It's been a real bonus to have a few days leeway between finishing the grouse season and starting our stag stalking. Not that they've been restful.
We've used the time to patch up our roads once again. (And once again that was the cue for the heavens to open and give us a couple of days of spate and floods). We've also cleaned the larder, bothies, rovers, argocat and kennels. I also made time to saw up a tree that was blown across my drive last week. Thanks Katia. (See Splashdance 12.9.11) On Friday morning the farrier was up and shod the ponies.
The final preparation is for us to switch from grouse driving mode to deerstalking mode....and to remember our guests haven't had the benefit of the 5 week warm-up that we've had.
Saying this, I'm not stalking yet. A fence erected along my Southern march by the neighbouring estate has completely scuppered my chances of early stags so I'm now getting round my grit piles.
The good news about doing it just now is that there is no competition for the argocat. I took it out to the far end of my ground today. Seven hours and 70+ grit piles later I returned with my kidneys rattled from their bonds. Shaken not stirred.
Enjoying your posts as ever.
ReplyDeleteBad luck with the early stags. Are your neighbours fencing for forestry / regen / grouse preservation / other?
Lookings forward to the next.
The fence was put up to exclude deer from their estate. There is a current school of thought that blames lack of grouse on increased tick numbers- and increased tick numbers on deer.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, we've just finished a second bumper grouse season despite having deer on the place. I just can't explain it.....