Roe Deer

I was up early this morning and I saw something quite remarkable. On the window of my office, back bedroom, was a slug. As its a first floor room I was surprised to see it there. But it was what happened next that surprised me. In the early morning I have a pair of Magpies that visit my yard. I often put out some cat food for the hedgehog that comes and if the Hedgehog doesn't eat it, one of the fox cubs would, and if any was left over then the magpies would clean it away. Well this morning, one of the magpies flew up to the window and harvested the slug from the glass. It was over in a split second and I wished I had had a camera ready to record the incident. But while I did have the camera there I was just checking that I had everything ready to go out. I was just not expecting that.

My main reason for getting up early was that I wanted to get out to try and film the Roe Deer. I had seen that the deer were active at a location, footprints in the mud and with the rut going on, I thought I could have a better than normal chance of filming them. So I went to a pre selected point and set up. The hoof prints indicated that they were traversing this route daily. I do use camouflage clothing, something I have gotten myself a reputation for wearing, and not one bit of pink was visible. Also I was standing between two bushes so that my outline was masked. I was reasonably sure that my sent was not going to be a problem, and as my jacket reeks of Badger, even if the wind eddied the wrong way I should have been fine.

I waited about half an hour when suddenly a large lurcher came up, suddenly finding me there he barked his head off at me. Normally, I find a quiet gentle word and offering to allow a dog to get my scent is all that's needed to calm a dog down. Not this one it was growling and snapping at me. So I growled back and he ran off. He was not on a lead and the owner was no where in sight.

Therefore I settled down to waiting again. I must have been there for the best part of three quarters of an hour when suddenly three or four Roe Deer came bounding past me. I switched on the camera, then suddenly I was bowled over straight into the mud. The camera and tripod splashed into the pool of muddy water too.

I reacted quickly and pulled the camera out of the water, I had the camera covered with a plastic bag to protect it from the rain and that seems to have saved it, but as I looked up I saw the dog, the Lurcher, chasing the Deer. I also looked behind me and saw the glimpse of a man half hidden in the bushes. I called out if that was his dog? At this he came out. He said he didn't know I was there, and yes that was his dog. While I must have looked odd, dressed head to foot in camouflage, it was not until he realised I had a camera did he recall the dog. As soon as he had done that he picked up what may have been a shotgun and went off.

It was clear that I was not going to get anything this morning and I needed to get the camera dried off too. It appears to be undamaged, but my greater worry is that poachers are back in the local wood. In the past the Roe Deer disappeared because of Poaching, so I hope that this possible poacher realises that he has been seen and that its not worth returning.

As for me, why is it that I keep doing an impression of a wart hog?