Last minute stalk

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

The sun shone yesterday afternoon and lured me into an early finish at work and after speaking to one of my landowners,who said she'd seen a buck earlier that day ,it was off to the farm as quick as the speed limits would allow .Started with a sweep into the wind which payed off very quickly .As i rounded a hedge i glassed a pair of roe heads on the far hedgeline,one a buck, and decided to approach around an earth bank to my left that would take me to within 150 of them and follow up with a crawl ,not because of the distance but because i enjoy getting up close and crawling .As i stalked around the pile ,i caught a flick of an ear on top of the bank and identified it as charlie through the bins and only 30 yds away so I very carefully got the rifle on sticks and gave a very low toned squeak just with my mouth to which charlie sat up and trotted down the bank on my side of the bund luckily and another squeak had him stopped and dead .

 

 

 

This farm borders the chicken farm where i do a fair amount of control of one sort and another so the chance of a fox is never passed up .Looking again at the deer further on they were both in the same position and so i moved on, singing the praises of moderated rifles in my head as i went .

In the nettles around this mound i came across what has to be a world record contender for a puff ball ,it had to be 24 inches round .

Got to the far end and glassed again ,planning my crawl once i got out the nettles.Decided to stay in the shadows as both deer were looking my way now as i slid into the grass.My preferred method of crawling is to rest the rifle across my forearms and use my elbows to manouvre which does help to keep the body low and this worked well here as ,with a couple of stops ,i got to within 90 yds .Up to this point the buck remained seated but he chose now to rise and have a pick at the hedge which rendered the shot unsafe through the hedge whereas before,sat down ,it was into the raised hedge bottem .The doe remained sat which was a good thing , enjoying the winter sun, as im sure they would of moved off had she risen .

The buck walked toward the doe ,maybe 10 feet away and sat down again but higher up the hedge than before .A low neck was the only safe shot on offer and so i steadied for that and over he went with the doe not even bothering to look in his direction.Nice buck to end the season with and a good body weight for the dealer .

Walked back to the truck taking a different route and low and behold another charlie out and about in the middle of a field.Down on the bipod and a loud squeak to get his attention which worked and fox number two was in the bag .Cracking afternoon out late season .

[Roonstar 0]

If carlsberg made afternoon stalking.....

 

Top effort, great write up and photos

[Sky09 8]

well done mucker also a cracking read

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Apparently ,puffballs get much bigger than that !just a snippet of knowledge from a farmer mate .

[CallumT 0]

I've heard you can eat puffballs,is this true? (as in something with recipes,not something anyone can eat such as manure)

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

A very eventful walk out mate ...

[Yokel Matt 918]

All worked out beautifully mate What a nice buck to end the season on as well

[Wings1981 0]

Good stuff mate well done.

[martin 332]

Well done that man,and,yes you can eat puffballs when they are solid,you just slice them thinly and fry in butter....Mmmmmmmmmm! But,when they are going over they break down inside and become full of spores.......Martin

[Hywel 53]

What a terrible life you have FD

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Someones got to do it and it looks as if the burden for Wiltshire has fallen squarely on my shoulders .Ill survive but its taking its toll .

[Hywel 53]

Someones got to do it and it looks as if the burden for Wiltshire has fallen squarely on my shoulders .Ill survive but its taking its toll .

 

Grin and bear it mate

[J Darcy 5,871]

Someones got to do it and it looks as if the burden for Wiltshire has fallen squarely on my shoulders .Ill survive but its taking its toll .

just roll with the punch matey

[LBJ 11]

Well done and very nice pictures.

[BCman 0]

Hey Nice buck. nice story too.

Someone once told me that if every spore in a puffball grew into a puffball, the combined weight of all the puffballs would be more than the earth itself. (Just in case you look out of the window one day and can't

see anything but puffballs..you'll know whats happened....)

 

The sun shone yesterday afternoon and lured me into an early finish at work and after speaking to one of my landowners,who said she'd seen a buck earlier that day ,it was off to the farm as quick as the speed limits would allow .Started with a sweep into the wind which payed off very quickly .As i rounded a hedge i glassed a pair of roe heads on the far hedgeline,one a buck, and decided to approach around an earth bank to my left that would take me to within 150 of them and follow up with a crawl ,not because of the distance but because i enjoy getting up close and crawling .As i stalked around the pile ,i caught a flick of an ear on top of the bank and identified it as charlie through the bins and only 30 yds away so I very carefully got the rifle on sticks and gave a very low toned squeak just with my mouth to which charlie sat up and trotted down the bank on my side of the bund luckily and another squeak had him stopped and dead .

 

 

 

This farm borders the chicken farm where i do a fair amount of control of one sort and another so the chance of a fox is never passed up .Looking again at the deer further on they were both in the same position and so i moved on, singing the praises of moderated rifles in my head as i went .

In the nettles around this mound i came across what has to be a world record contender for a puff ball ,it had to be 24 inches round .

Got to the far end and glassed again ,planning my crawl once i got out the nettles.Decided to stay in the shadows as both deer were looking my way now as i slid into the grass.My preferred method of crawling is to rest the rifle across my forearms and use my elbows to manouvre which does help to keep the body low and this worked well here as ,with a couple of stops ,i got to within 90 yds .Up to this point the buck remained seated but he chose now to rise and have a pick at the hedge which rendered the shot unsafe through the hedge whereas before,sat down ,it was into the raised hedge bottem .The doe remained sat which was a good thing , enjoying the winter sun, as im sure they would of moved off had she risen .

The buck walked toward the doe ,maybe 10 feet away and sat down again but higher up the hedge than before .A low neck was the only safe shot on offer and so i steadied for that and over he went with the doe not even bothering to look in his direction.Nice buck to end the season with and a good body weight for the dealer .

Walked back to the truck taking a different route and low and behold another charlie out and about in the middle of a field.Down on the bipod and a loud squeak to get his attention which worked and fox number two was in the bag .Cracking afternoon out late season .