Bog Myrtle & Peat

Just worth re-emphasising the value of having your camera with you at all times. Heading up to the Chayne this evening, I spotted this roe buck standing on the burn-side above me, and managed to swing the camera lens onto him as he gazed insolently down at the car. I don’t know much about deer, but I’d say that this is probably the biggest buck I’ve ever seen, if not in grand stature then certainly in bulky mass. I’d be interested to hear whether or not he is a big beast from anyone who knows about these things (if indeed it is possible to tell from a photograph), because from my ignorant perspective, he was pretty extraordinary.

If nothing else, I think that readers will agree that he looks like the sort of buck that you don’t want to shoot in a tricky spot three miles away from the nearest car. Still in full velvet, he turned his head and showed me around his impressive three-point antlers before wandering idly over the brow of the hill and down into the spruces. I daresay he’ll make somebody a very nice hat-rack one day, but in the meantime I wish him the best of luck.

I was heading up to the Chayne to lie out for a fox. Needless to say, it was a fruitless trip. Much more on this particular fox to come.