Beating styles

[Kes]

Evening all,

We have a variety of opinions on our shoot about how to beat.

Our older members see beating as a relatively quiet movement through the undergrwoth, accompanied by a quiet gentle tapping. This, they say, moves the birds slowly without too much disturbance to the flushing point.

The 'noisy brigade', once given the 'off', proceed by making a great deal more noise, thrashing the undergrowth and uttering cries of aye, aye , aye. Some are armed with clackers -two bits of wood attached to a third which enits a sharp loud rattling noise when shaken. These lads always let out a great shout as a bird is flushed, to alert the guns. Both 'types' of beaters have their dogs which are effective.

Anyone have a definitive answer to the way to present the greatest number of birds?

Thus we can all live in harmony again and enjoy our collective day???

Many thanks for your perspective in advance

[MattSoanes]

Personally i prefer to hear the gentle tapping of sticks on trees and the occasional crack of the flag, this in my experience, is a good way of getting the birds to where you want them to flush with the minimum of noise and fuss. Its different from shoot to shoot though, i dont think theres a right or wrong way.Ive been on plenty af shoots where the beaters insist on making all sorts of farm yard noises, the outcome is still pretty much the same, the birds will still flush.

This is only my opinion though.

 

Im yet to see or hear anyone using a clacker though, still it takes all sorts....

Edited October 18, 2010 by MattSoanes

[markm]

If woods are flooded with birds, no need to make any noise, if you only have low to moderate numbers I think noise pushes and flushes more birds. Chav noise is best. If your not allowed dogs as there are so many birds, you don't need noise.

 

Never in game crops as they are a lot more likely to flush together.

Edited October 18, 2010 by markm

[hillmouse]

I do not like shouting, whooping and hollering in my line. I feel it makes the birds jumpy and more prone to flushing and prefer a gentle tap tap tapping.

It also means the beaters can hear instructions and I don't need to shout above the din to hold the line or steady things up.

 

Often the best way to blank a wood out is to leave the beaters on the end of it and tell them to be quiet. The resulting chatter once the keeper is out of the way moves the birds on nice and steady.

 

It is part of the fun on some shoots to make a bit of a row, so when in Rome........

 

Best advice is to ask the 'keeper or shoot captain and then you know the form for that shoot.

 

Noisey or quiet as long as the beaters keep in line and do a thorough job I don't think it really makes a huge amount of difference, unless the woods are sparse for cover or stuffed with birds, then I think quieter is a safer bet.

Edited October 18, 2010 by hillmouse

[Hucky]

Having been members of the chav brigade last season, we, the beaters have decided, with the agreement of the guns, to adopt a more softly softly approach. We were finding that loads of noise was sending the birds either sitting too tight, or too many uncontrolled flying in all directions (and generally too low to shoot). So this season we are going quieter, slower and more thorough to see if we can get more up in a controlled manner. But we will probably have to give a shout to let the guns know they are up, put their flasks away and generally get ready to shoot ! But we are a laid back shoot

[TomV]

on saturday we were told by the keeper to make more noise this was while working through 7ft high maize

[demonwolf444]

On two shoots we on both shout and make cheers when the birds take off though it doesnt sound like we make nearly as migh noise as your shoot, we have tryed the other method once or twice , as one or two of the older members suggested, the result was birds sitting tight with up untill the fence, where the few that didnt try to run under the fence took off low in flight to get over it, We prefere the other method , it also means , i personally find , you know when to be expecting a shot! when you hear the beaters shout , i always see it as reassurance to expect a shot, also if we have a a back gun we shout "back gun" and also for wood cock and snipe we also call there respective names. i think its nice to tell the guns when to expect a shot and in terms of a backgun woodcock or snipe what to expect.

[woodcock1]

I beat on two shoots occasionally. One involves beaters in camo with clackers, sticks, shouting and yelling at each other. The other is shirts and ties and your best Le Chameau boots. Both work equally well in terms of rising birds though the first shoot is a syndicate with the same guns each week and the latter an exclusive driven partridge and pheasant shoot. Here guests in range rovers and best tweeds pay huge amounts of money and I doubt they would appreciate a load of shouting and yelling.

[Dempy]

There is a call for both styles, on our shoot, you would be asked to walk quietly, gently tappin with dogs in close or on the lead when starting the drives or blanking in. You would also be expected to be more reserved later in the season when the birds are more skittish and there is less cover.

 

But earlier in the season when the birds are not used to whats going and there is plenty of cover you need the noise to make them get up