henry d Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 I`m absolutely bushed, I was nightshift on Monday and was busy so when my mate phoned monday morning to say he`d seen "a few" pigeon on one of our farms, I wasn`t too keen, but decided to give it a whirl thinking that we would be back about lunchtime as conditions weren`t too good. We set up on top of a hill, behind us was barley stubble and we set up on wheat stubble, we were about 600 yds from the nearest roosting wood and had 4 other areas where the birds like to loaf about within 1/2 a mile all of them spaced so we were basically central to them. We didn`t use the hides as it would have stood out like a sore thumb against the low fenceline, so we just sat in the long grass. First booboo was the fact I`d brought the whirly arms and battery but no motor as there was little or no wind I was positive we would be back for lunch. We were 50 yds apart and the pattern was 12 shells on home made wobble sticks and 8-10 full bodies, set up in 2 groups, 2 full bodies were on bales nearby. Within 5 minutes the first bird came in and I shot it as it was opening to land, fluke I thought, then we could see all the birds take to flight from all around us. Again I thought that it would be the last we would see of them, thankfully I was wrong! Things were slow to start with and then the sun came out, again I thought it couldn`t get worse, however within 15 minutes of the sun breaking out the wind came on and the birds started flighting, eventually I had to remove the shells as the wind was too strong for them and the shells were virtually vertical and putting landing birds off. Final tally was 41 for me and 53 for my mate, he should have had more if we had sussed earlier that 2 bales were putting pigeons off landing infront of him, he got the lions share after we moved them 50 yds away. We saw a fallow buck early on gallop off towards one of the "loafing areas" and he had something white attached to his antlers, I didn`t know what it was as he was over 1/4 mile away and I hoped it was just some velvet that hadn`t been rubbed off yet, although that was unlikely. Any way as we both had to be acting as taxi services for our wives, we packed in at 3pm and I decided to go out in the evening and check that the buck hadn`t cought up a load of bailer twine in his antlers as I have seen 2 fallow skeletons still attached to fencing after they had tried to rag it off on barbed wire. I took the 6.5 with me and set off at 7pm, but couldn`t find the farmer, however I did meet Eck, the farm worker, who had just finished combining some barley and told him what I was up to and to let the farmer know. I followed a dry stane dyke up over the brow of the hill towards the rough area I hoped he was still in and set up behind a bale where I could see most of the area. It was just getting dark when he started moving about so I eased myself above the bale and got the scope on him(not ideal I know but I didn`t remember the bins). I could see there was a load of white bale netting and fence wire on one of his antlers so I decided to shoot him as I couldn`t stand to find him dead at a later date attached to some obstruction. I lined up on him and was about to take the shot but stopped as there was the top of a bale close to the flightline of the bullet and as he was grazing contentedly I would have to move not him. I crawled, noisily or so it seemed to me, across the stubble to the dyke and walked hunched over another 10 yards and the sight picture was good from here, I waited for him to start grazing again and squeezed the trigger. He jumped forward a yard or two and fell and twice I saw his antler move a little but I waited 5 minutes just to make sure he was dead and because my heart was going overtime in my chest and sounded to me like a demented steel drum band. Getting him into the back of the motor was a nightmare, I had to use 2 old fenceposts to slide and heave him into it and it didn`t help that his antlers kept catching on the bumper and door. Anyway some days just seem to work out for the best and this was one of them. It was my first fallow and the beers I had late last night couldn`t have tasted finer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Cracking day Henry d... thanks for the write up Malk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Very nicely done Henry. Seems a cracking day all around ....except no nap in the fence row NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browning Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Nice beast Henry. Job well done. Good job you got him yesterday.....looks like our stalking will be stopped again if this new F&M scare turns out to be correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v-max Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Well done on your day good bag at the doo's then a 1st fallow & a nice beast too look's good eating.Who bled you on your 1st fallow or did you get away with it?.I cant wait too shoot my 1st fallow hope to do it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Good man H sounds like a day you will never forget Are you to have the fallow head mounted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Top man H. I bet your grining like a cheshire cat. Hope its the first of many, good luck. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 This is some of the mesh I removed, the rest had a lot of wire through it. And this is what I hoped to prevent.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moses Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Sounds like a great days sport! Nice buck you got there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apbuild Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Well done Henry. That was a necessity to cull him or you might have found him dead a few days further down the line. Great write up too! Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Nice read henry well done on the days bag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Cracking day for you .. Nice looking beast,good judgement and good shot placement GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Ticks all the boxes, I dream of a day like that, well done M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rabgoat Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 good job all round HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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