shoot and be safe Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 On our last shoot we had a number of invited guests, all of which were shooting well. On one drive, I was stood behind the guns, as instructed by the shoot captain, to pick up the birds especially the pricked ones. One of the guests, a shooting man, was a touch upset that I was there and said "I would be great full if you could leave my birds until the drive was over". I respected his request and moved at least 100 yards further back and left his "clean kill" birds where they fell around 20 yards behind him. His pricked birds (definitely pricked with a leg down and feathers in the sky) glided down behind my position and I put the dog onto them as soon as they landed with little fuss and only a couple of pips of the whistle so not to disturb the guns. After the dog retrieved one of his pricked bird's, I could see him holding his arms out as if frustrated that I was there, now over 150 yards behind. The area that I was working in, is a field of turnips and on previous shoots, we have lost a couple of birds in there hence the shoot captain asking me to cover that particular field. Now my questions to other gamekeepers/shoot captains is: How do you want your pickers ups to work? Do you want pricked birds left till the end of the drive or the dogs straight on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Runners straight away, dead un's at the end (or during the drive if you are far enough behind). It's the gun at fault, not you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arley Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 As above, always pick the runner as soon as possible. If the gun was a sportsman he would have thanked you at the end of the drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kelly Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Agreed. On driven days you are always working to a bit of a time table, so allowing the guns to mess about searching for their own pricked birds at the end of the drive will slow everything down. That's why there are pickers up. If he wants to get his dog to pick up the dead ones lying round him, then fair enough, but too much faffing about slows the whole day down. If he wants to work his dogs on more difficult birds he should go picking up or rough shooting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) Do what the Shoot Captain instructs. This is what you've done by the sound of things. If a any gun has a problem with this refer him to the Shoot Captain. Edited December 1, 2014 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 As said when iam picking up I only pick runners while drive is on then once the drive is done, have a sweep up to the peg with dogs. When iam shooting I don't like birds being picked around me as you don't know what's been picked or not. Also nothing worse than a dog running round picking up then dropping one bird as another is shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fal Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 We have a responsibility as shooters to give wounded/winged birds the priority they deserve. We caused that bird to be injured, we should act accordingly to deal with it ASAP. Not wait until the end of the drive, just my view on things. I agree with dogs running around doing what they like, but it doesn't sound like that is the case here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 if a pricked bird has gone thro the pickers... go for it..........any birds that are between you and the guns leave...............if the shoot captain knows what he is doing he should explain that at the beginning of the shoot.......to the guns and the pickers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Sounds like your shoot needs to invite more understanding guns ! , I would be quite put out if someone invited behaved like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontbeck Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 If I'm picking up behind a gun with a dog I always ask what he wants for his dog at the end of the drive. If he said to me I wasn't to pick runners 100/150 yds back I would tell him that's my instructions from the shoot captain and he should take the matter up with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Thanks for your reassurance chap's. The invited guest in question is a shoot captain/gamekeeper of a different shoot. I felt slightly intimidated by his experience and doubted I was doing wrong. If he'd been one of the regular guns then I would have shouted back to him to kill them cleanly or the dog is cleaning up your poor shots. I am not usually intimidated, but thought I'd bit my tongue and be polite as he was a guest and did not want to scupper his host's chance of a invite to his shoot. At the end of the day, the shoot captain and a few other guns all had a laugh about it and normality was restored with light hearted banter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 The picker up standing well behind the gun line sees a lot more than what the Guns do. Birds which the Gun might not know to have been hit will sometimes be picked 200 yards or more behind the line. It was ill considered for the Gun to wave his arms and complain once you had moved back, but then a lot of new comers to the shooting field have only seen shoot days from behind a gun, and are simply ignorant. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie10 Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 If he can't shoot birds with a dog running around him then he obviously needs to go on driven shooting and never do any other discipline. You was doing the right thing. Next time request not to be near the chap and make the reasons why known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Do what the Shoot Captain instructs. This is what you've done by the sound of things. If a any gun has a problem with this refer him to the Shoot Captain. There speaks the voice of wisdom. It's what you have a Shoot Captain for. Sorry but my word is the law on the shoot. On two, just two, of my best drives at the moment I have rape that is above your knees and thick as custard. Behind the three hot spots on each of these drives we pick up everything during the drive - unless I have more than my usual three pickers-up. Few of my syndicate have dogs at all and of the two they have one is useless and the other is very new. If I let 30 - 40 birds lay in there until the end of the drive, a long one, then we will be at it all morning. With enough pickers-up to leave a couple behind to take as long as they need, then it would be different. But it is my decision - Not the guns - If they don't like it then they need another Shoot Captain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 I think you did right, as said in one of the replies don't be afraid of being a good way back especially on tall birds always better to be chasing a bird back to the gun line than away from it, it's more likely to go to ground and be picked. Keep it up and enjoy your dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggiegun Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Thanks for your reassurance chap's. The invited guest in question is a shoot captain/gamekeeper of a different shoot. I felt slightly intimidated by his experience and doubted I was doing wrong. If he'd been one of the regular guns then I would have shouted back to him to kill them cleanly or the dog is cleaning up your poor shots. I am not usually intimidated, but thought I'd bit my tongue and be polite as he was a guest and did not want to scupper his host's chance of a invite to his shoot. At the end of the day, the shoot captain and a few other guns all had a laugh about it and normality was restored with light hearted banter. Mark, he is a guest at your shoot, your shoot captain asked you to pick up, do as your shoot captain asked, simple, he must of been a rude man. That field is a long way from the gun, nothing to do with him, pricked birds need picking ASAP, as we all no they disappear very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codeye Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 By the time the drive was over the pricked birds would of been in the next county leaving said shooter nothing to pick anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Should of sent him to me im very good with words JC's guest by any chance ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Should of sent him to me im very good with words JC's guest by any chance ?? Suttle descriptive and motivational 😃😗😃 By any chance It's at this point I would have drawn your attention to the game licence if we still had it It stated it is a shooters responsibility to pursue wounded game as soon as possible even at the cost of other game Sabs did the correct thing Only my view on it All the best Of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Pricked birds should be picked immediately if possible, if the gun does not like it, politely explain to him that you don't like to leave an injured bird to get away, if he doesn't like that, tell him where to stick it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 We owe it to any living thing we are willing to shoot at a quick and pain free end. I thought this was common knowledge. He sounds like a stuck up pompous tool. A classic do as you are told peasant. Op stick to doing a good job enjoy working your dog and don't back down when it comes to doing the right thing you will be surprised what respect you will get if you do ATB mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Should of sent him to me im very good with words JC's guest by any chance ?? I'm not going to name him as he might be a member on here, but if that was your guess in the sweepstake, you have won We owe it to any living thing we are willing to shoot at a quick and pain free end. I thought this was common knowledge. He sounds like a stuck up pompous tool. A classic do as you are told peasant. Op stick to doing a good job enjoy working your dog and don't back down when it comes to doing the right thing you will be surprised what respect you will get if you do ATB mike He came across like a pompous ***** To those who know me, know I am not shy to say it as it is. I just thought I would be polite for JC as he would probably have a return invite to his shoot. I hope he comes back to our shoot and I'm pegged next to him. There's nothing like poaching your neighbours birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) I agree with your original actions. Last season I was back gun on one drive, and a few birds came down ahead and to the sides of me, some still moving. As there wasn't a picker-up close by, I slipped my gun and carried out a couple of dispatches. As Mitch says, it's only being humane. Letting something suffer pain for 20-30 minutes for no good reason ... that's not on, in my book. Edited December 3, 2014 by robbiep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Haha Mark we spent to much time looking for the bird you left for the guest to pick (at his request!) imagine if you had left them all, an extra half hour or more would have been added to the day, and probably 3 birds less in the bag. You did well my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 I think any gun that wasn't shooting well would have been pleased to have had a good man and his dog cleaning up after him, to be honest if I'd been that gun I'd have slip you a few quid for your good work. Chin up crack on and ignore the ***** at any shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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