Tweet
I set off last night at 19:30 to go to my high seat. After a quick look around the land that I have permission to shoot over seeing nowt but rabbits, I quickly walked to the oak tree the seat is up against. The high seat is the only way to get a safe shot here as the land is flat being on the margins of the fens.
After getting myself settled in I waited for the crows behind me to quieten down, they did this after 20mins or so. The rabbits where quicker as they are used to people walking along the track I had used. The farmer has a lot of young wheat at the moment and is being hammered by them, hares and the Muntjac on his land. I was after the deer last night. So I had to let then be.
After an hour or so watching rabbits and hares feeding their bellies, I spotted a fox about 200m away coming down the track towards me and three, three quarter grown rabbits (unusually the farmer wishes that I leave the foxes), these it spooked about 75m in front of me. They ran towards my seat and stopped, sitting on their back legs in open ground looking for source of the noise that made them run.
While I was watching the fox stalk these rabbits that voice in my head said look left (does anyone else get that?). As I slowly turned my head about 200m away a shadow left the cover of the dyke behind me. A quick look through my binos it was a Reeves Muntjac (our smallest deer). I could not believe my luck she turned right and started down the track towards me, stopping every ten paces or so to nibble at something.
When she got to 125m ish I slipped off the safety on the CZ. Tried to control the nerves as she turned left and broad side on (first deer with this rifle and first deer for over two years on this land). I would like to say I squeezed the shot off and down she went... Alas it was not to be, the round struck the ground between the front and rear legs and she took off into the field.
Bugger said I, and reloaded just on the off chance she might show again. Well she did after two mins or so, 50m to my right and very skittish not stopping heading back toward the safety of the woods to my left. She was moving so fast and getting so close tracking her through the scope was nigh on impossible (yeah I forgot the scope was set on x10).
She was following a set of tractor tracks down the field which turned left towards me. This is where I was able to pick her up again. By this time she was so close I was half crouched in the seat trying to look down on her. I gave her a quiet bark she stopped long enough to send the round on it's way she shuddered and fell. A quick reload and wait five mins. I was down the seat and checking her pupil for a touch response nothing. So a short thank you prayer to the hunting gods and I have broken my duck on this land and rifle.
Rifle CZ527 in 6.5 Grendel
Ammo Home load 129SST at a chronoed 2450fps
Range 9 steps (I only have short legs as well)
Time of day 21:45
Entry on her shoulder
DSCN1891.jpg
Exit 1
DSCN1893.jpg
Blood spray
DSCN1892.jpg
Exit 2 the knife is 3.5 inches
DSCN1894.jpg
After getting myself settled in I waited for the crows behind me to quieten down, they did this after 20mins or so. The rabbits where quicker as they are used to people walking along the track I had used. The farmer has a lot of young wheat at the moment and is being hammered by them, hares and the Muntjac on his land. I was after the deer last night. So I had to let then be.
After an hour or so watching rabbits and hares feeding their bellies, I spotted a fox about 200m away coming down the track towards me and three, three quarter grown rabbits (unusually the farmer wishes that I leave the foxes), these it spooked about 75m in front of me. They ran towards my seat and stopped, sitting on their back legs in open ground looking for source of the noise that made them run.
While I was watching the fox stalk these rabbits that voice in my head said look left (does anyone else get that?). As I slowly turned my head about 200m away a shadow left the cover of the dyke behind me. A quick look through my binos it was a Reeves Muntjac (our smallest deer). I could not believe my luck she turned right and started down the track towards me, stopping every ten paces or so to nibble at something.
When she got to 125m ish I slipped off the safety on the CZ. Tried to control the nerves as she turned left and broad side on (first deer with this rifle and first deer for over two years on this land). I would like to say I squeezed the shot off and down she went... Alas it was not to be, the round struck the ground between the front and rear legs and she took off into the field.
Bugger said I, and reloaded just on the off chance she might show again. Well she did after two mins or so, 50m to my right and very skittish not stopping heading back toward the safety of the woods to my left. She was moving so fast and getting so close tracking her through the scope was nigh on impossible (yeah I forgot the scope was set on x10).
She was following a set of tractor tracks down the field which turned left towards me. This is where I was able to pick her up again. By this time she was so close I was half crouched in the seat trying to look down on her. I gave her a quiet bark she stopped long enough to send the round on it's way she shuddered and fell. A quick reload and wait five mins. I was down the seat and checking her pupil for a touch response nothing. So a short thank you prayer to the hunting gods and I have broken my duck on this land and rifle.
Rifle CZ527 in 6.5 Grendel
Ammo Home load 129SST at a chronoed 2450fps
Range 9 steps (I only have short legs as well)
Time of day 21:45
Entry on her shoulder
DSCN1891.jpg
Exit 1
DSCN1893.jpg
Blood spray
DSCN1892.jpg
Exit 2 the knife is 3.5 inches
DSCN1894.jpg
Comment