Time to make a start.

"seen them this morning!" was on an early doors text but it would have to be this evening as I had stuff to do.

I arrived as early as I finished things at work with the truck prepped from a blank Fallow trip it was just the rifle and sundries to load up, the electric gates swept open after I pushed the buzzer button and waved at the gate camera lol.
Always a warm welcome from my friend hopping in the cab with his usual "have you enough bullets?" He was chatting about his first day on the partridges coming up as we drove down the track, they were in that field Tim!
At 83 his enthusiasm is boundless going to the back of the truck saying "are you ready I have your sticks"
As we rounded the corner I grabbed his coat and with a finger up to my lips he got the message! Wind was not the greatest so up on the sticks as in the mass of antlers one 18 pointer was sniffing the air then 3 more started to do the same but the young spiker kept eating.
Nothing behind him locked off with @takbok Rory's sticks under my rifle, he now lifted his head and off went the 95gn round, he shuddered sideways then took off past the gate way hedge, the others bunched up with no shot on offer as the .243 was loaded. My friends thermal showed a hot lump not moving with the group moving off so we waited for them to disappear.
He would be no match for the big boys but those spikes might have done a bit of damage, up on the hoist with the tailgate making good platform to take the head off from under the throat.
A nice neat hole through the lungs and nice condition,
Stats about 165 yds ran 20/25 yards .243 95gn round hot dressed weight 85kg.

 

[FISH BOY]

Nice drumsticks.

Your extraction kit makes it look easy.

Well done.

 

[Tim.243]

Nice drumsticks.

Your extraction kit makes it look easy.

Well done.

Yes Russ thank you, I will take the sharp point off as Finn will no doubt be clanking one around the house like he does, yes it does make short work of lifting and a swing around on to the tailgate. It is lighter than the big Fallow from last year by .5kg

 

[Border]

Nice shooting Tim. Can’t complain that the 243 isn't up to the job

 

[Tim.243]

Nice shooting Tim. Can’t complain that the 243 isn't up to the job

Thank you Toby, it has seen some action in one form or another.

 

[EssexBigMac]

Good one to take out Tim. Has the rut made it smell lovely yet or do you still have a few weeks?

 

[Tim.243]

Good one to take out Tim. Has the rut made it smell lovely yet or do you still have a few weeks?

Thank you. they will decide when to kick off, personally I think all rut's are overrated with the seasons being quite long and these days out of whack. I am seeing this years fallow fawns feeding in groups independently with does in 4-7's doing the same.
In 6/7 weeks time those who are able to breed will have been covered. The deer act is 60+ years old with everything overtaken it food and farming practice wise.
I am seeing 100's of acres of land planted with schemes which in turn won't have people working it jumping up and down seeing deer in their arable crops!

 

[Tim.243]

A couple of pictures just to show the scale, UK's largest species with the smallest (rescued from the dog lol)

 

[bottletopbill]

Tim nice red no wonder you built the cart to take the amount of LARGE deer you shoot in a season and the large area you shoot.

 

[Mike1979]

Nicely done Tim

 

[Midlandstalker2024]

Be a lovely spiker for the freezer.