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Country Sights and Sounds Our brief, fleeting encounter with deer had been sufficient to make the day a memorable one.
“We walked an hour without seeing as much as a newly-placed hoof-print, despite visiting all the usual spots. Something had evidently driven the deer further afield…”
Country Sights and Sounds John Shelley
The weather put a temporary damper on our deer-watching plans, and we had to wait for the sun to return before venturing back into the woods. A friend had excitedly recounted meeting a trio of fallow does while out walking. The animals had bounded away and out of sight in less time than it takes to retell, but even that fleeting encounter had been sufficient to make the day a memorable one. It gives pause for thought, too; how easily the privilege of living close to wild animals can be taken for granted. Even in the light of a brighter day, there were chores that made our heading out later than we would have liked. Dawn is the best time to see the deer, when they are still undisturbed. Even country lanes have their own rush-hour traffic now, and any succession of cars drives the animals into cover. But life isn’t perfect; we would have to make the most of our midday opportunity. We walked an hour without seeing as much as a newly-placed hoof-print, despite visiting all the usual spots. Something had evidently driven the deer further afield. The clear imprint of vehicle tracks in the mud showed that others besides us had been here this morning. Even light rain easily takes the edge from a muddy trail. These marks were fresh. Who would be driving through the wood before others were even out of their beds? Hunters. I am never comfortable with the thought that somebody might be among the trees with a high-powered rifle. Most men who shoot are responsible, and wait to get a clear view of their target before pulling the trigger. Others are inclined to be impatient. A rustling in the bushes might or might not be worth shooting at. A bird (or a deer) in the hand is, after all, worth two in the bush. Shrugging off our concerns, we continued to walk as quietly as we could to one spot where I know deer like to lie in the sun. Even before we got close we heard the groaning of a mature buck serenading his harem. His deep-throated calls rattled through the trees, to be answered by those of a lesser animal some distance further off. This second beast might not be as strong or as well-antlered as the dominant buck, but he will wait patiently in the wings until the rambling females lead their mate away from his rutting stand. Then he will move in to commandeer the area for a few minutes, until he is once more evicted. By keeping low to the ground and using the trees to mask our progress, we were able to get within 30 paces of the group of deer. One doe lay between us and the buck, which was half-hidden by a dense growth of willow. As long as she was comfortable, the others would be assured. With one eye on her and the other working out our course, we made very slow progress. The snap of a twig underfoot or the rustle of a sleeve on a branch would raise the alarm instantly and send the whole lot running out of sight. We covered five yards in ten minutes, hardly daring to breathe. The doe that had been lying down stood quickly, flicking her tail. Were we discovered? We thought so, for as one the entire group slipped silently into the trees. We followed, not yet convinced that we had lost our quarry, and a few minutes later we were proved right. The deer had merely moved out to feed. With their heads down it ought to be easier to approach them, and so it was. We were doing fine, we could see them clearly, and if only we could get to the cover of nearby brambles we should get a decent photograph. Even as we worked out our plan of action, more deer approached us from behind, also on their way out for lunch. For a few moments we were surrounded by about 16 of them, but we were lying in their path, and there was no way we could avoid being spotted. The leading doe of this second group gave a series of warning barks, and both lots of animals just melted away as if into thin air. We left, then, not wishing to disturb them further. On our way back to the car a lone buck wandered onto the footpath in front of us. He was so taken aback that he just stood and stared, before gathering his wits and fleeing as if for his very life.
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