour later, left to right. I let them on their way.
About 0730, I see a rather pathetic looking Roe Buck. His antlers are below his ears. If he presents, he will be a good one to take. The rest of our little band of hunters have not yet deployed on this year's rut, and so I am reluctant to take anything decent.
Eventually, my little Buck come to 100 yards. I am relaxed, and the rifle is rock-solid on my magnificent shooting-platform. The 95gr Spitzer (home-load) drops the wee beast.
I roll and smoke an imaginary cigarette, whilst I wait for the animals's spirit to leave his body, before dismounting and going to bring him in.
The crop (such as it is) is only about 18" high, but it is high enough to hide the deer, and for the love of me, I cannot find it. I return to the seat, break out the TI (it is daylight by now of course) and scan the field. He is lying when he fell, and nowhere near where I thought he was. I am rubbish at shot site location.
I carry him back to the seat and perform the suspended gralloch there.
Fun fact.
I have one of those gizmos - a plastic hook which holds a razor blade - used to 'unzip' the beast. The blade fell out of the plastic hook, and so (just to see how easy it was) I completed the gralloch just with the razor blade. Not too terrible.
I leave him there for an hour, whilst I go and tend the birds, and then drive over to the larder.
My pal is a very fastidious man, and his larder is always immaculate. It is so immaculate that I hate using it. The pressure to leave it as immaculate as you find it, is crippling!
Today, when I opened the larder, it actually stopped my in my tracks...
Has he finally gone mad?
I know he grows his own fruit and veg. but this is odd?
I gingerly weigh (15Kg) the beast, and place him in the larder. Confused about what is going on, I send my pal a message, informing him that there is a beast in the larder, but owing to the 'immaculate' display of fruit and vegetables, I have not turned the chiller on, as I was worried that the change in temperature would have a deleterious effect on his display.
"Don't worry. They are my entries for today's village 'grower's competitions"
Fair enough.
Later that day, he sends an image of the results of the scoring - plenty of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds.
Not to mention two Cups.
So yeah.
Today was all about the 'meat and veg.'.
If by happenstance you have found this wee tale, too relaxing (and I hope you have), and you yearn for something a bit more 'punchy', head on over to any 'lead' debate thread.
Me?
I am going to toast some bagels....good morning.
Perhaps it is me (it usually is) and maybe, just maybe, I should become more tolerant of other folks 'passionate' views about issues that none of us can change, and few of us has any control.
Stoicism has a role.
Anyhoo.
It has been a wee while, and I have long felt the urge to immerse myself in the quiet and solitude of nature. Away from everyone, away from every 'thing' - and certainly away from the 'static' and 'white-noise' that seems to assault my senses on a daily basis; in what is euphemistically referred to as the 'modern world'.
For the past month or so, I have been trying to ready the Shoot in anticipation of the arrival of this season's birds.
@stavross I always read (and enjoyed) your posts: and your sentiments and frustrations mirror (all be it, on a much more modest scale) my own. With one notable exception, I too have been left to my own devices to prepare for the upcoming season. When you were kind enough to host my 'visit' to your Shoot a couple of years ago - I saw first-hand the work you put in. You are a credit to the 'industry', and they are fortunate to have you.
Fari enough. As they used to say in my old game - "If you can't take a joke, you should not have joined". Not even sure you can say that anymore!
One of the Guns turned out to help me set up the new 'drinker system'. They have the same system on his other (much grander) Shoot, and his help (just for a couple of hours) was invaluable in understanding how the damn thing worked.
Enough already.
Yesterday morning (0200 hours), I climbed aboard what used to be my Landrover 110.
She is a memory now. After twenty-years of owning her, she has gone on to the next chapter of her (fcuking expensive) life. Good luck to her.
Climbing into my new 'ride', I was delighted to see the doors closed, the heating worked, and I could hear the radio. Takes some getting used to; let me tell you.
0400 hours finds me sat in a High Seat. My Vorn is hanging off the side. My (home-made) shooting platform is secured. The rifle is made ready. There is just me. Gentle sounds of nature. No 'static' and no 'white-noise'. I am at peace.
It is about an hour before light, and so I make use of the TI to see what is about. One Roe. Several Hares. Birds of unknown variety. Despite myself, I find myself scanning for 'threats'.
In the past week the farm has been visited at night. Gates rammed open, locks cut, and signs of Hare coursing. I feel the rage inside me building. They are not even here this morning, and already they are intruding into my tranquility. Bastards.
Stoicism S62....stoicism.
After the first scan, it is time to break out the wraps and (terrible) coffee. It is one of my greatest pleasures, to be sat in a tree before sunrise. The 'worry' of getting there is done. You are in situ. You are settled. You are in Heaven. It is my 'happy place'.
With the light comes an 'unwelcome' sight. From my left comes a line of 'my' Pheasants.
They have wandered from the Pen. There was a time when this would have worried me. Not any more. Stoicism. I bid them 'Good morning' and tell them I will be along directly, to feed and water them. Actually with the new drinker system, that is now easier than ever.
Over the next hour or so, I see a couple of Roe Bucks (one decent), and a couple or three Roe Does.
Across in the next fields I see three Roe (unable to sex) in one field, and a Roe Buck in another field. This Buck has the sun on his back, and the glinting is what alerted me to him. He looks majestic and I am thrilled to see it.
Eventually, I see one of 'my' Bucks chasing a Doe. The first signs, that the rut may be on in our area.
I then see a couple of Muntjac in convoy, They pass from right to left, and then again about an hour later, left to right. I let them on their way.
About 0730, I see a rather pathetic looking Roe Buck. His antlers are below his ears. If he presents, he will be a good one to take. The rest of our little band of hunters have not yet deployed on this year's rut, and so I am reluctant to take anything decent.
Eventually, my little Buck come to 100 yards. I am relaxed, and the rifle is rock-solid on my magnificent shooting-platform. The 95gr Spitzer (home-load) drops the wee beast.
I roll and smoke an imaginary cigarette, whilst I wait for the animals's spirit to leave his body, before dismounting and going to bring him in.
The crop (such as it is) is only about 18" high, but it is high enough to hide the deer, and for the love of me, I cannot find it. I return to the seat, break out the TI (it is daylight by now of course) and scan the field. He is lying when he fell, and nowhere near where I thought he was. I am rubbish at shot site location.
I carry him back to the seat and perform the suspended gralloch there.
Fun fact.
I have one of those gizmos - a plastic hook which holds a razor blade - used to 'unzip' the beast. The blade fell out of the plastic hook, and so (just to see how easy it was) I completed the gralloch just with the razor blade. Not too terrible.
I leave him there for an hour, whilst I go and tend the birds, and then drive over to the larder.
My pal is a very fastidious man, and his larder is always immaculate. It is so immaculate that I hate using it. The pressure to leave it as immaculate as you find it, is crippling!
Today, when I opened the larder, it actually stopped my in my tracks...
Has he finally gone mad?
I know he grows his own fruit and veg. but this is odd?
I gingerly weigh (15Kg) the beast, and place him in the larder. Confused about what is going on, I send my pal a message, informing him that there is a beast in the larder, but owing to the 'immaculate' display of fruit and vegetables, I have not turned the chiller on, as I was worried that the change in temperature would have a deleterious effect on his display.
"Don't worry. They are my entries for today's village 'grower's competitions"
Fair enough.
Later that day, he sends an image of the results of the scoring - plenty of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds.
Not to mention two Cups.
So yeah.
Today was all about the 'meat and veg.'.
If by happenstance you have found this wee tale, too relaxing (and I hope you have), and you yearn for something a bit more 'punchy', head on over to any 'lead' debate thread.
Me?
I am going to toast some bagels....good morning.
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- if only I could adopt the same regime you now have instead of having to endure the grind of day to day working life still… you are a lucky man!
You have been missed!
