The day I turned 18 was also the day I had my first hunting leave. Since then I have been able to stretch a few species. A Belgian deer, I didn’t have that yet. Abroad I had the luck to stretch an antler carrier several times, but one from Belgium, Sint-Hubertus had not yet granted me that. In the 9 years that I have been hunting, I have had the privilege of seeing dozens of deer, both during drive hunting and on the sitting. But on all those sights, I only had 2 effective chances to stretch one widely.
The first opportunity dates back to the end of December 2017. I was invited by a friend to battue. The first drift passed me a doe with calf accompanied by a small deer. Because the difference between a large and small deer is so small and I was not 100% sure, I played it safe and contributed to the culling by stretching the foan and biche. Afterwards it turned out that it was indeed a small deer and my assessment was correct. I am pleased to hear that my assessment was correct but also that I am in control of myself to decide not to take the shot. My day couldn’t go wrong and I can still see the video playing in my head often.
The second chance dates from the end of December 2020. Here too I was at the invitation of a hunter friend. This time not for battue but for sitting. The alarm goes off very early, because a whole trip to the French border awaits. Once arrived at the location, it is discussed who will occupy which high seat. The high seat they assign me borders a beech forest with a view of a young plantation. We are already a bit late so I get ready quickly. I drive my all-terrain vehicle into the forest and then do a bers of 700m to the high seat. Parked the car and unloaded everything, I look around with the thermal image. At the end of the road I see something going through the bushes. I think to myself: “It must be a deer.” With the aim of stretching a deer or boar, I decide to practice my bers skills a bit and bers to the roe deer. The road winds and I lose sight of the deer. Almost around the corner I see the shadow back in the cover with the thermal image. But on the other side of the road. I sneak a little closer. Fortunately, it has rained and the beech leaves have become flexible. I come to a good 40 meters, when I think I see the apron of a goat. Very strange because I had never seen this before with the thermal image. I decide to unfold the Viperflex shooting stick and take a look through my rifle scope. By unfolding in the dark, one leg is not properly secured, causing the shooting stick to sink. I support my brand new Steyr a bit more and see the rear of a deer. I can hardly believe my eyes. When I want to position myself better, a branch creaks under my foot. The deer turns diagonally away from me and I see the fully grown fairly symmetrical antlers between the ears. It is a “cerf”. He looks straight at me in the spotlight and I don’t have a second to lose. Because the deer is pointed away from me, I place the cross on the neck… The bullet is out. Soon I look again with the heat image and I see the king of the forest lying on the spot. He doesn’t move a fin anymore. I walk up to him and can’t believe my eyes. Before I can take my mobile phone, I start shaking like crazy, the typical hunting fever. Immediately I call my hunting friend to tell him the happy news.
Dozens of minutes later, the DNF comes by to analyze the deer. There is a debate whether it is a small or large deer. One end is very short, but perhaps long enough to form a crown and thus make the deer count as a large deer. There is discussion and measurement. Eventually a 2ndperson from the DNF will be added. Again measurements are taken and the end is 1.8 cm long. We were 2mm away from a large deer. This did not matter for the shooting plan because the large and the small deer had been released.
