A couple of mornings ago I was back at the scene where I had seen a big bodied boy with the unmistakable look of a stag walking home with head down but for the life of me I could not ID his antlers so he was watched as he melted into the bush. I was back the next morning for the following.
It may look nice and open and yes where he is right there it is 'good' however the spot is surrounded by untouched native forest for kilometres and has log trash windrow heaps covered in blackberry canes and there are lots of 6'-7' high Dogwood thickets. I was fortunate enough to have been there before daylight to set up and then at first blink of light observe two Askari stags jousting below me although only through proper bino`s in light too poor to video in. Cheap bino`s do not cut the mustard at these times.
When they disappeared into the forest I thought that it was 'all over Rover' for the day and then to my nervous joy I saw a stag ( video still below, bottom left of pic) coming up from a Dogwood thicket 150 yards away and in between trash heaps and as he loosely followed the young stags trail I managed to capture five videos of him. There`s nothing much better than watching a sambar stag doing his stuff in his domain, for me that is.
I don`t know if he is the original stag or not.
I did have Mr Orange with me and a dog alongside shivering like me...in excitement lol.
If TP was alongside it would have been "fire at will"
Yesterday I saw a line of deer in the pox light feed their way uphill, two stags preached on the way but it was poor light once again..no pics.
Arrived at Spot X in the dark again this morning, set up two tripods, one for videoing and the other for a .300 rest in case a decent one walked through.
Phaarkin one heavy tripod is enough let alone two. I wear a poncho with 'thru' pockets and thread the tripod in and out so as to free up and reduce clanking against each other. Yep, saw deer in the first gloom but they melted into the bush in very early light.
I tried to intercept them half a k further on around the spur they use to cross into a four k long bedding gully but ran into a browsing hind among thick schitt. I had no option other than to set up as I couldn't get past her. Videoed her and sort of followed her a while but pulled the pin...better off not letting them know that you have been there. Sun today will erase all scent of mine so back to business at 5 AM tomorrow.
Early bird song in video is a delight, turn it up.
It may look nice and open and yes where he is right there it is 'good' however the spot is surrounded by untouched native forest for kilometres and has log trash windrow heaps covered in blackberry canes and there are lots of 6'-7' high Dogwood thickets. I was fortunate enough to have been there before daylight to set up and then at first blink of light observe two Askari stags jousting below me although only through proper bino`s in light too poor to video in. Cheap bino`s do not cut the mustard at these times.
When they disappeared into the forest I thought that it was 'all over Rover' for the day and then to my nervous joy I saw a stag ( video still below, bottom left of pic) coming up from a Dogwood thicket 150 yards away and in between trash heaps and as he loosely followed the young stags trail I managed to capture five videos of him. There`s nothing much better than watching a sambar stag doing his stuff in his domain, for me that is.
I don`t know if he is the original stag or not.
I did have Mr Orange with me and a dog alongside shivering like me...in excitement lol.
If TP was alongside it would have been "fire at will"
Yesterday I saw a line of deer in the pox light feed their way uphill, two stags preached on the way but it was poor light once again..no pics.
Arrived at Spot X in the dark again this morning, set up two tripods, one for videoing and the other for a .300 rest in case a decent one walked through.
Phaarkin one heavy tripod is enough let alone two. I wear a poncho with 'thru' pockets and thread the tripod in and out so as to free up and reduce clanking against each other. Yep, saw deer in the first gloom but they melted into the bush in very early light.
I tried to intercept them half a k further on around the spur they use to cross into a four k long bedding gully but ran into a browsing hind among thick schitt. I had no option other than to set up as I couldn't get past her. Videoed her and sort of followed her a while but pulled the pin...better off not letting them know that you have been there. Sun today will erase all scent of mine so back to business at 5 AM tomorrow.
Early bird song in video is a delight, turn it up.
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