From Boise to Britain- In Pursuit of Roe Buck

[Dave N]

A sighting is a good start. Gets the heart pumping. Yep, not much time to sleep when the next hunt is the next morning. Good luck, the mornings are beautiful there when the sun is coming up. Tell Richard that Lori and I said hello.

 

[LandDiver]

I finally found it! I'm in on it now. Look forward to all the updates.

 

[Dave N]

I keep checking for updates hoping to see something new.

 

[devon deer]

I keep checking for updates hoping to see something new.

Say hi back to Lori from Kath and I.
Nothing grassed yet, if it had been in 3 weeks time he would of had a red stag and fallow buck by now!
But we are working our butts off, knackered!
Cheers
Richard

 

[Sawtooth]

Our first full day came to an end with game spotted on both the morning and evening hunts. In the morning we watched two red stags and a hind graze in the field about one hundred yards from us. Unfortunately, red deer season doesn't open until August first. Later in the morning, we watched a fallow doe feed across a small valley as well as, a roe deer which was on property which Richard did not have permission to hunt. The evening hunt proved to be a game rich environment with both red and fallow deer. I got some video of a young fallow buck through Richard's spotting scope and will try to add it to the thread tomorrow. I have been having a blast each time out, but I think Richard is feeling the pressure to get me a shot at a roe buck. We have been covering some amazing countryside and I am looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.

 

[LandDiver]

You will get that buck soon soon!

 

[Trigger50]

Thanks for taking us along.

 

[7mm08mo]

Sounds like a great adventure so far.

 

[devon deer]

An interesting morning, I will let Sawtooth tell the story!
Cheers
Richard

 

[Dave N]

Great, now I'll be driving too fast to work so I can check for another update! From previous experience, I would venture a guess that there may be some bloodied grass somewhere? Hmm, this would appear to be the 2nd morning's hunt as well. Sounds like last year! Off I go. I'll check later. Anxiously.

 

[Sawtooth]

The 4 o'clock alarm rang early this morning. Rain drizzled down as I got into the "wrong" side of Richard's pickup and we drove to our first field of the day. It was a field where we had seen a fallow doe the day before. Before entering the field, Richard stopped to glass the farm fields from across a small valley. As I was looking in the field where the fallow had fed, Richard glassed an adjacent pasture. Suddenly, Richard said, "If my old eyes aren't failing me, I think I see a roe buck over there." A couple seconds behind the spotting scope confirmed what his binoculars were telling him. I took a look and could see a nice six point feeding about five hundred yards away. "Lets go," Richard said, as he folded up the legs of the spotting scope. "The wind is all wrong for an approach from this side of the valley. Get in the truck and we will drive around to the road on the top of the fields behind him". My heart rate increased as we got out of the truck and began to glass down into the valley below. Because of the hilly terrain you could not see what was at the bottom of the field we were standing in. As we worked our way along the hedgerows, we would glass the newly exposed parts of the pasture below. We knew we were getting close, and that at any moment we would be face to face with a nice roe buck. Just then, a roe doe barked off to our left and ran out of the field. "We are busted," Richard said, "Quick, lets get to that buck before he follows her." We were too late. When we made it to where we could see the corner of the field he was in he was gone. Our hearts sank. Frustration was in Richard's voice when he said, " no use looking into an empty field, let's go back to the truck".


The rest of this story will have to wait as I have a wife and daughter who want to tour around the Jurassic Coast in search of fossils.

 

[Dave N]

Argh! More waiting!

 

[devon deer]

OK, i will do the next bit, we jumped in the truck and arrived at another farm, this is an unusual piece as a part has been used as a solar panel farm,but the other part is ideal habitat for deer, we had seen a roe yesterday heading this way but lost sight of it, so knew it would in the area, i came up with the idea of walking between the panels to give us cover, sadly the roe deer thought the same!
An instant 'bark' followed and we tried to run to identify, and hopefully stop it in its tracks, Sawtooth had a better view and stated it was a doe, we watched as it disappeared into the wood, as another unseen roe deer expressed its annoyance and joined in with the barking!
So back in the truck and off we go to another farm.
To be continued...

A fallow buck from last evening



Cheers

Richard

 

[Sawtooth]

Walter Mosley once said, "If it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all."This quote came to mind as we left the truck for the third time this morning. Last year's Big Game hunting season was not one of my better ones, and I was beginning to think that I had brought some of that bad mojo with me on this trip. In the last couple days it seemed everytime things were starting to go our way, A Roe Doe was there to tell the whole forest of our location. But like most hunters know, the luck of the hunt can change quicker then an early morning breeze across a mountain canyon. As we left the darkness of the timber and entered the next clove and grass field. Richard and I began the task of slowly picking apart the field with our binoculars. Walk and Glass, walk and Glass. Suddenly, Richard stops and I can see over his left shoulder the back of a roe deer. "Get the bipod ready it's a buck." Richard said. In one quick motion, I was on the ground with the scope on the deer's back. " I can see him in the scope, if the shot is safe to take." I said. "You are good," Richard replied. Boom!! The buck hunched up and hopped a couple of times and then fell out of sight in the tall grass. After handshakes and pictures, Richard looked at me and said, "This is just a small five point, I think we can still get you a six point, do you want to go out again?" With a smile on my face I said, "I'll never pass up a chance to go on another hunt. So now I've got five minutes to get ready for our evening Hunt. Pictures are on their way.

 

[LandDiver]

Right on Sawtooth! Congrats! You will get that 6 point as well! Go get um!

 

[LandDiver]

I was gonna reply my heart was racing reading through your post about stalking and then getting busted. I was just about to type, "you'll get him next time" till I saw your most recent post. Then I almost jumped up in excitement! Look forward to more updates.

 

[devon deer]

I got a little over excited tonight, i should have known better, we had already seen 3 red stags, so the writing was on the wall, i stopped the truck, jumped on the tail gate, looked into a field, and said to Steve '6 point Roe Buck', he took my place and looked, 'no its a red stag!'
In my haste to not get seen as i was skylined i looked too quickly, i could see its back and some antler points, damn how i wished it had been a 6 point, but still we found this little 2 year old, fishing tomorrow!
Congrats Steve.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Dave N]

Well done! Now that the pressure is off the rest of your hunting will be even more fun! MORE UPDATES PLEASE! Off-time travels, sights, etc. Share the adventure!

 

[TheNorthStar]

Wow, look at that! They're so tiny!

Congratulations to you both! Sounds like you fellas experienced all the frustration, elation and every other building block emotion of a perfect hunt. We'll done!

 

[7mm08mo]

Congrats, patience and persistence pay off,good luck fishing. Looking forward to more pics.