Other hobbies besides collecting militaria?,

[rbminis]

Here are some more visitors to the area. Pelicans in the river that curves around our plant.
Ralph.

[Scout]

Here's a few Elk I photographed on the Football Field right in the centre of Gardner, Montana, whilst over there hunting a few years back. Not something you see everyday!

Great pics.
What was the result of your hunt then?
Here a Whitetail

[Adrian]

I can see there is more curve to the beams and the tines compared to a Mule deer. I have a Mule deer on the mug I'm drinking from right now.

[Adrian]

Here are a few of the Red deer during the rut last autumn on the Quantock hills. I couldn't get much closer than about 200m, forgot my tripod and unless the camera is set on auto I'm useless.....

The first are of a young stag holding a small group of hinds in a satellite group next to the dominant stag and his harem. They kept wandering so this poor boy had a lot of running after them!

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The dominant stag had a much larger group of ladies to attend to and wasn't much impressed by a couple of young spikers getting too close. The sheep just remained oblivious.........

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The stag spent his time roaring and when not doing that was following different hinds and sniffing the air behind them to judge whether they were ready to mate.......

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There was quite alot of movement in the woods behind me and I was surprised by these two, a hind and calf. Just as well it wasn't a randy stag!

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[Scout]

Beatiful pics, Adrian. Just beautiful.

There are not many things comparable to trying to get near deer like that.

I was in a blind last season and a young very very stupid roe deer buck came within 20 meters.

I observed him for a long time and finally whistled just to see his reaction.

He looked up...and then started feeding again.

This was repeated seven (7) times, before he finally caught on to the fact, that there might actually be foul play involved and ran away.

Most deer would have bolted a looong time before that.

[Greenhorn]

Beatiful pics, Adrian. Just beautiful.

There are not many things comparable to trying to get near deer like that.

Yeah Scout, I second that! Nic pics, Adrian. You got pretty close to them, all deer are mostly skiddish creatures.

Ralph, for some odd reason, we had flocks of pelicans in northern Il last Spring. I wish I had the camera with me! I was fishing Shad balls working in a small bay and came upon hundred of pelicans. It was very early Spring and just the diehards were out on the water. As I approached within 75yds, the flock spooked and haven't been seen since. It was the first time in over 20 years fishing here that I saw them. Pretty neat to witness them here.

Going to eat dinner

[Adrian]

One of the best experiences I had with deer was a few years ago. I was out stalking very early, just on first light. I had entered the woods and was walking through quietly and slowly. There was a high pitched squeaking coming from somewhere, I didn't recognise it and I went about 100m in about half an hour and still this noise was all around me, I couldn't figure it out.

I stopped under an oak tree to spy the bracken in front of me and still this noise was there. I turned around and not 5m behind me a young Roe fawn was stood there looking up at me inquisitively and making this squeak. It had followed me all the way and was calling to me the whole time and I never twigged. I was so busy looking where I was going I never thought to look behind.

I just lowered my binoculars and watched the little thing, it nibbled at something on the ground and just turned and walked off, completely unalarmed and disappeared into the undergrowth.

I didn't shoot anything that day but that experience was much more than meat in the freezer. I will always remember it and treasure the memory.

[Scout]

Great story.
Reminds me of a few years ago in the US.
I was spending Christmas with some friends and there was an extended three day season after Christmas (I think it was three days), so after going to WalMart, I went to the woods.
I was very confident; prior to Christmas Day, there were Whitetail EVERY where!
Driving from town, you'd see deer all over the place. When going for a walk, there would be Whitetails every where (at that point, they was no hunting them).
I sat in the woods for three days. Silent and still as a post, camoflaged and only thinking pure thoughts....that is until the very last day, where I hadnt seen a hint of deer let alone heard a single sound from a deer.
I was growing antsy, when in the very last hour of daylight at the very last day of the three day extended season, I heard a rustle and a hint of brown hide in beyond the undergrowth.
I sat up and out of the woods came the very smallest of fawns.
I sat there trying to communicate my strong wish for it to call out to some bigger Whitetail, so they would come to investigate, LOL (yeah yeah, I know thats not how it works - so sue me).
The fawn stood watching me for a long while until the very last rays of sun. Then it bleated once....and all around me unseen Whitetail bolted for parts unknown.

Not a Whitetail in sight for three days and then in the very last rays of light, it sounded like a stampede.

The next day, there were Whitetail all over again. Along the roads and in the pasture just below the house.

I swear, those Whitetail had downloaded a hunting season app!

[Adrian]

Funny that isn't it. When I go out in the buck season all I ever seem to find is does and in the does season all I can find is bucks.

[big ned]

I stopped under an oak tree to spy the bracken in front of me and still this noise was there. I turned around and not 5m behind me a young Roe fawn was stood there looking up at me inquisitively and making this squeak. It had followed me all the way and was calling to me the whole time and I never twigged. I was so busy looking where I was going I never thought to look behind.

I know what you mean, I've had critters creeping up behind me for years........