It is still night when we go to post. The coupon for this morning's exit slips into the hole bringing with it many expectations and hopes for this hunting day to roe deer in a new but beautiful territory for me. We are in the Apennines, a hair in Tuscany but already almost in the Marche, Sestino is a high hill and the territory is an incessant succession of fields and woods. We do a few kilometers with Francesco's tactical pandino and quickly arrive at the start of the path. We leave the car, Francesco and Anna, his trusty Bavarian, to climb uphill towards the Montioni ridge. We cross the tall forest so as not to walk in the field nor on the edge of the scrub although it is still dark, but you never know that some animals may be outside.
Once on the spot we start the proven series of actions that have always accompanied the selection hunt: remove the rifle from the scabbard, shots in the magazine, one in the barrel with the bolt unarmed. Outside the blanket for Anna who quickly goes to curl up. Rifle on the bipod, the binoculars have been around for a long time.
We begin our reconnaissance with a hint of light that began to radiate from the east as we settled down. Now you can see something, especially thanks to the bright lenses of ours binoculars. We are on a high ridge overlooking two large fields at its feet. From here to the bottom of the fields there is a noticeable inclination, with over 25 degrees of site angle. First we see something near a bush in the center of the field below us. "It's a roe deer!"Whispers Francesco,"a female it seems to me". The animal that probably eats blackberries from the bush in the middle of the field is certainly a roe deer but that it is a female I would not swear. A few minutes later with a little more light the absence of male attributes makes us conclude that it is not male. In Francesco's plan there is an M2 and an M1 to be taken, so obviously we'll have to wait.
The wait is not long and after a while a roe deer comes to feast on the bush. "This is fine though!"I exclaim enthusiastically and get ready to observe the reaction to the shot. Francesco gives 2 clicks to the ballistic turret, settles on the ground and focuses on the roe. Without rushing the times but without delaying too much he engages and shoots the M2 which feels the blow and starts a short run. The animal is definitely taken and after a few meters of jolts falls on its back and exhales its breath with its hooves in the sky.
Congratulations to Francesco, however, will have to wait: the "female" who until a short time before was picking up with the adult male moves in our direction until she reaches about 130 meters from us. The more intense light and the reduced distance spread our gaffe in our face: it is not a female but a young male, just pointed and overall scarce, whom Francesco considers absolutely suitable to complete his plan. This time he faces an animal that is certainly less calm, between the decision to take it and the roar of his own Blaser there's just enough time for me to put the scene back in the binoculars. The scene that presents itself to my eyes seems to be the revival of the immediately preceding one: roe deer perfectly hit, a few meters of jolt and finally falling on the lawn.
Within a few hours we experienced a wave of emotions and we bring them with gratitude in the presence of the two animals that now lie at the foot of the Montioni ridge.