My last day of 2011.

Last day of the year 2011 so I said good bye with one last outing.

December 31 8am and I was already sitting in adge of a field waiting for the sun to arrive,
and be able  to do this as to be something special and I am sorry that so many people do not understand it, but then if everyone do the same, silence would be found in the cities!:)

 

 I heard the owls saying good by for the day  before satard hearing the crows saying good morning this ones are the first to fill  the skies with their shadows and vocalisation, pheasants are the next in line start to here them like warning all the other saying they are ready to leave but with no intention to be the first:)  and then the pigeons swapping there sleep branches for other in the sun. (if its around)

I was out with my 243 after the last doe of  2011 and i have intill 12:00Pm to do it.

 The morning is in full swing and i been seating in the same spot for the last 2 hour and no sines of the doe, i have plenty wild life on video and some, you just see it if you get up before they do, absorbing all that commotion of the wild life starting there daily routine, giving me an idea for a video. (A morning through the eyes of a deer stalker)!

Time to move on i was hopping for a doe to leave a big set of wood's were i was waiting but never hapen so time to look else were, i start walking to the edge of the woods with all time in the word and i keep taking video, i evan got some great fotage of a read squirrel:) Sparrow hawk landing right above me, we stalker some times can feel like we are invisibels...:)











Was getting close to 12o'clock and i was getting close to the car, i was thinking, do i go home or go for a last walk?!


 At last moment i decided to going for a last round and i went. taking some more footage at this point i was jus focus on the video wen i got to a different set of trees is just a small lane that divides tow different fields and i walk thru it the twigs was snapping under my feet i not even think about deer, but then i thought i saw a wite patch in the distance, i grab the binos and yes it was 2 of them and one was look right at me; I froze!!!




 So i can't move she still focus on me but i can see that she is not sure of what i i'm, the wind direction is perfect but the position is far from it but definitely i'm have a go, but at the moment they are about 200y way and i nead a better positon for a shot, i been standing in the same position that i find them  for about 10min now and she start to ruminate  and i slowly move of to behind a tree; i thought i have fotage of them if  i got one will be a plus is they run o well :)

 And i start my stalk very slowly, using trees for cover treet by tree and i'm getting closer, at this poit i'm about 120y and took me about 20min to get that close, for a second i though i lost them but no they still there and one of the just turn and is facing me , so i decided not go any further and lay down to take the shot, i star to prepere my self and of corse tray to get the shot on camera.

 Camera in one hand loking throw the scope loking to the camera loking to the scope, ho well i was happy and slowly squeeze the triger and send the 90g bullet free, just to ear the report of a thump and i saw it feel were she was standing.

 The shot was taken about 100y and i was thrill not just with Kill but for the all morning, was now 1:30 the carcase was cleen and i was ready to drive home and i'm thinking to my self i did not said a word today and i feel so peaceful with my self :), i'm ready to start a new year...

Thank you and fear well 2011

Lets the fun of 2012 begin

Best regards

Sergio Couto
(sercout)

Undo edits

Cock for diner. First outing after Xmas :):):)

27-December-2011

It's been 8 days since the last time I took the weapons to the field, and I was dying for it :)!

Well now that Christmas is over and things are calmer I could not wait a day longer.

Thinking about what will be the best tactic, I start to right a message to my hunting budy Mike(MK4Mik on the Tube), i was righting wen my phone ring with the text, Asking "What are you up to? Lets go shooting? :)

"I thought we must use the same frequency:)answering ," yesterday it was already to late ...:)"

It was about half past one in the after noon but even then
i still load everything and anything to the car,never in my life I will use everything
in 3 hours of light, you know how it goes.

So i left the hose and will meet Mike there, but before arriving to the ground i decided to tray my luck with a neighbouring farm.

Talking to the owner who told me,
"I'll be more then happy if you shot some pigeons but you have to give me more 4 weeks in till the pheasant season is over"

I answered with one smile, oh yes:) I gave him my card and told him i will be back in 4 weeks:)

Leaving with un smile from ear to ear, its is massive farm and I know that by now will be just for pigeons but with time it may becomes something more.

My friend was right behind me now and we were close.

Arriving to the ground it was visible would be just a bitt of rought shooting but never the less, so we get ready and head off.

They were hundreds of pigeon but soon we took the first shoot they were gone, and i can't blame them :).

I told my friend let's tray here "i did shot a woodcock before so lets go", is a very wet peace of ground and if you look were you going you may miss the bird if you look a head you may get stuck...:)

Soon after a bird jump and i shout" shoot , shoot" he did't i did:) i saw it hit the ground and was a pretty clean spot evan then took us well over 10min to find it:)what a camo they carry!!!

A few more shoot to pigeons and we start walking again with other woodcock jumping i took 2 shoots but with no hit heeerrrr:)

So we decided to separated and my friend went down to the edge of the trees and i stay behind, soon after he shout "it's a dead deer here" so i start to make my way down i was getting closer wen other woodcock jump in front of me and this one went down and that was my bag for the evening:). 

I get to the deer and was a yong doe she ade no sigh of what cause of death apart of allot of shit stuk to the rear.

So i decided to peg it to the ground and leave it for fox bait ...

( Told the farmer of the find, and explain what i plan to do)

here you have it
The first shoot after Xmas


Best regards

Sergio Couto 

Sercout

I was out .

Saturday 30 october as planned left the house around 10:30am in the direction one of my permission around 2OMiles from home, that Permissions are the two farmes together about 500 acres of land cultivated with oats and barley and woods, where you can find pheasants, partridges, woodcock, pigeon,roe, foxes and much more ...

But my departure this week will be dedicated to foxes and deer at the request of the owner who has experienced some damege, but i need no excuse .

Well arriving to the shoot my partner left me with everything else to spend the weekend and left, I got everything i need to spend a comfortable night i just need to get everithing ready starting the tent and collect firewood, because at the time was dry but wind and was suposed to change, ending with my duties I ended up doing a coffe in a small fire, as most wood would be for later,

I was not in a hurry was the neighbor of the next field was picking up the potatoes and the noise was enough so I had even more time.

It was now 3:30 and I decided to go for a walk with my .243 Parker Hale pair of binoculars and my bipod, leaving the Trees where i was base and started patrolling the grounds, with the binoculars and soon came across three white patches would be the rear of the deer, and I was only about 120y from the tent, but they would be about 700y from me.

At this point the wind was at my back was not ideal, solution would be to take a long walk around, And I did so on my way i was studying traces of tracks left by animals and found that there was one run they and other use allot i was now about 600yards from where i spotdem and about 750 of the tent, starting to make the stalking toget closer, that is where the heart begins to beat faster and blood starts to boil.

300y from where i had first seen them, but now had the wind in my face and I had spot them again 3, 2 adult and 1 (kid), i got my self up to 150y - they were between the trees and the field, I was now about 100y know i was close and my heart was beating really fast (I even could hear) and I think they did to , as to swerve suddenly and start move way from me, not to flee but in some pace most relax was the youngest, and seemed not to be in such a hurry, I prepared myself by supporting in a small-m tree and I shout (baaaa) he stopped and looked down at min, was about 140m and pressed the trigger I heard the impact and is 90grain bullet go it on the ground and I began to tremble with the adrenaline running through my veins, was pleased.

5:30 and was already starting to get dark, and already had clean and hung about 3 feet of the tent, I was not expecting anything else and had put the gun way, but saw another four crossing the field where i was. ( tomorrow is other day) ...

I started preparing myself for the night, already had everything in advance, so i light the fire and put some water for a coffee,i got some smoked bacon for a sandwich I was workin on my dinner wen the neighbor finnish harvested the potatoes, and was about were to leave when the tractor stopped and said 'you want some for cooking in the fire? Yes please', I had roasted potatoes on the fire with bacon roll end a nice cup off coffe in the end, It was like a treat.

Next day in the morning I was up By 6:30!
I made the coffee and eat a slice of cake i had brought, was ready to go, I wanted to go early because i hope of getting a fox in is morning routine.

I went to a diferent set of trees was a 800y+- across the farm,I get ther and seat dow in the hoppe something will come allong but no luck i seat there for about 2 hours I saw nothing. mean many pigeons crows end birds of prey but nothing I was waiting, I decided to change and take a walk.

I started to go slowly by some take me to the one were i arvest the one yesterday, I was slow with all the time in the world taking about 1h30 to get there, 'because this kind of game you can not hurry' I got to the same site where got the other when looking through the binoculars I see this deer in the woods about 150 meters from me and he was walking way from me , when the corner of my eye I see a furry tail, turn to wards it with the binoculars and see that it was a fox and was big I had seen and just jump the ditch that divides the land and i can not take the shoot, the suluction is caller in , so i tray,

I'd forgotten the deer was now 100% focused on the Fox, and she/he had not seen me and I was downwind, I took my time and and started yelling with my 'Foxcaller' She turned and started running to me, I already had the gun loaded and ready, she ran and stopped about 30y and I squeezed the trigger, soon after i look to my right and i see a doe coming from the woods stoping about 100yfrom me and 'Bang' was on the ground, and i had my first Doble .. .

I returned to the tent loaded i clean the second and took the liver i had brought with me an onion where it planned to make a nice meal if i was sussesefull, and that's what I did for lunch ...

The fox was un adult male and the farmer was more than happy, the deer was an adult female, was the mother of which had caught the day before, they are back together know, and I was pleased with the weekend, was about 12:00am and I was ready to return home.