In the middle of June in the south of France, he was quite clear about the desire for a beautiful corcete, which days before the opening of his hunting I saw slipping on a wooded border that separated two large clearings, he was not the holder of a great trophy, but for making the first of the two seals he had for that season was more than enough.
At around 6:30 pm I was picking up my cousin and another colleague who also had separate deer seals, they would try with the rifle.
Half an hour later we arrived at the hunting area, my intention is to place myself on a hillside from where I can control the two clearings and the line of forest that separates them, I take all the 4 × 4 gear and take advantage of the noise of the engine of the pick up as you drive away, to gain ground with the air in your favor and locate myself in my particular watchtower.
I put on the gloves, mask and all the necessary clothing, check the cameras and the wind direction, put an arrow on the bow while I settle at the base of the trunk of a large beech.
I begin to scan the entire hunting ground in search of movement of the little deer, what a beautiful and different landscape at the same time that I am used to hunting in the Pyrenees, the sunny days with rainy afternoons had turned the fields into carpets of a green chlorophyll, danced to the rhythm of the light breeze that was beginning to blow, flooding my nostrils with that peculiar smell of field that so many sensations and feelings make the hunter emerge.
The long-threatening clouds began to fall in the form of a fine rain. Good! I think, because when the time comes they will muffle my steps in the stalking.
The afternoon is passing, it is already more than 8 pm and only a couple of playful hares have come out into the clearing, but from the elf, no sign! I attribute this to the fact that with the food they have inside the forest they do not need to go out into the open ground to look for sustenance, so with the late afternoon and the fine rain silencing my steps, I decide to approach the edge of the forest and go down slowly stalking For him, with all the possible caution I am advanced, stopping every five meters using the binoculars, the meadow on my left is a corn field that is not yet very high and the one on my right is a pasture area, both delimited with wooden pegs and wire with current (on more than one occasion we have had a spark when we did not pay attention to them while we were rehearsing).
The light begins to diminish and the forest already shows its end, when suddenly … A roe deer is on its ass inside the thick grazing; It is a male, the shape of its anal shield similar to that of a kidney gives it away (they have an inverted heart in the case of females).
With the binoculars I try to make sure that it is the male that I have seen on the previous occasion, but it does not show me its head while while continuing to graze it descends towards the end of the less and less thick forest, the fine rain gives way to a storm summer with the occasional lightning followed by its roar.
I keep an eye on the roe deer, I’m almost sure it’s him, but before moving I want to make sure.
In the flash of lightning the animal raises its head and, yes, it’s him! I measure the distance that separates us, 87 meters the rangefinder sings, taking advantage of the noise of the raindrops when hitting the branches I beat him a few meters until practically reaching the edge of the forest, I measure him again, 47 meters, I turn on the action camera It is within range but the animal continues to graze with its back to me, there is little light left and if it continues in that direction, in a few meters I will stop seeing it.
I begin to notice how the water is running down my back, although the animal does not offer me its side, and because of the gap I have between the branches I will have to throw it on my knees , the culero shot is tremendously effective in hunting with bow, and low these conditions and at that distance I have it very trained, I temper my nerves, I kneel down, I place the viewfinder at the 50m reference, and I start my shooting sequence , without skipping any step, I open the arch , without losing traction to the wall, I maintain the T between arms and trunk , I consolidate the anchorage passing all the tension to my scapulae, I finish collimating , the peep with the sphere of the viewfinder centering the little cervid on it,I place the fiber optic point floating in his anal shield imaginary visualizing the impact zone of my bolt, and while I relax my hands I hope that the release surprises me, FOOBP!
In slow motion I can see how the rope is detached from all the water accumulated by the rain and how the blue feathers of my arrow make their way through the curtain of water to get lost among the hams of the roe deer, which after the impact shrinks and starts. to run releasing a dry bark to collapse after a clumsy race with a spectacular somersault just 40 meters from the shot.
Drawn to the bone and with the most temperate nerves, I call my companions to come pick me up and, although I do not need their services, bring Tekkan , a hard-haired dachshund I had at the time, to make the trail and bite some hunting before the night is upon us.
I do not approach the shooting site so as not to ‘contaminate’ it with my smell, so I go out into the clearing to wait for them.
When they arrive, I explain the set, they had no luck that afternoon, between congratulations and laughter we approached the place, while it continues to rain I make a couple of videos and put the dog on top of the arrow that is nailed hard on the muddy ground, It takes a little time for the dog to line up behind the trail and find the dead animal.
The arrow entered the left ham stuck out by the right shoulder.
Its trophy is not very long or open, but although it is short, it has 6 characteristic points and a beautiful pearl.
Photo of rigor, I put the seal and drag it to the pick up.
A good shooting technique and having many variables trained gave me the confidence to successfully complete this beautiful cast for the smallest of our deer, the roe deer .