Deer Stalking Me

[Rob T]

I have to ask if anybody has had a similar experience to the one I had last Saturday. I was up early and sitting with my back against a tree surrounded both sides by a small piece of camo. in a thick dark wood in the New Forest. Id just finished taking 10 shots or so of Mum Dad and Baby Fallow (all rubbish) in a small clearing of sunlit grass some 100 yds or so upwind.Pleased with myself I poured a cup of coffee whilst I waited for my next prey to wander into the chink of sun light. There was a sizeable tree that had some years previously fallen down roughly 20 feet away to my left over the top of this I saw a pair of antlers coming my way, they got closer and closer until i saw the animals face he was looking directly at me. he carried on walking at the same speed still looking at me until he got to the fallen tree where he stopped stood and stared over it. A well built fallow buck he was 20 feet from me stood as still as a statue. looking down at me. I sat there not moving staring at him he stood there staring back at me, he was so close i could smell him.I couldnt imagine why he hadnt bolted when he first saw me. I clicked my camera a few times, still there staring, I picked up my coffee and had a sip, still there. After what seemed like 10 mins of schoolboy behavior of seeing who would blink first and a few more shots he turned his thick neck to look behind him and slowly, very slowly walked off in a big arc never looking back. I was left, puzzled and still am at his boldness, and oddly enough felt as if in some sort way I had been told off by a wild animal for entering his environment uninvited. Looking at it from his point of view I suppose he had a point.
I could post the pics if it helps understand this weird story.