My wife is doing the pregnancy thing, up and down at all hours going to and from the bathroom. At 0400 she notices I've also woken up. "You may as well go hunting then"
"Love you", I say, grabbing my gear from the wardrobe.
I'm loaded and out the door, parking up by the gate at 0450. It's misty but there's nothing on thermal. The wind is blowing such that I take the spinney so I can stalk into the main wood. Nothing in the first one but I'm moving really slowly. It's 0525 before I even reach the main wood, where I immediately see 3 fallow laid up. We all know they're on the wrong side of the boundary. I consider bouncing them on, knowing they may end up in my wood. I leave them though, as I don't want to scare what may already be in my wood .
I'm walking through, and see a small group looking my way. They quickly move off and hop the fence but it's clear they haven't actually made me, because they're rather leisurely and 2 stragglers aren't even really following.
I pick a spot through the trees, around 70m. One makes his way to the gap and politely stands broadside for me. Bang and I hear the hit.
Excellent stuff, I make my way there and there is nothing! Nothing on thermal and no sign of a hit. Bugger!
This is where the Alpex comes good. I hook upy phone and watch the **** back.
It's a good hit, and he runs off to the right.
I use the footage, walk back to where I was on sticks, pick the exact spot he was standing, and march straight to it.
I find signs. Good.
No blood, but the tufts are the other side of the bank he was standing on. Clearly a nice exit from the amount of fur.
I follow the direction he ran off in, but there's nothing. He must be in the marsh section with the long grass, but it's not until I walk right the way around and approach from the rear, that I spot him on thermal.
The bugger had dropped right behind a big tuft of marsh grass, and in a little divet just big enough for his body. He couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried.
39.5kg and dropped off in the chiller.
Nice Sunday morning.
"Love you", I say, grabbing my gear from the wardrobe.
I'm loaded and out the door, parking up by the gate at 0450. It's misty but there's nothing on thermal. The wind is blowing such that I take the spinney so I can stalk into the main wood. Nothing in the first one but I'm moving really slowly. It's 0525 before I even reach the main wood, where I immediately see 3 fallow laid up. We all know they're on the wrong side of the boundary. I consider bouncing them on, knowing they may end up in my wood. I leave them though, as I don't want to scare what may already be in my wood .
I'm walking through, and see a small group looking my way. They quickly move off and hop the fence but it's clear they haven't actually made me, because they're rather leisurely and 2 stragglers aren't even really following.
I pick a spot through the trees, around 70m. One makes his way to the gap and politely stands broadside for me. Bang and I hear the hit.
Excellent stuff, I make my way there and there is nothing! Nothing on thermal and no sign of a hit. Bugger!
This is where the Alpex comes good. I hook upy phone and watch the **** back.
It's a good hit, and he runs off to the right.
I use the footage, walk back to where I was on sticks, pick the exact spot he was standing, and march straight to it.
I find signs. Good.
No blood, but the tufts are the other side of the bank he was standing on. Clearly a nice exit from the amount of fur.
I follow the direction he ran off in, but there's nothing. He must be in the marsh section with the long grass, but it's not until I walk right the way around and approach from the rear, that I spot him on thermal.
The bugger had dropped right behind a big tuft of marsh grass, and in a little divet just big enough for his body. He couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried.
39.5kg and dropped off in the chiller.
Nice Sunday morning.
maybe I’m a masochist but it’s all a part of the hunt.
