Deer hunt

Pic Caption: A public plot of land in Kevington overrun by blackberries which feeds and helps contribute to a growth of deers in the area which the hunter I interviewed said may, in the future, become a pest just like rabbits are at the moment.

I went with one local hunter to a deer hunting site about 45 mins drive away to research for a story I was working on regarding game management. I was initially cautious about following this hunter to the game site cos I didn't know him and I knew the site was really isolated but after talking to my friend, Kaye, who gave me the tip-off for this story, I wasn't too worried.

The trip turned out well. One of those in which I learnt a lot and was inspired in my article and my job as a journalist.

And I saw a deer but it was blocked by some bushes. So I sorta saw half of it and it bolted when it saw us walk near. Apparently, it was not a full-grown adult. We went to its habitat and I learnt how to recognise the hoof prints left by deers and how you find out if the prints are new, a day or a week old.

I also found out more about the behavior of hunters and that not all of them are bloodthirsty. The hunter who showed me around said he had not fired a shot in the past 2 years. And that his fellow hunters do not fire a shot unless they are very sure cos movements in the distance could be a dog, a person, and they didn't want to make a mistake so they have to be very sure before they fire. And the shots have to be accurate so that their target is killed instantly. He also said that if any hunter shoots a hunting dog, they can forget about hunting ever again because it's a grave mistake. I had a newfound respect for hunters and realise that there are some that just give the group a bad name.