11 Attachment(s)
Boys & Girls come out to play.
Docking time, and I had organised a team to help on the farm where my hut is. Brian, Grandson Tommy and a couple of lady hunting friends.
It was planned so that everyone would be there for a night, a days docking, and a hunt. I was there right through for 4 nights. I had a window without any work in town for 4 day.
Everyone came and went and the roster worked like clock work...except we had 4 days of wet sou-easter - and not a single lamb was docked. But plenty of hunting was done :)
On the first evening Brian and I headed for a hunt regardless of the rain and soon spotted a hind out feeding in the mist which we tried to close the gap on but it must have seen our movement and disappeared into the scrub. I stayed put to watch the clearings in the scrub while Brian walked back and got the quad, also knowing that when he arrived with the quad if it was anything like quite often happens deer might start moving around at the sound of it.
And that's what happened. As soon as he got near, the original hind came busting out of the scrub gapping it for the next lot of cover. I knew the range (300 yards) and it was increasing as I wiped the scope and tried to get a good scope picture through the wet scope. It was all pretty clumsy but on the 2nd shot I got her and she went down (270wsm). As we we were about to go up to her 3 Fallow started darting around across the clearings too, and I skilfully placed a shot into the most fleshy part of the hillside and they were not to be seen again.
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That was all we saw that evening and we were glad to finally get to the hut at about 10.30pm. Fire lighted, dinner on and clothes hung to dry.
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It took an hour for the the lamb chop casserole to cook from go to gullet.
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I'm the cook, and Brian is the washer and tidier. We are a great team. Here's Brian doing his bit.
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Brian had to go home the next day. It was too wet to hunt in the morning so I took Brian down to the truck (30 mins on the quad) and then drove into the village to meet my son and to take grandson Tommy back with me. Once at the shed I kitted him out and we were ready to head off for an evening hunt.
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The rain had eased to a drizzle so I took him to a good vantage point overlooking a few likely spots. "Grandad, grandad. There's a deer" he said in a whisper that would wake the dead. And there 40 yards away were 3 Fallow and Red. "Sorry Tommy - that fence there is the neighbours, so we can't shoot them".
As the light faded I spotted 2 reds a way off, and then a Fallow at about 500 yards. Me and my wee mate had a conference and we decided to go for it - steep down hill for 30 minutes and I might be able to get a shot. At 325 yards I got to a point where if I didn't take a shot it wouldn't be until it was at about 80 yards before I could get a shot again. Risky, so I decided to take the shot. I dialled in the 325 yards and set up, all the while Mr 12 year old giving me instructions on the best place to aim and and not to miss. :) The pressure was on.
With great relief at the shot the Fallow (a spiker) poll axed. Tommy watched it all through the binos. It took about another 40 mins to get across to the deer where I removed the back legs and steaks (shoulders were buggered).
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I carried the meat to where I could retrieve it the next day and hung it in the scrub, and then Tommy and I made our weary way back up to where the quad was. He was a tired little boy by the time we got back to the hut at 10.30pm. I tucked im into his sleeping bag and gave him a drink and piece of fruit cake while I got dinner on.
Hot coccolate and marshmallow.
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I was chatting away to him wile I did dinner, and turned to see why he wasn't answering, and he was sound asleep. I left him, and he slept right through the night. I awoke at 7am to a light dodging around the hut roof. I quietly sneaked a look and there was Tommy sitting up in bed experimenting with shining his torch through the binos onto the roof. He saw me. "Hello Grandad, I could light the fire with this concentrated light if you want me to. :)
The next morning, Tommy spotting for deer.
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At about 10am and after Tommy had had an explore around the hills near the hut I took Tommy down to the shed and we met the "girls" who arrived at 11am. We all went off to collect the last nights deer and were back in time for Blair to arrive to collect Tommy.
Now it was the girls turn for a hunt, so off I set again. I took them to a likely spot, walking the last half hour, set them up and waited with them for an hour. Nothing showed. They are experienced hunters so as it became dusk I said I would walk back and get the the bike "shoot anything if it comes out - don't hesitate or muck around - just shoot it". I was half way back when I heard a shot from my 7-08 and a good whoomph of a hit. "Great", I said to Tilly, they have got one!" I arrived with the quad to find the D had had shot a nice young velvety Fallow at 100 yards. It hadn't moved an inch from the shot. I gave them the option of retrieving it straight away or moving to another spot for the last half hour of light. They chose to move. We saw 2 Reds a long way off and we elected to leave them. Then we retrieved D's deer in the dark. I carried it whole for them and after about 30 mins of crossing a steep little gully I put it down for a rest, and next thing D had picked up and and set off with it. Great lass. She took it the rest of the way.
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Here they are fishing around getting the heart and liver.
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The next morning we got F onto a Red spiker at 250 yards but it was just too wet and miserable for her to get a decent shot and it eventually disappeared.
So ended an eventful 4 days. Not a lamb lost its tail, but we ended with some great tales to tell.
Here's a bin of venison from the Red hind that went to an extended family of 10 all living in the same house. We don't know how lucky we are.
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