Strategies For Hunting Red Deer
LONG slender rays of the sun broke over the mountains from the east, bringing the warning that another day was beginning. We were sitting hunched over close to the camp fire as we finished washing breakfast down with coffee, before grabbing our packs and rifles as we set out on a days hunt. The shadowy clearing where we camped was still shrouded in deep shadow as Peter my hunting mate and I set off through the open forest that surrounded the little clearing. A icy dawn wind from the north cut through the trees, bringing a chill to our shoulders.
We eased through the long west sword grass to gain the creek bank, ducking low overhanging green branches, and worked our way along the edge of the clearly marked deer trail. Wide-splayed hoof marks indicated that a number of deer were moving at a fast clip when they plunged down the bank. A large clearing came into sight just ahead. Peter moved slowly working his way along, alert for any sign of movement as I followed close in his footsteps. Finding a shadowed hollow between two pine trees overlooking the meadow Peter slipped in, sat down and started glassing. The clearing was oval shaped, perhaps 500 metres long and 250 metres wide. The entire meadow was thickly carpeted with grass and
