Buck's and Duck's

After a cracking day on wild fowl the day before, today would see Pete taking me out for an attempt at my first Roe Buck.

We were up well before dawn, Pete with his ever present hot drink in hand, as we headed out to the mornings hunting grounds.

We parked up, and slowly worked our way to the edge of a small bunch of trees. We used them for cover, and then began glassing the next, tree line, where we imagined the Roe would feed their way out from, as the sun came up.

Sitting there, glassing for Roe Deer, hearing Pheasants calling, and plenty of Pink footed geese trading off the nearby wetlands - it did feel like paradise.

We had been waiting quite some time for the Roe to show themselves, when Pete had a miniature coughing fit. Out the corner of eyes, from behind us, we see three Roe deer that have taken offense to the noise, and they are steering straight at us. They knew something was up, and were off. It looked like a Doe and two yearlings, and one of them looked like a young buck, but we weren't sure, and it wasn't the big boy we were after. No shot was taken.

"took wrong gun"

Those ended up being the only Roe Deer we saw, but when the pinks started pouring into the stubble paddock we were in, Pete did make the comment that we had brought the wrong gun. I did tell him that as I had no guns in the UK, this was not my doing! My good fortune continued, as on the way out, we caught up with farmer Andrew. Within minutes of meeting me, he had contacted a friend of his who was loading on a grouse hunt, and wanted to know if I wanted to go help and observe? Would I?! I've never seen a grouse, let alone been apart of hunting them. Looks like Bailie is on her own for a little longer, with two days of grousing to do, starting tomorrow!
With a short and sharp crack at a mallard flight pond that evening that saw us bag a couple of mallards, it was time to get back on the train, fresh pheasant to cook up for my dinner packed beside me. The hospitality showed to me by Pete and his wife Jan, the generosity of Bob and Eric in sharing their hunting with me, and from Andrew, in going out of his way to not only let me try for a Roe on his place, but then in arranging for me to go on a grouse hunt, what can I say.

Tomorrow, I was going grouse hunting, and the fact that all id have was a camera to shoot with, was fine by me!

A lovely spot, waiting for the duck flights to come.