Peter S Jones explains how he feels about the upcoming autumn hunting season.
Deer Stalking more than any other activity, demands that we step furthest from the well-trodden path
I have just been sitting in the garden for a few minutes with a coffee, soaking up some late summer sun and thinking about how to put into words how I feel about the onset of autumn.
The truth is I absolutely love it! There is something about the coolness of the evenings, the declining height of the sun in the sky and the gradual lengthening of shadows that grips me with overwhelming excitement. Soon the leaves will burst into brilliant reds and golds, there will be the faintest whiff of wood smoke in the air and a thousand other tiny cues, all of which will conjure up feelings of alertness and excitement for pinnacle of the hunting season to come.
Deer Stalking more than any other activity, demands that we step furthest from the well-trodden path, and this October alone, I will venture from the highest peaks of the Scottish Munros to the depths of the ancient New Forest hunting grounds and Jurassic Coast. At times I will no doubt trudge through driving wind and rain and at others, I will experience a heightened sense of things, as I sit in utter stillness, watching motionless, amongst gently falling autumn leaves, waiting for my quarry to emerge.
At times it will be tough and at others utterly spell binding. It is the uncertainty, the effort and the need to totally absorb oneself in nature, that transports me gladly from the frantic modern world to a timeless other place that is unaffected by money, politics and the demands of modern society.
For thousands of years our ancestors have experienced these emotions, originally as a necessity to put food on the table and today, as a means of reconnecting with our instincts, our natural environment and as a sustainable, dignified way of putting meat on the table. Meat that we ourselves have sourced honestly and delivered from field and forest to dinner plate.
That is what the autumn means to me, and as the sun sinks lower in the sky and the first leaves drop almost unnoticed from the trees, with it come all these emotions.
To my mind, the most exhilarating two months of the year are ahead, so do something that is good for your soul, break away from the office and escape the world for a few hours to reengage with your instincts and the natural order of things.
If you’d like to learn how to become a trained hunter, a great place to start is by doing the PDS1. Just follow this link to start your journey: huntingacademy
Alternatively, if you are already an accomplished deer stalker but are struggling to get out into the field, why not join numerous others that have discovered the benefits of the Capreolus Club. apply-now
In Season in England & Wales: Fallow Buck, Roebuck, Muntjac Buck & Doe, Sika Stag, Red Stag.
Off Season in England & Wales: Fallow Doe, Roe Doe, Sika Hind, Red Hind, CWD.
In/Off Seasons in Scotland: Roe Buck, Red Stag, Sika Stag, (Until 20th Oct only). Fallow Buck in season throughout October - Roe Doe, Fallow Doe, Sika Hind, Red Hind are in season from the 21st October.
(Peter Jones - editor)
