Summer Hunting Sommerjagd

[Leica Sport Optics]

For passionate roe deer hunters, summer awaits many with the highlight of the hunting year: the leaf season. The time in which most narrow lathes and doe are shod and place-goats are looking for the last pieces of rut even outside their ancestral territories. Weak yearlings and perennial rams were hunted intensively at the beginning of the hunting season. Now it is time to hunt the mature, the rustic and secret, well-known, but also unexpectedly appearing - the harvested buck.

When the air cools down in the evening after hot days or a mild morning displaces the night, great hunting experiences await in the summary area. Whether behind the camouflage screen, from a high seat, or stalking with the game at eye level - if you have mastered your craft, leaf hunting offers the highest level of hunting pleasure. It is a very active form of hunting; to leaf means communication, yes, interaction with the buck. Here the hunter not only lies in wait, here he participates. Here he is closer to the game than ever before.

The right equipment also plays a not insignificant role in leaf hunting. You don't necessarily need a heavy night glass for leaf hunting. A light stalking glass such as the Leica Geovid 10 × 42 or the Leica Ultravid 8 × 32 HD-Plus to probe the situation is usually sufficient. The response has to happen quickly anyway and is usually done through telescopic sight. We recommend optics with a small basic magnification and variable adjustment range: the Fortis 6 2.5-15x56i or the Magnus 1.8-12 × 50 are the best choices. The shot is seldom taken from a great distance, but since the looking buck is in motion, you quickly lose track of things with high magnification and a small field of view. The choice of weapon should be made in such a way that it can be operated blindly. Whether combined, bolt action rifle, single-shot rifle, or semi-automatic rifle, when the longed-for warrior is standing in front of you, you shouldn't have to think about where the safety is located or whether the trigger has a double-tongue set trigger or a set trigger.

The buck that is due searches with all of its senses, carefully eyeing the surroundings, where the longed-for calling doe is now. Jerky movements should therefore be avoided and the rifle should already be at hand. Gloves should be worn and a face veil if necessary, as the light spots on the face and hands are alarming for most bucks. Long sleeves are compulsory and hunters with light hair are strongly advised to wear a hat. Insect spray helps not to scare off the alternating game with conspicuous defensive movements. The less cover the hide installation offers, the more the hunter has to camouflage himself. For the stalker who only moves behind natural cover with a target stick, camouflage makes sense to visually merge with the surroundings. As with any other type of hunting, the wind must of course also be observed.

Finally, an important tip, perhaps the most important of all:
Of course, there can only be ripe bucks in the areas where you sometimes let a young one walk.


WRITTEN BY Johannes Maidhof

 

[Leica Sport Optics]

 

[JoosR]