You seriously couldn't make this up..............

[martin 332]

I was out this evening with a mate for a stalk and to see if the rut had actually started,so we set off for a bit of land on the Mendips that I haven't be to for a little while. We were soon pulling into the field as there was little traffic about,and 'FD' saw a Deer immediately in a gateway across the field so we were definitely confident of some action.We got set up and headed over to where 'FD' had seen the Deer and ensconced ourselves in a hedge line for a 'Pheep' with the Buttulo caller,but it turned out to be a no show,so we carried on across the farm checking each field and hedge line as we went,then I spotted a Doe three fields away and we changed our tack so we would come in against the soft breeze that was blowing(normally gale force on the Mendips....lol)we were obviously hoping that she had a Buck following her round,but,as we got to a point where we would of been able to see her she had already moved on,but,there was another Doe spotted feeding along the far hedge line and 'FD' decided to stalk across the field unseen by that Doe and hope to call in any Buck that was in her vicinity while I went across the top of the farm to a vantage point that would enable me to watch what was happening from a small gap in the hedge.I could hear the Buttulo eerily pheeping out across the brilliant red sunset.....

and then saw the silhouette of a very good 6 point Buck heading towards the call and 'FD' with his .243 sat on his sticks in anticipation,but,for no apparent reason apart from maybe getting a waft of scent on the still blowing breeze he turned tail and pranced off into the corner away from 'FD' and away down into the valley below and gone.I waited for a while thinking that he may come back up the far hedge line towards me,but then saw 'FD' making his way into the corner to see where he had gone and then pushed himself into the hedge for another call,so I decided to stalk along another hedge line back the way we had come,and as I poked my head over a low hedge/stone wall I saw a Buck feeding out in the middle of the field,so,up on the sticks with the Finnlight onto the sticks and with a steadying breath I took the shot,it was slightly forward and pinned him through both shoulders and with a wheel barrowing motion he went down with a couple of head lifts and then he was gone.After a few minutes we both then made our way over to the dropped Buck and performed the Gralloch and folded him up into the Roe sack,and made our way back to the truck where we packed everything(or we though we did)into the back and drove back towards home which is approximately 11 miles or so,well here is where it gets more than a bit freaky...........I took a right off a mini roundabout and heard a queer scraping sound,I thought that I must of dragged a cone under the truck it was so loud,so I pulled over to the left and 'FD' jumped out and round to the back where he found my £1800 Leica binoculars hanging from the tow hitch !!!!! I must of left them on the rear bumper and as I went round the roundabout they must of slipped off and caught on the tow hitch. Well,I have often thought that I never get any good luck,but,someone was definitely looking down on me that night,what are the odds of them landing on the tow hitch it must be millions to one,and believe it or not although there was no damage to the binoculars which was freaky enough there wasn't even a scrape mark on the case,Leica certainly have my vote for robustness and I think I ought to have a lottery ticket this weekend don't you......lol

 

He had a good body weight (41 lb)and a good covering of fat round the kidneys which would suggest he was in the starting blocks and ready for the rut to start........

 

 

regards....Martin 'Just call me lucky'

[sounder 9]

great write up martin well done you were one lucky man with the bins lol

atb sounder

[Caprelous 217]

Brilliant account and write up Martin and those Binos i reckon they will be no good too you after them taking a bashing i will take them of your hands though for £50 if you want to get shut.

Cheers

Stu

[Yokel Matt 918]

you're due for some luck martin - not that much luck though!

[SJB1956 0]

Well done Martin, a great read.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Chances of that happening again very slim mate .No rut activity as yet here though .

[Cleanspade 3,322]

nice write up. enjoyed that. and a nice buck . i travelled forty miles with a new dslr sat on the outside of a man lorry last month. i thought i had left em at the yard. my mate spotted them when we stopped at a bakers . glad your bins survived unscathed. no sign of the rut with me either

[martin 332]

Good luck is something foreign to me Cleanspade mate,so it was a BIG shock.....lol but the rut is close I hope.

 

Martin