mixed weekend

[Topgunners]

On Saturday 05.00am we set off on our way to a new farm I had acquired recently to do an early morning stalk alongside a wood that looked like it could be very productive.

 

As we pulled up at the bottom end of the wood one of the boys spotted a Muntjac way off in the distance feeding on the edge of the field.

 

A fellow shooter of ours; who had travelled down from Wales, had come along on my invite to hopefully shoot some Roe buck(s).

 

He crept into the field and after a few minutes of waiting he took the shot, as I watched through my bino's and all I saw was the "Munty" disappear into the wood.

 

"Never mind" i said as he was muttering to himself about he was dead on the crosshair , shouldn't have missed etc but was SURE he hit it. We left him walking across the field to investigate and proceeded up to the top end of the wood and parked the jeep behind the Farm.

 

We sat there having a coffee and scanning the 2 edges of the wood, when there in a clearing on the very edge of the wood about 400yds away appeared 2 does and a nice big FAT Buck.

 

I set off along the bottom hedgerow and up the hill armed with the .243 and a pair of sticks. After I had got about halfway up the hedgerow one of the Does ran down towards me and shot into the hedgerow and out the other side.

 

I stopped and waited for a few minutes so as not to spook the other pair and then very slowly moved on up to the top of the ridge and when I finally got there only 1 Doe was left feeding on the grass.

 

I buried myself in the bramble hedgerow and watched and waited hopefully for the Buck to re-appear. Shortly after, the doe disappeared back into the wood and after an hour or so nothing re-appeared so I decided to walk aong the edge further down the hill to do a bit more reccying.

 

NOTHING. So i returned back to the jeep and as I reached the jeep Alan and the boys were laughing and pointing to the wood. I looked round and there the 3 of them were again, in the same spot as before.

 

 

Next week .

 

We drove back to where Ian was parked and there in the jeep was a gutted and cleaned out Muntjac. He HAD shot it and it had travelled about 20 yds into the wood.

 

A VERY nice shot after all ;measured with the rangefinder @ 265 yards.

 

.

 

We then popped into town for a Mac d brekkie and set off to another new farm I had acquired on Weds, that was being battered by "blackies" on some new drilling and myself and Ian set up in 2 different fields.

 

Weather was very windy and cold and after a couple of hours we ended up with 29 picked up.

 

Alan and the boys had gone elsewhere on some clover but only managed 9 pigeons.

 

 

Sunday.

 

What a nightmare!!!!!!!!!

 

Only myself and Alan out today and we headed to the farm with the drilled peas. NOTHING. Next farm up the road ; NOTHING. Next one , NOTHING.

 

5 hours later and 170 miles travelled Nothing.

 

Not a bird in the sky or on the ground anywhere.

 

Finally drove back home; not even getting a gun out of the sleeve.

 

One must take the rough with the smooth.

 

 

anybody got a diesel tanker they don't want? (preferably FULL)

 

 

 

Dave K

Edited April 22, 2008 by Topgunners

[Cranfield]

Well done Dave, even the "nil reports" are worth reading.

 

Your Sunday sounds like a few days we are all having at the moment, it does seem strange how the birds disappear completely on one day, but can be back in numbers on the very next day.