armed tramp, with a disapointing end.
Had a leave pass for Sunday so I headed to the spot where I had successfully picked up an 8 pointer during the roar.
Got in early and made my way down to a spot where I had a good view of the valley and up the other side of the small stream that ran through it.
I settled in for the sun rise hoping to pick up something wondering out of cover for an early drink or to catch a ray of sunshine.
I set up the billy and had a nice warm cuppa, the temperature hadn’t risen much since the drive in where the cars thermomotor indicated minus 6.7 degrees, so the warm drink was hastily enjoyed.
Its funny how the mind works, I sat there with an ever so slight breeze in my face, watching and glassing across the valley, all the while listening intently for something to indicate movement that I could not see.
As I sat there, I started to hear sounds coming from behind me. With my hearing, if I could hear snapping twigs and rustling leaves, then something MUST be close!
But the breeze was drawing my sent in that direction? I couldn’t help it, I had to look, but of course there was nothing there.
So I settled back down and watched as the first rays of light began to break through the canopy, soon enough I could hear the sound of rustling and snapping twigs directly in front of me, up above the clearing there was quite heavy bush and I was sure that was where the sound was coming from. I scanned the bush with the binos, straining to catch a glimpse of fur, or a flicker of an ear, nothing.
The sound continued, my heart thumped in my chest. “Settle down boy” I told myself. Then I saw a tine! It was rubbing up and down he must be scratching his antlers on that bush!
My heart jumped into overdrive, I raised my binos to catch a look at him. “WHAT????” when I saw what was actually going on, I had a true understanding as to how easily it is that the mind can play tricks on ourselves.
The rustling I was hearing? Was the sound of the water bubbling down thru the rocks in front of me. The deer? What I had seen was the light hitting a spider web, just a single strand. As it waved in the slight breeze, it gave the impression of a tine running up and down a branch.
I had not seen, nor heard, an animal at all. Quite sobering really, one needs to be absolutely sure of their intended target. Had I not had a set of binos, or a scoped rifle I could well have made a decision to have taken a shot at what I thought was defiantly a deer. In this case, it would have not been to any ones ill but then what if it were a mate or another hunter who was behind that bush?
After I got sick of sitting still I decided to make my way along the valley and then make my way up the hill on the other side to see if I could come across something.
Some very fresh (still warm) deer scat, and a few fresh prints. A wallow, the sound of a spooked deer, but no joy for me.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps/wallow1.jpg
I made my way along the hill and turned to head back to the car, but before I quit, I decided to break for another billy.
I had just made my way to the top of a face and was quite hot under the several layers of Marino that I needed when sitting still. So I ripped off all but my undershirt, set up the billy and took a seat on some frozen moss.
I had just turned the gas burner off on the billy when I heard the sound of ferns rustling, very close! Then I heard the all too familiar sound of a male pee’ing on something hard, a rock maybe? Well, I am no expert when it comes to deer habits, but it could well have been a big boar if nothing else!
I reached over and picked up the rifle, crouching down on my knees I squatted there, quietly waiting for this animal to appear.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a quick flash of black run across the bottom of a dead tree stump, too low and too small to be anything but a bird?
I sat waiting, my knees suffering from the arthritis I developed in another life as a stupid rugby player, many years ago.
Soon I could wait no longer; I slid forward onto my stomach, silent, I was sure I had made no noise to alert the animal. I waited there, starting to shiver as I had by now cooled rite down.
I waited another 20 minutes but the cold got to me, I decided that whatever it was, it must have bedded down and I would need to move to it.
I crept ever so slowly, towards the sound, scanning every shape and colour, every hidey hole and fern. No joy.........
I eventually moved up to the ferns that were out of sight from my original position. And what do I see? A bloody dog poo!
The small black flash must have been the dog moving along after having a crap and a wee then a quick dash down the track and on his way. I had just spent the best part of an hour stalking a dog poo!!!
Made my way back to the car but that was not the end of the adventure, i had the unfortunate experience of coming across a dead pig, it had been scalded beheaded and gutted, but then dumped in the car park along with a bunch of fat and off cuts as well as a few deer feet.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...andrubbish.jpg
That is a little disappointing, but what was really disappointing was the discovery of the hawk that was dead by the pig, one can only assume it had been shot, I am sure it wouldn’t just die and lay in that position.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...trips/bird.jpg
A disappointing end to an otherwise enjoyable, “armed tramp”
Greg
