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Hello everyone! Just an update about our season. Last few days were a struggle and despite being great in terms of banter and fun we were really lacking in bird numbers! The pheasants were pretty poor overall with some banker drives failing to deliver all season which then pressured the others that did have some game! The ducks in one pond did brilliantly all season and provided shooting right upto the seasons end whilst the other ponds birds would not fly at all! We have agreed a new 3 year lease and have had our agm with nobody dropping out which is a great boost and shows that big bags aren't everything! This season we will be releasing 2300 pheasant poults plus 500 day olds we will rear ourselves. We will also have 500 ducks and a few of us are going to hatch some red legs as a bonus probably somewhere between 200-400. We have secured several areas of game crops which we didn't have last year so I'm hopeful with some good old graft during the spring and summer it could be a good season.

We have been quoted £5.40- £6 for phessant poults which is slightly cheaper than last year and 80p for day old. Ducks are slightly up in price to £5.50 this season and Partridge eggs are £1 each.

Sorry for the lack of updates! We have a shoot on Saturday so will do a little shoot report and try and get some photos. We had a huge dump of snow on Sunday and it's been added to every day since so the birds are back into the drives again! Only issue is the road to our bothy is pretty tough to get along!

Hello everyone! A bit late with the shoot update but here we go! We had our third shoot on the 4th of October and finally we had a dry day! It's been a tough start due to all the storms and wet weather but things looked to be shaping up well with a decent amount of birds in the drives on the morning of the shoot. Everyone seemed to be smiling as they enjoyed a roll and coffee and the p**s taking seemed to have increased a bit with the dry weather which is part of what makes the shoot so much fun! As per normal the Roughground would kick off proceedings with the A team shooting. It never disappoints and a steady flow of birds throughout the drive meant 17 pheasants in the bag and a pigeon. It was noted at this drive and the day as a whole that the birds were flying well! Next up was Drumshalloch for my team and due to the way the middle of the line sits in a dip in front of the wood and broom the birds tend to fly well. This was the case today with the first few beating the line before they got their act together and started to fill the cart! I only had a single shot which resulted in a retrieve for the dog so a good start! Elevenses followed with some nice cooked meat and cheese plus some sweeter treats providing an energy boost alongside some sloe gin and in my case a nice cigar! Next up was the Blackout drive and bohill ducks combined. There wasn't as many pheasants in the Blackout as normal but what we did flush provided some good testing birds and a warm up for the ducks. For this the guns were positioned at the bottom of the hill in front of the bohill wood and out of sight of the duck pond. The ducks lifted well and by the time they reached the bottom of the hill over the trees were very high! Despite the height many great shots were taken and many stories were told about birds taken afterwards! After such a high the next two drives were disappointing the willows had a fox run through and at Matt Steels most of the birds were in the moss behind the guns which was a shame. Last drive was the Containerwood for my team and as always it was a cracker. The birds flew well and although many were shot alot more should have been added to the cart! It was a good end to the day however the ducks refused to fly which has been an issue all season here! With the horn sounded for the final time it was time for a coffee and some soup! At this point of the season you can start to see where the shoots at. The big drives are as good if not better than normal however we seem to be relying on them quite heavily as the lesser drives don't seem to have as much pheasants as normal. The ducks have been an issue as I mentioned but I think we may have managed to almost get them going so hopefully they can give us a good show next time! Total bag 45 Pheasants 22 Ducks 1 Pigeon 278 shots Ps next shoot is this Saturday so hoping to get my team of cameras set up so I can video some of the action for here!

Good evening everyone! We had our second shoot of the season on Saturday. The weather was pretty dire but due to a lack of spare dates we decided to go ahead with a four drive day rather than the usual six and make sure we had our waterproofs on! Driving about in the morning as usual i was pleased to see the pheasant's had not been blown away in previous couple of days storms! After this it was time for a chat with the rest of the squad and a bacon roll before the usual safety brief and peg draw. My team would be shooting the Roughground first and i was peg number 1. It was a good drive and the birds flew well despite the wet conditions with the wind giving them a fair bit of speed! I was shooting terribly and missed 1 pigeon and 5 Pheasants before finally killing a nice cock bird! i was not alone and its fair to say our team should have had much more than 14 Pheasants in the game cart! Next up was the Implements drive. This wouldn't be a first pick normally however due to the Blackout being flooded and the field we stand in for the Bohill farm drive having cows in it we had little other options in the area! the wood was pretty flooded also which made it hard to beat and sadly only a single pigeon was shot. in hindsight we should have done Matt steels however we live and learn! Next up was the ducks from the pond on Bohill which is behind the Bohill farm drive. a few pheasants were flushed which was a bonus, just as well as the ducks took off low and simply flew over the guns down the hill and into the huge splash which had formed after the storm! i did have a nice snap shot at a pigeon which made me feel better about my poor form on the day! With the persistent rain and birds that weren't reading the script we were all dreaming of a warm bowl of soup and a hot drink in the bothy! Before this we were hoping to give the A team some shooting and the Containerwood usually performs well so hope was not lost. As we started to push the drive through it was clear there were plenty birds present and it wasn't long before a steady flow of shots rang out. This drive is really holding birds well this season and despite the ducks not quite working as we would have hoped it was still a great way to end the day. After picking all the shot game it was a quick march back to the bothy which sits at the side of the drive for our soup and a coffee. It was not a day that will remain in the memory long in terms of shooting but it shows despite the poor weather we can still have an enjoyable day. Total bag 29 Pheasants 7 Ducks 2 Pigeon 141 Shots

Thanks for the reply! Yeah thank goodness it was mild and the birds had got up to roost when it was dry the previous night! I hope you have a great season when it comes around! I miss not having partridges on our shoot but given their cost we had to stop releasing them a couple years ago although my dad says he flushed one a few weeks ago so maybe a few still kicking about! I'm hoping with the way things are shaping up we may get our first 100+ day this season but we shall have to wait until at least next week to find out!

Hello everyone! Our first shoot took place on Saturday and despite it raining non stop a good day was had by all. i arrived at the shoot at 7:45 to help setup breakfast then i headed off armed with a couple bags of wheat, a flag and most importantly my dog! I like to spread some wheat on the straw rides we have and also dog in any early morning travellers! The rain was forecast to be on all day which was far from ideal for birds being flushed for the first time. Everyone met up at the cabin and after a bite to eat, coffee and the safety brief it was time for the first drive of the season! My team would be beating the Whitehouse drive first. This is basically a small strip of grass and broom mixed in with the odd tree that is situated within a couple of hundred yards from one of our signature drives The Roughground. We quietly got into position and began the drive. Unfortunately roughly 30-40 pheasants flew over our heads but despite this many more flew over the guns on their way back towards the Rough ground pen flying surprisingly well given the weather. With 20 Pheasants in the cart and my dad delighted to have shot the first bird of the season it was off to the next drive The Blackout. This drive is a long thin strip of trees that runs down a fairly decent hill to a burn which is flanked by broom. the burn leads to another drive The Implements which our release pen is situated in. With this in mind we line the guns in front of the pen. I was peg 2 which is usually a pretty quiet one but today it was brilliant and after missing an early jay i managed to bag 5 pheasants on the trot to open up my account for the season! the birds were good here but with another shoot or two they could be a real challenge to take down! The next drive Bohill was a disappointment with many of the pheasants flying over the beaters heads and the majority of the ducks which were meant to be the stars of the drive refusing to fly! Although it didnt go to plan its only the first day and im sure it will get better here! Matt Steels followed and as always it was a steady bag filler and some frantic shooting was enjoyed as mini flushes burst from the trees and rough cover which the birds seemed to be sheltering in. The Ruinwood can provide some great birds and today was no different with us pushing them up hill making them turn and head back down to their release pen. Numbers were low which we believe may have been caused by a large amount of birds being in the freshly lifted potato fields above the drive where they seem to be picking at the left over tatties! Last drive of the day was The Containerwood and like Bohill earlier our ducks decided against flying but unlike Bohill this drive is full of Pheasants and a decent show of birds were to follow and the rain even halted... briefly. Much of the line is pegged along a line of hard woods and as they are still clinging to their leaves it made the shooting difficult but this wont last for much longer and this could be an amazing drive when the ducks start to make an impression! With the horn sounded for the last time it was time to get the bag counted and retreat to the warmth of the bothy for a coffee and a chance to dry out! At this stage of the season its all about seeing potential and despite the Ruinwood and Bohill being poor there is enough to suggest it could be a good year. The rain didn't help either but many of the guns commented that the birds flew well. Oh and i won the sweep! Total bag 59 Pheasants 3 Mallard 2 Pigeons 211 Shots https://ibb.co/H7tnqVk

Wow it has been a long time since I updated this! Having a 2 year old son is partly to blame and also the fact that last year's order of poults got cancelled meaning we only had 300 ducks to look after! Luckily the estate our grounds on had managed to source birds and managed to come to an arrangement to give us our normal 9 days shooting on their area! Happily we received 2000 pheasants and 400 ducks in early July and are eagerly anticipating our first shoot which is this Saturday (7th). With the rising costs of pretty much everything its been tough balancing the books while still providing a good shoot for all involved. Things are looking good for Saturday, the birds are well feathered and strong albeit being more adventurous than we would like! I will put up a post on Sunday describing the day along with some photos. Cheers Nick

We just had our order of 2500 pheasants cancelled yesterday and only supplier we could source is charging £12.50 per poult! Looking like a very tough season for us.

Hello everyone. We had our second shoot of the season on Saturday and after a difficult first outing we hoped for a better day this time. Upon arrival at about 07:00 it seemed like the weather would be good and dry with a decent breeze hopefully helping the birds After checking the drives and dogging in it was time for a bacon roll and coffee before the safety brief and peg draw. I would be peg 6 for the Roughground and after such a poor drive here last time we were hoping it would be back to normal today and it didnt dissapoint. After a pheasant was shot early on by Mark on my right i managed to get the first pigeon of the day and the £18 that comes with it! After this a steady flow of birds were presented to all of the guns and despite them again trying to fly back over the beaters towards their pen we managed to add 21 Pheasants to the bag and 3 pigeons so a great start! I was shooting well and managed to bag 5 Pheasants and 2 Pigeons so my account was opened for the season! Next up was the Ruinwood which has been looking busy when out feeding since the last shoot. The guns had barely loaded their guns before the action started and a fairly constant stream of birds flying strongly down hill over the guns resulted in the whole line having plenty of oppurtunities to add to the cart with some shooting better than others! With 46 head in the bag there were plenty of smiles during elevenses and after the lovely homemade pies supplied by Chris and a glass of port spirits were high! The next couple of drives, Kilduthie and the Blackout were not quite as good as the previous two due to the birds not quite going the way we would have liked but this was no bad thing given its early season and we have another seven days to shoot. The Ruinwood gamecrop was the star drive last shoot but they seemed pretty skittish with large amounts of birds flying out the side and to safety before we had even reached the gamecrop. Although it was hardly ideal there was enough birds left to give some good shooting although a moving of the pegs for next time might be needed to get the most from it! Last drive of the day was the Containerwood and as is usually the case a good show of birds were flushed and although the wind pushed many of them back there was still plenty to shoot at and a strong finish to to the day was ensured! It had been a great day and despite some of the drives not quite going perfectly there was a really strong amount of birds in all the drives and they are starting to get some strength and height which is a great sign for the future! Also having rested some good drives, Baldaroch, Bohill farm, Beeches, Clearfell, willows and Matt steels we have plenty of options to mix it up next time! After a count of the bag and a coffee another day was done. Total bag 75 Pheasants 3 Pigeons 248 Shots

Our next shoot is this Saturday so hoping it runs more smoothly than the last one! Drives were pegged yesterday and plenty birds seen so looking good!

Hello everyone! We had our first shoot of the season on Saturday and despite things not going to plan everyone had an enjoyable day. The day started warm and dry and as i checked the drives at first light things were looking good with the birds being in the right places and plenty of them! Everyone starts to arrive from 8am onwards so after a chat, bacon roll and a coffee it was time to do the safety brief and draw the pegs. The first drive of the season would be the Roughground for the A team so i would be beating for a start. This is the best drive on the shoot and early indications were promising with plenty birds being seen in the first part of the drive. However as we got further through the drive without the usual barrage of fire it started to be concerning! There were plenty birds but they all just lifted and went straight back over the beaters heads resulting in a dissapointing start to the season! The next planned drive was the Blackout however sadly the farmer on this part of the shoot had passed away earlier in the morning so out of respect we decided to avoid the area and the 4 drives within it. We decided to do Drumshalloch but it was a bit of a dissapointment with many of the birds avoiding the guns yet again with only a single pheasant shot along with a pigeon which fell to my gun. In hindsight we should have done kilduthie or the Willows but live and learn! Baldarroch continued the theme of birds not playing the game this time they skimmed over the guns low with only a few providing shooting. After some sausage rolls and port it was time to do the new gamecrop drive near the Ruinwood and i had high hopes for this one as many birds had been seen during the week. It didnt dissapoint with plenty of birds testing the guns and giving a great taste of what is to come during the season! Finally the game cart was filling and we hoped it would continue at containerwood. I was in the middle of the line but yet again the birds didnt want to fly possibly not helped by the rain which had started during the previous drive and many passed at head height. This continued during the last drive Matt Steels but atleast we are seeing birds! After a count of the bag and a coffee it was time to head home and reflect on a difficult day. Hopefully by the next shoot the birds will be stronger as this was certainly a problem. Total bag 32 Pheasants 2 Pigeons 1 Jay 116 shots

Bit of an old bump but noticed pete doesnt introduce the show anymore? Has he left it as doesnt seem right without his intros!

Late enough in the day but i guess the hosts have to try and make the bag for the guns. Probably more than enough time for the birds to gather up and roost before dark but not really ideal. We had a let day last season which was a disaster some of our steadiest drives just didnt perform and if it hadnt been for a unreal drive near the end to rescue it we may have had to do an extra one to make the bag so would have been pushing it timewise.

Thanks for the reply! It was a tough season with drives that have been steady performers for years not holding birds and also tge ones present flying differently to the norm. We were also the only shoot going ahead last season in the area so there wasnt the usual giving and taking of birds when wandering. This year we have a slightly smaller membership and less birds but have upped the amount of gamecrop so it will be interesting to see how it works out. It was hugely stressful organising the days last year with the two teams meeting seperately, peg numbers drawn online the night before, covid forms to sign and also having lunch apart so hopefully we can be back to something nearer the norm this season.

Hello everyone! Long time since i posted on here bit with the new season just ahead i will try and keep up with shoot day write ups this season! Our first day is on the 9th of October so will be nice to get the Tweeds out again! Im out feeding tomorrow will try and take some photos.

Its pretty difficult to answer this question but if it was myself i would dress smartly bring my dog and have my gun tucked in the car just in case. I always bring a bottle of something to give to the host and sometimes some sort of biscuits or homebakes etc. You could always have some cash in your wallet and try and judge accordingly from the days events whats necessary eg tips. And most importantly have fun as if you are shooting a happy guest can make a hosts day!

We seem to be keeping it at bay up in Aberdeenshire at the moment so fingers crossed it continues. Seems to be the South of Scotland thats being hit hard at the moment. We arr just trying to keep things going like normal as much as possible and within guidlines.

Our second shoot of the season was on the 10th of October and having endured such a horrid day of weather the previous week it surely couldn't be any worse this time! After all the covid forms and briefs had been signed and discussed we headed to the Ruinwood for the first proper drive of the season. In the first 5 years of our time on this ground this was the signature drive on the shoot however over the last 5 it had slowly declined to the point it had almost become a boundary day wood. We felt like the drive was still good but the pen in the nearby wood which supplied it was far too dark and prone to predation. With this in mind we built a new netted pen at the base of the drive so it would be interesting to see whether the changes would have worked! I would be beating and the idea would be for half the beaters to take the top third of the drive down to a newly built riser fence and for the other half to then push the birds up hill onto the fence before flushing the birds which would hopefully make their way down the hill towards the pen and the waiting guns. It was a great drive with a steady stream of high birds testing the entire line and giving us 20 pheasants for the gamecart. Next up was Baldaroch and despite usually being a productive drive It wasn't today and was very disappointing with only a handful of birds seen and most of them cruising low over the line. After the highs of the first drive it was a shame for this one not to go to plan but that's shooting. Matt Steels is a banker drive normally but like the previous one this was very poor and only one Pheasant was flushed which is very unusual. A fox seen in the drive may have contributed to this however it was also noted by the guns that a huge amount of birds were in the long grass and broom around the pegs where the sun was hitting so atleast birds are in the area. The Containerwood was next and if this one was a blank id be very worried as this is one of the best drives on the shoot!Happily it went reasonably well and a good show of Pheasants tested the guns and I even managed to bag 6 myself which was nice as it meant my springer and sprocker had plenty retrieves to keep them busy. The Roughground is another good drive and it didn't let us down today with plenty of birds being flushed even if some will need a few more flushes to really get them flying strong. With a lack of dogs it was hard doing the drive justice but early signs are that it will be another top performer. Last up was Bohill Farm and as the wood is on top of a reasonable hill it would hopefully give the guns some shooting at high pheasants as they cruised back to their pen at the base of the hill. unfortunately the inconsistent nature of the day continued and only a single bird was flushed. It had been an odd day withnot as many birds seen as normal however with all the problems in the world at the moment it was nice being out with family, friends, dogs and gun! Total bag 61 Pheasants 2 Pigeons 2 Jays 209 shots

Hello everyone, Long overdue but eventually had a chance to write about our first two days of the season. With all the unknowns due to Covid we decided to have a small driven day on the 3rd to see how things were looking for the season ahead and also incase further restrictions were brought in and we couldn't shoot again! Risk assessments, procedures and multiple video meetings can all be easily arranged however the weather cant and as I got my car loaded on shoot day morning the signs were that a waterproof jacket would be needed for the duration! Despite this everyone turned up and although strange due to having the two teams meeting in separate areas and in small bubbles it was still nice to be out. My team would be shooting the Opposite pen first and despite being famous in our syndicate for never wearing a jacket no matter how cold it is I had to admit defeat on this occasion and get the tweed coat on due to the torrential rain! Sadly the birds were elsewhere and I had the only shots of the drive neither of which connected so hardly the best start to raise spirits on such a miserable day! Next up was Jaffreys and I was happy to beat just to get away from standing in the heavy rain that rarely relented! This drive is heavily reliant on the strip of kale which runs alongside a thin strip of broom flanked by two dykes because of this its nice and sheltered and popular with the Pheasants. Unfortunately beating kale isn't ideal in such weather but despite this a reasonable amount of birds went over the guns and first Pheasant of the season went to Hamish. We went on to do the Lwood and Blackout drives both of which had birds however despite being flushed for the first time they seemed to have discovered the knack of picking the spots where the guns were absent and made their way to safety! Next up was the Whitehouse drive which I was hoping would be good however given the struggles faced so far nothing could be taken for granted. it was obvious fairly quickly this was going to be a busy drive, so much so that most of the guns either ran out of cartridge or elected to stop after bagging a few. I had managed to shoot four which was plenty for me and meant I could enjoy the sight of wave upon wave of birds being flushed. After this we decided we had been soaked enough and after a count of the bag made our way home to dry out! Total bag 24 Pheasants 108 Shots

Hello everyone! Well we are now under a week away from our first shoot day albeit a boundary drive day but with the way things have been i for one will look forward to getting my tweeds on and swapping the semi auto for the game gun! Its been a huge amount of work to get everything in place to make the shoot safe and in line with guidance but I'm confident that we will manage to do things correctly and just as importantly have an enjoyable day in the process. Another issue is whether to crack on and shoot the big drives while we can or stick to the usual plan of just having a walk along the boundary ditches. Its been hard to know what would be best but we have went somewhere in the middle and will be doing smaller drives which will hopefully push the birds back into the main areas but still give everyone a shot.... hopefully! We did have a nights duck flight but it wasn't a great success for the majority with few birds coming in. Funnily enough i decided to sit on my own at the bothy pond which hasn't been upto much over the last few seasons and had a nice mix of teal and mallard come in which resulted in me bagging my first teal of the season. Hopefully I will have something worth writing about after Saturday but either way I'll post something up! Cheers Nick

We are about £2.20 per acre glad its not £30 as that would cost us £120,000 per season!

No shoot lunch with us this year just packed lunches in suitable stubble Park. Usually as a captain at this time of year I'm thinking of drives and peg positions but this last week has been dominated with risk assements, arranging parking for the huge number of vehicles necessary now, forms for everyone to sign and all sorts of other things. Still its up to all of us to play by the rules and not let the side down!

I have to say that Police Scotland have been very helpful with renewals and any other dealings I have had with them.

Had a couple of good nights lamping foxes getting one on the first night and two on the second. With another member also getting one thats four in just over a week! Still plenty more to get unfortunately.