Hunting high and low

Paul Quagliana restocks his freezer after a chance encounter and a bit of detective work

- Paul Quagliana

When it comes to deerstalking, I am very much in the recreational camp. I shot my first roe when I was 18 and since then have probably put a couple in the freezer every year. For several years I have been in a stalking club on a large estate. I class myself as a subsistence hunter who enjoys trying to be self-sufficient, whether that be with guns or rods. If I could afford the luxury of a garden I would grow my own veg.

Stocks

The freezer was running low and the season’s end was approaching, so on an afternoon in early March I headed for one of my favourite spots to see if I could restock my supplies.

The high seat was a double one, which I prefer as I like to have my roe sack in the spare seat next to me with all my bits in. I also wonder whether leaving bags at the bottom of a high seat sends out a scent trail that spooks the deer. Perhaps I am being too fussy though; I have regularly seen stalkers leave their dogs to sit under a high seat regardless of wind direction and it doesn’t seem to bother the deer.

It wasn’t long before a small bunch of fallow emerged but they were a bit far for my abilities, so I watched them going about their business. What was particularly interesting was what may have been a goshawk, I only caught a glimpse, attempting to catch a squirrel that narrowly avoided death by spiralling round the trunk it was clinging to.