An unexpected badger ambush

A member of the tracking association must act fast when his stalking dogs come across some surprising opponents

A few weeks ago, one of our association’s members, Marc, was in Germany visiting with friends when he was asked to search for a  roebuck that had been shot on the neighbouring hunting ground. The hunter explained that the animal had fled in response to the shot, but they couldn’t see any clear signs to indicate it had been hit.

It was already dark when the call came in, so Marc suspected that the buck had been shot at last light. Finding shot signs in deepening twilight is never easy but, unfortunately, that doesn’t stop many hunters from trying.

One of the reasons we often get called after dark is that the hunter, having made his shot in near darkness, is unsure afterwards of exactly where the animal was when the shot was fired. Then when he can’t find the shot site and is close to despair, he will call the association.

We also know from experience that often when we receive calls late in the evening, the gunmen have already made their own unsuccessful search for the downed quarry, sometimes taking dogs along the trail. This makes our job much harder. That’s why associations like ours continue to insist that, when in doubt, hunters should immediately call a trained tracker to help and avoid disturbing the trail at all costs.

Marc agreed to start the search the next morning. When he arrived the following day, the gunman was waiting at the agreed spot and suggested he join him in the high seat, where he had taken the shot. Once they were aloft, Marc surveyed the location. In front of him was a wildflower meadow with a dense hedge running on the left side, separating it from a thick field of golden rapeseed that lay on the other side of the verdant border. According to the hunter, the roebuck had been in the meadow, around 80m away, and around 30m from the hedge.