By Mattia Landini 

One evening in September, I was walking in the lush woods of late summer in search of deer. Careful not to make noise, I proceeded slowly on the path that led to the top of the hill, where I would have a better view of the surrounding fields. Halfway through, however, among the tall grass on the slope, I unexpectedly noticed a group of female deer grazing. I tried to move as quietly as possible but unfortunately I was in favor of the wind, so the fallow deer perceived my smell and, after spotting me, quickly walked away. An excellent meeting, which bode well for the animal I was looking for, a male deer with an important trophy, nicknamed 'palancone'.

I continued silently to the observation point and when I got there I waited, observing with my 350pro cyclops thermal imager the fields and the woods around me. At sunset, finally, a male fall deer showed up. Unexpectedly, it was a white specimen with a gorgeous trophy. In our tradition the white fall deer represents someone who visits us from the afterlife, so I decided not to shoot and admire him as he quietly crossed the field in front of me. Hunting doesn't always mean killing, and that night that's how it was for me.