Does & Roe

[sussex 5,777]

Up at 5 this morning, coffee made , ready to go by 5.15 ...miles to early , im only going 15 minutes away ,time to sit & have a coffee ,eventually leave home quarter to six ,stop to petrol up the quad arrive at estate just after six,head down to check out the little field behind the offices.There are 6 or 7 deer just moving out off the field to the one behind, there is no fence or hedge but a slight rise in the ground , a line of little ponds ,only 5or 6 metres wide,surounded by scrub & bracken.I had no shot from my favorite spot on the office pathway,backing out i let them move through the scrub, with a bitter easterly wind blowing in my favour ibacked away to work my way down the ditch to the right hand side of the field.

 

15 min later i was laying flat inching my self clear of the bracken slightly above the deer 100m in front of me,making sure the line of fire was clear of bracken ,i picked an old doe and as she came clear i put the red dot on the spot and squeezed the trigger,she jumped took flight ,turned run hit a patch of bracken to her left & disapeared from view,no problem because as she turned i could see the blood pumping and the leg not in sync with the others,she was going nowhere,

 

The others had followedher into the cover only to instantly reapear (good sign she was down) a second do jumped as i fired but never run,she turned and slowly walked away ,i had cocked up, as she got to the bottom of the field i still had'nt had a chance to finish her,she turned right angled to me ,just as i was going to shoot she dropped,still watching through the scope as she lifted her head i finished it .Great relief ,as i walked down to her i could see the 1st one dead in the cover,the 2nd one was not as square as i had thought ,the bullit had clipped the lung ,liver, exited to far back .The 1st deer lost half of its heart but run 50m

 

Gralloched,cleaned ,i returned home to tag & chiller them

 

Out again this afternoon to my 200 acre place just up the road to sit up where i was going to yesterday,we dont have many roe so i tend to leave them alone,just taking the odd poor buck ,i was well pleased to see 7 ,4does 3 youngsters,walk by the seat .Just about to call it a night out walked a couple of fallow prickets and hot on there heels 3 does, 70 m i dropped a doe, time enough to sort the bucks , the does for me finish at the end of this month.

 

Having been out most of the day in biteing wind & snow flurries i was glad when the chiller door shut and i could get to the woodburner.......& a cold beer ..........And out again in the morning

 

 

[the scudd 82]

nice write up, thanks for sharing it, your a lucky man wish we had some roe in ireland