Thread: Watercress hunting turned into a fallow stalk.

So i messaged a friend if i could get out for a walk and get some watercress from his property, i know has a few fallow which he's become very fond of them over the years. He generally doesn't like them hunted and he doesn't have any animals on his property and allows the fallow to roam freely. He also has some really good watercress on his property i like to get out to fill a bag every now and then. Unfortunately normally the fallow will clean it up in the warmer months when the grass isn't doing so well for them, luckily the grass is good at the moment and i was hoping to fill a bag.

I turned up to the property and straight away there's deer sign all over the grass near the driveway. I hop out of the car and look down into the little basin bellow his drive where i know there's a couple good watercress patches. 5 Doe's and a late Fawn.


Not wanting to disturb them I walk the track to the other end of the property and look across the other side of the little gully. 3 Deer high up on the pine edge and 8 more down on the clearing 160m away from where i was standing.


Now I wanted to take the track to the right of the deer to check some creeks at the rear of the property for watercress. I didn't want to charge on passed them and disturb them, i was just out to get some air and watercress. So i decided I'd use this as a bit of fun, stalk in on them to get some photo's. If i can get in it'll be fun and also its been 5 weeks of lock down! I thought it'd be a nice stalking drill, get the wind right, slow down, take my time, etc. If i did spook them then I'd carry on and fill my bag.

Well this was what happened. I got in to 15-20m down wind from them and sat for a good 10mins snapping photo's and a few videos.



https://youtu.be/CqPTCPcTIII

While this was all happening i heard something behind me walking through the long grass as i turned around there was a Buck who'd just walked straight up behind me he looked at me, backed up, turned to his left, you can see his ass end behind the tree down by the creek.


he walked down the creek a little to another trail up out of the creek slightly out of view came up, dusted up some long grass with his antlers, entered on the clearing to my left and climbed up to his girls and young ones on the clearing above me. Not really giving a fuck i was sitting there.
The wind was blowing slightly across me face onto the clearing behind to my left, so although he may not have winded my initially he would of walked straight through it to get around me up onto the clearing.

https://youtu.be/hUcpzwDTbOg

https://youtu.be/v5Emwq4Zo14



One of the prickett's got a bit too close for its comfort and saw me, spooked a little. But as they're very curious he stopped for another look and slowly made his way around the edge of the clearing to continue feeding behind a tree out of view from me.

https://youtu.be/QGIijVpfils

The drizzle was setting in a little more at this stage, i wasn't going to get any watercress by the looks of it as i didn't want to spook this group of deer. So i let them be and made my way back to the vehicle catching up with my friend for a quick yarn on the way out. Very cool to get a chance to sneak in on some animal so close to home. I'm not to sure it'd feel right putting one of these animals down to fill the freezer. I think I'd have to be desperate for meat.