In the industrialized town where I was raised and still live there are not many deer. In fact I have not seen that many in my entire life. The half dozen sightings have been in the last three or four years apart from zoos of course. Usually though, they are all to brief, far off glimpses along forestry commission foot paths. However last week this all changed.
I attended a first aid course with the Forest Knights bushcraft school based near Arundel. Very quickly when describing the local woods, Wayne (chief instructor) mentioned that deer frequented them. That very first evening I decided to get off my bum and get out on a "hunt" in search of them, little did I realise that I was about to have a once in a lifetime experience.
I took my bearings from the camp and mentally noted a few prominent tree outlines around the basecamp and the orientation of the nearest road. I had calulated a roughly circular route as I had no map of the area and set off on an eastern bearing roughly trying to determin a kilometer as dusk was fast approaching and I only had a couple of hours before nightfall.
I walked for a couple of miles and was approx due south of the camp, breaking out of the forest cover into open fields I saw my first three deer bound off through the undergrowth. I was quite excited at actually seeing one, I always hope, but never really EXPECT.
After this flushed with success I readied the phone to take a pic "just in case" and proceeded.
Round the very next corner, through the gap in the hedge, I spotted a Roe deer resting at the fields edge about a eighty yards away.
You can just about make it out in the distance, Joy of joys I had found another.
The wind was directly behind me and I was in slightly elevated position so I was not very hopefull of getting much nearer at all, nevertheless I decided to "play" stalking. Quickly droppping onto hands and kness "manouvre style", I felt a bit of a wally, but I was in the woods and no one could see me, hopefully the deer wouldn't either. To further complicate the situation, as if some fat guy rolling about in a field wasnt complicated enough, there were a couple of rabbits approx halfway between me and my "quarry", If you can just about make out the grey blob in the photo above thats one of the Rabbits.
After a good 10 minuites of careful creeping through the long grass with occasional "peeps" to ensure all was well I had crossed through the gap in the hedges and got a good bit closer.
You can tell by the clump of grass in the foreground how much closer I had got and I guess I was less than 40 yds away, The rabbits were long gone and Although the deer knew that "something" was going on, I had managed to remain undetected. By this time I was astounded at how close I had actually managed to get to this flightfull creature. I ducked back down and tried to get even closer my initial expectations had already been bettered, perhaps I set my sights a little Low, so I attempted to get as close as possible until I was spotted and the deer flighted a few, all to short, yards further on.
Filled with emotions of triumph at getting so close and the joy of seeing anything at all I proceeded with abondon. It just doesnt get any better than this, strolling through woods and field on a balmy early summer evening, objective achieved, "job done".
By this time I am an expert stalker and all round deer officanado. I rounded the next corner and immediatly identified the sheltered glade as "deer heaven" back onto my hands and knees just in case, no clumsy embarrassment this time as my method had actually worked, and almost imediately saw another couple of Roe sheltering in the distance ahead some 50 yards away.
From those early hopefull beginnings here I was face to face with even more deer, my head reeled and I just stood up like a dumb tourist taking photo's willy nilly. I was certain that no one would beleive my fantastic story and tale of how close a city boy could actually get to these wonderfull creatures. One deer spotted me and bounded off to my left magnificent leaps through man high grass and undergrowth barking repeatedly, I had never heard a commotion like it. The others had bounded off silently, why was this making sutch a racket as if trying to draw my attention.
My head spun.......I knew.......I knew...I dont know how or why................ I just did.
I bounded just as the deer had, over to the spot where she had been grazing those few hectic seconds previously and this Is what I found. I will let the pictures speak for themselves as I can hardly even now put into words the immense satisfaction and tremendous joy at my discovery.
Not one but TWO! fawns crouched innocently in the grass.
I spent a good few minutes there observing and stroking them, I eventually came down from the magnificent high with the sound of the mother barking ever nearer her fear diminishing at her concern for the pair. I hastily and labouriously beat my retreat from the sight I knew that it possibly may never happen again.
I attended a first aid course with the Forest Knights bushcraft school based near Arundel. Very quickly when describing the local woods, Wayne (chief instructor) mentioned that deer frequented them. That very first evening I decided to get off my bum and get out on a "hunt" in search of them, little did I realise that I was about to have a once in a lifetime experience.
I took my bearings from the camp and mentally noted a few prominent tree outlines around the basecamp and the orientation of the nearest road. I had calulated a roughly circular route as I had no map of the area and set off on an eastern bearing roughly trying to determin a kilometer as dusk was fast approaching and I only had a couple of hours before nightfall.
I walked for a couple of miles and was approx due south of the camp, breaking out of the forest cover into open fields I saw my first three deer bound off through the undergrowth. I was quite excited at actually seeing one, I always hope, but never really EXPECT.
After this flushed with success I readied the phone to take a pic "just in case" and proceeded.
Round the very next corner, through the gap in the hedge, I spotted a Roe deer resting at the fields edge about a eighty yards away.
You can just about make it out in the distance, Joy of joys I had found another
.The wind was directly behind me and I was in slightly elevated position so I was not very hopefull of getting much nearer at all, nevertheless I decided to "play" stalking. Quickly droppping onto hands and kness "manouvre style", I felt a bit of a wally, but I was in the woods and no one could see me, hopefully the deer wouldn't either. To further complicate the situation, as if some fat guy rolling about in a field wasnt complicated enough, there were a couple of rabbits approx halfway between me and my "quarry", If you can just about make out the grey blob in the photo above thats one of the Rabbits.
After a good 10 minuites of careful creeping through the long grass with occasional "peeps" to ensure all was well I had crossed through the gap in the hedges and got a good bit closer.
You can tell by the clump of grass in the foreground how much closer I had got and I guess I was less than 40 yds away, The rabbits were long gone and Although the deer knew that "something" was going on, I had managed to remain undetected. By this time I was astounded at how close I had actually managed to get to this flightfull creature. I ducked back down and tried to get even closer my initial expectations had already been bettered, perhaps I set my sights a little Low, so I attempted to get as close as possible until I was spotted and the deer flighted a few, all to short, yards further on.
Filled with emotions of triumph at getting so close and the joy of seeing anything at all I proceeded with abondon. It just doesnt get any better than this, strolling through woods and field on a balmy early summer evening, objective achieved, "job done".
By this time I am an expert stalker and all round deer officanado.
I rounded the next corner and immediatly identified the sheltered glade as "deer heaven" back onto my hands and knees just in case, no clumsy embarrassment this time as my method had actually worked, and almost imediately saw another couple of Roe sheltering in the distance ahead some 50 yards away.
From those early hopefull beginnings here I was face to face with even more deer, my head reeled and I just stood up like a dumb tourist taking photo's willy nilly. I was certain that no one would beleive my fantastic story and tale of how close a city boy could actually get to these wonderfull creatures. One deer spotted me and bounded off to my left magnificent leaps through man high grass and undergrowth barking repeatedly, I had never heard a commotion like it. The others had bounded off silently, why was this making sutch a racket as if trying to draw my attention.
My head spun.......I knew.......I knew...I dont know how or why................ I just did.
I bounded just as the deer had, over to the spot where she had been grazing those few hectic seconds previously and this Is what I found. I will let the pictures speak for themselves as I can hardly even now put into words the immense satisfaction and tremendous joy at my discovery.
Not one but TWO! fawns crouched innocently in the grass.
I spent a good few minutes there observing and stroking them, I eventually came down from the magnificent high with the sound of the mother barking ever nearer her fear diminishing at her concern for the pair. I hastily and labouriously beat my retreat from the sight I knew that it possibly may never happen again.
