Well, this morning started off with Connor and I in the workshop for a few hours dismantling a rocking horse, and then starting to clean it up, he thought it was great fun using the belt sander, and the mouse sander. He even helped to feed wood into the thicknesser. Unfortunately just before 10, we noticed he had a rash all over his torso, so he and Steph stayed home whilst I went to the local playgroup to help out on a working bee to install some lazerlite. After getting home around 3pm, I was knackered, but the water pressure was really low, so Connor and I headed up to the water tank to check it out. Everything seemed fine, except on the way home I saw something odd in the other paddock, well bugger me, it was a herd of wild deer! I asked Connor if he could see the deer, and he casually pointed them out. After a short while admiring the deer, and how close to home they were (about 600m), I raced down the hill on the bike, threw Connor at Steph and quickly rang the farm manager to ask if he wanted some venison. Equipped with the .308 I headed back up, and sneaked in barefoot for about 300m, until I found the herd again. I sat and watched for a little while, then lined up on the youngest, who was standing broadside. A few seconds later, it was down and the herd headed around the hill. I watched the fallen deer for a few seconds to make sure it didn't get back up, and then followed the herd. I caught up with them again and they were milling around, not quite sure what to do, I sniper crawled around the front of a spur until I could see them properly, lined up on another, and made it jump. The rest ran off, but this one followed, looking a bit unsteady. It ran into a ditch, and I never saw it come out. Itching togo over and check it out, but I knew better, you wait. After a minute or so, I headed over and eventually found a deer higher than expected but permanently asleep all the same. Now for the hard bit. Dragger them both to the bottom of the hill, then walked up to the bike, and collected them. I must admit trying to lift about 150kg+ of dead deer on to a bike is DIFFICULT! I ended up sitting one in each foot well with the necks over the seat, and I sat on the necks!
In then end, I saw 8 deer in the herd, now 6, and the two I shot were both in fawn :-( but at least I can safely expect that the other 6 are all in fawn too, and they are a pest species at the end of the day...But I won't be taking any more from that herd for a year or six months.
Just as we got the deer back, the heavens opened and it was the heaviest rain we've ever had here, the workshop flooded, the garage flooded...Oh well.
Now to butcher her on Monday, oh joy!
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