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Hoppers!

Saturday morning was spent working on the game shoot, placing out the feed hoppers and straw rides where possible. Started with sacking up the corn provided by the farm and then placing the hoppers in the wood strips and spinney's. Still need to create some straw rides and place a few more hoppers out on the shoot but at least a start was made. Hopefully this will all be done by the month end.

The wildlife seems to of buried it's head and not moving at all. Probably the harvest machinery has left them a little nervy. Should be out lamping at some stage this week cause it's about time that the luck changed for our benefit.

Wrong Place

Just typical, the normal Saturday evening at Jane's mothers for tea where I always like to walk to the bottom of the garden that overlooks a field for the after meal smoke. There is always a chance to watch a bit of wild life even if it's just a few rabbits. This time one fox cub was hunting in the middle and duly came in to the squeak until the incumbent horse's decided to run the cub back into cover. Although as my attention was on this cub another came in from my right to about ten yards away until it found the source of the squeak, me! Again the nag's chased this one off as well until it reach the outskirts of the field where it decided to sit and wait. Could of shot the darn thing ten times over.
Earlier in the day a mornings client stalk for a buck resulted in 7 doe's counted and one kid. Not one buck made an appearance.

Bugger!

After what seemed an absolute age we got a lamping session done on Tuesday night. Myself, Stephen and Martyn all tooled up and ready to go. Two main fields were cut although not cleared of the straw, both of them account for a good number each year.
Optimistic was the bye word, after a good few months we should bump into hoards of them, thus expecting the landscape to be like a Christmas tree with eyes shinning every where.
Who the hell were we kidding, not one set of eyes on the fresh cut fields and a few spots of the resident bugger on the river field.
If I am honest then this was no great surprise as each time a field is cut it takes a good week before they gain their confidence to venture out onto the stubble. Lets face it they have just had their cover removed so are fully exposed, would you do the same?
We did lamp two other sets, one which would not stay around long enough in a safe position plus another in a smaller field which was spotted virtually by the road side hedge with the M3 as his background. We did not fancy explaining why a truck had a bullet hole through it so it was left to disappear.
Next lamping session should be a whole lot different....please!

Still Waiting!

Nothing to report from this weekend. Took one of Roger's clients out on a mornings stalk on Saturday with no success. In fact, not one Roe was spotted which was purely down to the weather. Although there was no rain up until around 8am the beasts were bedded down and not moving at all. May of been a blessing in disguise though as the client was not used to the early start and was drifting off with the zzzz's.
The good news was to see one of the main fox fields near complete on the harvest cut. With a little luck on our side regards the weather we should be out on Tuesday night with the lamp. Crossed fingers, touch wood....................

Cracking shot from Youtube