Tales from the clear fell… I was slowly making my way along a forest track. I always wear a pigeon shooters headnet, partly for the midges, but also to keep my face covered. I’ve been out bunnying with friends late on an evening and it’s surprising how the face is visible from a long way off, and it can appear like a flared caudal patch. My theory is that the fewer ‘trigger points’ you show, the less chance you have of spooking things…. and that’s how it was this time… About 150m ahead a vixen came onto the track and was trotting steadily towards me. I stood very still and at about 80m she went to turn off onto the clear fell. I squeaked and she came back, this time moving a bit more cautiously. Each time she looked to move away, I squeaked gently and she continued on towards me. Eventually, at about 15m (!) she just stopped and stared, doing that head moving side to side thing… “I can see something wrong here but I’m not sure what it is…” she must have been thinking. We stood looking at each other for what seemed like ages, then I couldn’t hold back any longer… a quick flare of my arms and a muffled “BOO!” sent her back up that track like a cartoon dog leaving it’s skin to catch up later…. When she tried to turn left into the trees she had so much momentum that she bowled herself over!! Hilarious! 10 minutes later, as I approached the point where she went into the trees, my luck was really in and a deer stepped off the clear fell. This time of year the willow herb is very high and in full flower so it was in a lot of cover and I only really glimpsed a head as it ducked down. Not sure what gender it was I simply hit the deck and put the rifle onto the bipod and waited in hope. Sure enough, a buck stepped out from the grass and paused on the track as they often seem to do. An easy shot at 40m and less than 30 seconds between first view and shot. All in all, a good morning!
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 11:00:01 +0000
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