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A case of mistaken identity.....


Sciurus
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Yesterday, I was out shooting grey squirrels, using a Pulsar thermal imager, which I have been using for a few weeks.

I already had 4 in the bag and was crossing a field towards a likely looking copse when I picked up a strong red signal in the grass next to the copse. I crept closer but the quarry was still - quite motionless.

I crept closer but still couldn’t see anything but it was still there... I crept a few more feet and then I saw it - a pile of fresh sheep droppings,

I do apologise for the bad pun. Anyone else made an embarrassing identification?

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Very much pre thermals...for public to use anyway.  I went out for an evening on the fallow and my wife asked if she could come along..no problem, she is very well trained ...

as we drove up the lane we stopped and scanned a field of wheat betwen two small woods and I could see an object about 10yrds out in the field.  It was at this point we realised we had not packed the binos. It was about 350yrds up the wood side and I said I did not think it was a deer.  My wife insisted she saw it move it's head and look back into the wood.  I told her to sit still and I would approach up through the wood edge and have a closer look.  I got within about 10yrds but before then I realised it was the top of an old gate post with a hinge (ear) sticking out one side.  I took a quick photo and returned to the car.  I have been known to show that photo to friends and explain it is my wifes deer but had only one ear and was a bit chewy when we cooked it.:rolleyes:

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Just now, Sciurus said:

Yesterday, I was out shooting grey squirrels, using a Pulsar thermal imager, which I have been using for a few weeks.

I already had 4 in the bag and was crossing a field towards a likely looking copse when I picked up a strong red signal in the grass next to the copse. I crept closer but the quarry was still - quite motionless.

I crept closer but still couldn’t see anything but it was still there... I crept a few more feet and then I saw it - a pile of fresh sheep droppings,

I do apologise for the bad pun. Anyone else made an embarrassing identification?

Did you shoot it?

They go splat !

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Many a time when stalking trout on small streams, I've spotted a trout on the bottom, and spent a fair bit of casting effort, only to discover I've been covering weed. The right proportions in a slight current, it can look more fishy than a fish!

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6 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Very much pre thermals...for public to use anyway.  I went out for an evening on the fallow and my wife asked if she could come along..no problem, she is very well trained ...

as we drove up the lane we stopped and scanned a field of wheat betwen two small woods and I could see an object about 10yrds out in the field.  It was at this point we realised we had not packed the binos. It was about 350yrds up the wood side and I said I did not think it was a deer.  My wife insisted she saw it move it's head and look back into the wood.  I told her to sit still and I would approach up through the wood edge and have a closer look.  I got within about 10yrds but before then I realised it was the top of an old gate post with a hinge (ear) sticking out one side.  I took a quick photo and returned to the car.  I have been known to show that photo to friends and explain it is my wifes deer but had only one ear and was a bit chewy when we cooked it.

I used to lend out the thermal night sites from the SLRs to some of the friendly Gamekeepers when they had problems with poachers. One chap on a very posh Arab owned estate got a lot of interest from the local Police as they could not work out how he had seen them to guide the Police in for the arrests. 

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1 hour ago, Benthejockey said:

Out lamping one night, shining across a field and definitely saw foxes eye flash. Drove round into position to shoot it...wasn’t a fox but couldn’t work out what the hell it was. Got closer...it was a peg I’d put out to mark out the grass gallop earlier that day 🙈

We have probably spent as much time trying to squeak road signs, high Viz jackets on scarecrows and various other shiny things as we have actual foxes. That's before you get to the times badgers or muntjac have acted like foxes

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I’d forgotten about a few weeks ago when I stalked probably a mile round the noisiest stubble field in the world to use the wind because I was adamant I’d seen my first south shropshire muntjac on some new ground I had to shoot over. Popped my head through the gap in the hedge to see if it was there...big old jack hare gets up and gives me a wave as he disappeared into the distance! Combination of him being massive, the wind blowing the wrong way and forgetting my binoculars. 

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