An Easterly Wind

[seprim 32]

Went for a walkabout on one of sussex's permissions today and despite blanking the trip was an educational and refreshing morning, and a bloody good stalk-about

We met at the obligatory pub car park about 5.30am and were straight off to the permission. Now, sunrise is about 06.19 hrs in this neck of the woods and we arrived at the permission at about 05.45 . . . the beginning of twilight - which means that the lighter areas like fields and open rides slowly become visible, and scannable with the binos before the wooded areas. A quick equipment check and we were off. Only, I was preoccupied with my kit and shut the van door firmly - CLOT! Remember next time . . the stalk starts as soon as you take your first step

Did I mention the deer dog ? His lovely sandy labrador was our constant companion and my embarrassment too as she told us a fair few times what was about, sussex (Richard) read her signs but the trick for me is taking regular peeks at her demeanor and listening when she is snuffling about. She would sit to indicate presence of deer and she was obedient to the smallest hand gesture from Richard - I was so impressed

We started stalking down a track straight away and despite the gloom I was able to scan through the woods to the open areas. Making our way down to a natural dip we were taking a route to account for the slightly abnormal easterly wind direction so that we had the scents and sounds carried away. Well that was the plan, but as the permission has a large valley (like a fruit bowl) the wind chops and changes depending on the natural flow of air, so one can end up compromised over sections of the permission for scent and sound due to an unexpected wind change coming out of a copse. Which it did on a couple of occasions.

Look alot, walk a little... an absolute must, there are so many places through the woods that the deer could be laying up, munching on something, walking by, that the human eye would miss 95% of the time. Good binos will help but experience and observation is the key.

We must be doing something right I thought as I peer up above us into the canopy of an old oak at a small owl either unperturbed by our presence or just plain unaware Richard pointed out some well used pathways the deer have used to commute around the permission, criss-crossing the wide grass track the landowner had laid down for horseriding. He pointed out some "slot" as we came out into a muddy area. "Buck fawn" with some does, he says. The bucks have more open, splayed toes and the does have more pointing inwards toes. The buck fawns, not being mature tended to have more parallel slot than the does and can be distinguished easily with an experienced eye. Crotties too shaped differently for male and female are a tell tale sign, slightly elongated for bucks, more rounded for does.

An hour had passed and after a lot of sign we bumped half a dozen does rested up in the lea of a field. The deer dog knew they were there

Making our way over some small hills and moving round to approach a larger hill we came accross lots of slot, I mean hundreds of them - it looked like a bloody stampede! tracks leading up over ditches and several of them. Richard suggested they could be moving to find a less windy spot to rest up as the easterly wind was quite cold. We saw lots of slot as we followed the heard sign over some large fields and tracks and over a small wooden footbridge.

Wooden footbridges are as tricky as a fence to cross and they can be as slippery as ice (because the wood ends up covered in slippery algi) so careful with the rifle as you go

The last leg was through some woods which had borders that had been cut back but in recent years this had created an impenetrable thicket which cancelled any possible shot there. As we squelched up the track, the wind died down and after several scans with the binos we relaxed and headed back towards our transport. Now nearly 10.00 am we chatted about how the property had changed over the years and how the different clearings had offered great sport for deer as they were channels that the deer used for moving about the area. As we were chatting I saw a small group of about 10 deer bound off into the thicket! I looked at the location where they bolted from and it was sheltered from wind, bracken flattened out and cover just a pace away - nice spot to lay up.

We arrived back at the van and de-kitted, the dog got a well deserved biscuit and i looked at the broken leg that Richard had taken off a wounded beast he had shot just recently. A savage break with the bone sticking out, which must have been exceedingly painful.

After thanking Richard for a great stalk and for his generosity and time we bade our farewells and as I tidied the wifes car a bit and the phone rang, it was Richard pointing out some more white fallow laid up in a field with darker ones on my route home I couldnt believe how white they were in comparison to their mates ! Good thing to leave a few in the group I thought . . they would indicate where the group was from far off and make stalking them that much easier

Well it was a cracking day for me and good to get out and practice my stalking skills. Richard was excellent company with outstanding stalking skills, generous to a tee and a font of information. Thank you Richard aka sussex - If ever you need another pair of hands with anything on your permissions (e.g. manual labour) let me know

Andrew

[the scudd 81]

nice write up, good to get out even if it ends in a blank

[sussex 5,776]

Glad you enjoyed ,your most welcome

[mattydski 560]

good read.......

 

sometimes is just about being there, not pulling a trigger

[The one 8,398]

Aye sometimes just being out is enough

[beast 1,884]

niced write up. to any youngsters or beginners out there, bear it in mind that a couple of hours in the company of a skilled experienced stalker is time exceedingly well spent

[Caprelous 217]

Well Done in expanding your knowledge Andrew and well done to Sussex for taking you out.

 

Cheers

stu