Great September Evening

[Yokel Matt 918]

Haven't posted for a while but had to get something up about a trip down to Martin's last week. Arrived at Martins around 5pm and Foxdropper arrived shortly afterwards as we both needed to check zero on the rifles beforehand. Went to the now infamous market garden after 5 shots each and a bit of a tweak were confident that the gear was on the button so set off to another patch to wait up for a buck. Moments away from the destination we get a call from the market garden farmer to say he's just found a pair of bin's and a harris bipod on the flood by his barn - hands up for the wanker please ... bugger, that'l be me then. Martin recent form obviously rubbing off on me .

 

My faux-pas delaying things actually worked out quite well as when we arrived (the second time) at the ground a gurt great Bristol Balloon landed right in the middle on the patch. My father-in-law has a balloon and i know what a protracted ball ache it is packing them up and, with both main gates were padlocked for trailer access, this ground was a right-off

 

Back to the market garden but no complaints from FD or me as the place is a peach. We quickly spotten a deer in the form of a young roe doe, most probably one of a pair of twins on the ground and as we glassed her a munti buck wandered out of the scrub 200 yards away. FD was in poll position and was quickly down on the bipod ready to wait for the stocky little bugger to pause long enough for a shot. Boom went the .243 and thump went the bullet with the munty kicking his way down the hill. Great start.

 

 

Martin and I left FD to retrieve his buck and went to the brow of the hill to wait up. A roe buck was browsing his way along the scrub thickets dotted along the valley and we got over the fence and into position without being noticed. I was in a sitting position and had the long bipod down but had to fiddle with it to canter the slope and waited for him to present a shot. At 150 yards I let him have it but despite the still evening there was no sound of impact and the buck showed no reaction to the shot. It felt good and i'd only zeroed it hours earlier but that didn't stop the initial confidence waning. Waiting 15 minutes or so I went to have a look before the light went and was relieved to find him straight away in the scrub, shot through the heart and lungs. Later we all agreed it sounded like a miss so i guess that goes to show you shouldn't make assumptions and go check.

 

 

We had the lamp in the truck so went to try and knock a fox on the head and went to the place that the balloon landed in earlier. Being so still the fox's didn't seem too confident but at the brow of one hill and puffing life a goodun we caught some eyes against the far hedge. My turn to shoot I had the 6.5 on the sticks and the fox fell to the shot. Martin was looking elsewhere with the lamp when I got to him and was suprised to see in the moonlight that he was very much alive and trying to make off. I pinned him to the floor with my boot which the b*****d sunk his teeth and got Martin to put some light on him. I prised his head off my boot with the barrell which he then bit so i quickly took my foot off, flicked the safely and pumped one into his mouth I think we all caught some of the fallout as it was like a bomb went off in his head

 

 

I shot another fox at this ground on the way back to the truck and another at the last place we visited. FD got a very, very shy one in a patch of wood some cows had opened up and we finished the day with four fox's, one munty and one roe.

 

 

 

A quality evening mate, full of good banter and piss-taking as always. Many thanks

 

Matt

[gamerooster 1,179]

them foxes dont look dead to me lol, and some top shooting there bud!!!

[martin 332]

You are both very welcome lads as I always enjoy taking you out and it's always better if you both hit home so well done to both of you,and see you next time.

 

Martin

[POG 17]

steady night there lads well done, keep them down and keep at um

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Well done men , had a couple last night , one was blind in one eye..........

 

 

[Yokel Matt 918]

Urgh - doesn't look too worse for wear though does he. Amazing how they cope with such debilitating injuries.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Excellent evening there lads ,always enjoy the crack combined with the more than good odds of a shot or two .That market garden has to be one of my favourite places .Good post Matt.