One of Us
| OK, here it is. It all started about this time last year. I was looking to find a Boar hunt when I saw a link to countrysports.uk here on AR. that had hunts in Poland. When I went to the site, I checked out all else there was to offer. The I asked my wife, winter in Poland, or fall in Scotland? She saw the photos of Scotland, and offered to pay for the plane tickets.So, hill stalking it was.Auch estate, just north of Tyndrum is where I went. One of the things that was brought to my attention, was that this was not a trophy hunt. I said that was fine, as long as I got to do a lot of walking, and had a good chance of seeing game. So, I arrived there having no Idea what was or wasn't a special stag. As usualy seems to be the case, even though I started a year ahead of time, I didn't have all paper work, or a good load worked up for my rifle in the last couple days. But it came together, and we were on our way. First morning I met the other three gentlemen, and our guides. It turned out we were short one guide. They had booked two, and I was one on one. So I offered for one to go with me.(this turns out to be the begining of my good luck) So off we go. We check out our rifles, then head out to find out stags. After a bit of glassing the hills, we have seen several stags, but one seems in a good position to go for, and he is not too high. Hammas ( our guide wants to know who shoots first, so we flip a coin, and I lose (more good luck for me)We start walking, and haven't gone ten minutes when I catch the tips of antlers out of the corner of my eye. I make a little whisper, and about that time everybody sees what I see. Hammas and my new buddy are imedeatly on the stalk, and in another ten mimutes we have our first stag, one shot, a nice nine pointer. I'm thinking at this point, wow! If I get one like that I am going to be thrilled! We clean that one out, the guide and I head up the hill, and the other hunter heads back to the rig. After a couple hours we run into another stag with a few hinds, but there is no way we can get to them from where we are, so after a bit, we expose ourselves and see what they do. Well it wasn't going to work no matter, so we continued to work our way up. We are into the snow by now, whe we spot a group below us. After a bit of glassing through the wet falling snow, we made out a stag. Now began our stalk. We couldnot get to within shooting distance from above, so we mada big loop to get down wind, and hope to run into them as they made their way around the hill. As it turned out, we did exactly the right thing, just a little too quick. Just as we eased up over a little rise, the stag spotted us. we droped down, I got my rifle ready, the put as little of me and my rifle as possible over the hill. There was a nice eight point seventyfive yards away looking right at me. OK, my first stag, I'm laying in the snow, my fingers are wet and cold, my legs are tired,I catch my breath, slow things down and squeez the triger. He turns and walks out of sight! How did I miss! I either just flenched really bad, or I was so close to the ground that I hit some grass.( more good luck) I didn't make too big of a deal about as I'm sure the guides have heard all the excuses there are. So by now, it is about time to head off the hill. My guide gets on his radio to his buddy to have him pick up our buddy and have him bring our rig around the hill and meet us on the road. So off we go, and not 15 minutes later we see a few deer below us. My guide slipes down the hill to get a closer look. After a bit he motions me to come closer. I slide down till I am just behing him, still having no Idea what we are looking at. After what seemed like a long time, he turns to me and say you can take him. So I ease over the hill just in time to see a stag take off after a hind around the hill out of sight. Now the wait, as there still three or four otheer hinds feeding about 125, 150 yards right below me. I mean below, very steep shot.Soon enough, he returns, at the run, stops turns around runs a bit back the way he cam and stops. Bang, doen he goes, up he pops, on his front feet. Took a second shot, shot over I,m sure, and he disapeared down the hill. Now we just go after him. When we get to him he was still on his front feet. I had hit just high enough to miss the lungs, but didn't hit the spine. We finished him there and I had my first hill stag. I commented on how nice he was, having no Idea what a royal was. Later when we got home, the other clients clued me in on what a special animal I had taken. I don't think I really had it figured out till the end of the trip just how lucky I was. I will finish this up later.
Thank you Orvar |
