First driven day

[Nikk]

I posted this on another forum but thought I'd share my experience as it's not often I can contribute other than asking dumb questions...

 

 

I've had lessons on and off over the last couple of years with a BASC coach. He organises a few shoot days but the last two seasons I couldn't book anything due to work. I've managed a fair bit of clay shooting and the odd day on pigeon or rabbit with a friend but that's been it. This year I tried again for a driven day but again missed out because I left it a week too late so I was looking at another year of missed opportunities and only dreaming of what might have been Just when things were looking down my coach rang me and told me they'd had a cancellation and that while he wouldn't be available to stand with me he would arrange for one of his friends to coach me through my first driven shoot. I rang work and told them I needed Friday off and got myself booked on a 100 bird day

 

I spend a week panic shopping and ended up with enough cartridges to survive a zombie apocalypse, got a flat cap, a shooting coat, then went back again to get a tie and back again after that for cords. I was getting pretty nervous on Thursday and kept myself busy even hoovering and mopping the floors. After work I drove down to Anglesey and met up with two of the guys in a Country Inn. We stayed over night, had a great meal and with the help of a few beers I managed to get some sleep though I kept waking up at random intervals in case I woke up late. At breakfast my coach mentioned I wasn't "looking too nervous"...I tried to be casual and replied "should I be?". He said yep because most people are scared of making a fool of themselves or doing something stupid...and then I lost my appetite

 

When we got to the farm everyone was wearing plus 4s and waist coats...and having been told it was casual dress I'd not wanted to dress up for the occasion (end up looking like Rodney in that famous episode of Only Fools and Horses) so I felt a bit daft in shirt and tie with cords and a jumper...well I thought I was playing it safe It was chucking it down and I decided to wear my fishing water proofs so probably looked even more out of place! I got asked to take my ageing range rover because it was 4x4 and secretly I was pretty chuffed but had to keep reminding myself not to crash into the game keeper or run over any of the dogs as that wouldn't go down too well.

 

On the first drive we followed the under keeper and pickers up down to a pond for ducks desperately trying to be quiet. I had my new fangled electronic ear defenders (another panic buy) and could literally hear rain drops hitting the puddles but strangely not my own voice...it was all pretty surreal. I got myself in some reeds and tried to calm myself down..I didn't want to be that guy who shot at unsporting birds or start blasting away at everything. We stood for a while and as I scanned the sky I found my electronic ear defenders were picking up ducks and that if I moved my head like a radar I could figure out which direction they were. I was pondering whether it would be 3 or four ducks or maybe a few more when the sky suddenly seemed to be full of them and I stared up in amazement. I waited to hear the first shot fired (even though the whistle had been blown), singled out my first duck and dropped it with my first shot. Another three ducks fell to my gun and I decided that was enough for this drive so put my gun down and watched some of the others shooting and especially the dogs retrieving. I found shooting the duck easier than I was expecting and I wondered if the strong winds made them an easier target. But the coach with me asked me..."Are you happy with the shots and birds you took?" I replied that I was very happy and also very pleased with the way I selected them, he said "there you go then, as long as you are happy". Fair enough I thought and we trudged back to the cars. I tried to have a cigarette and found my worst nightmare had come true....no one else smoked! So I had a few puffs on a soggy fag and gave up.

 

The next drive was Pheasant and the field was a complete quagmire. The game keeper pointed out to a few people and said "I told them not to go right across that way but do they listen?" We had a chuckle as we watched them struggling through the mud and I went on to my peg. 'The rain and wind wont make the birds fly well' I was told and nodded in return but wasn't really sure what he meant...'they have wings' I thought 'then they can fly?' This was the first time I saw the beaters working through the cover, I had my gun pointing 90 degrees up but I thought they were bloody brave! All it would take is one dumb mistake and someone would lose an eye. The birds started breaking cover and most tried to turn back in to the woods. The ones that did break away tended to go down the line to my left. I was happy to watch what was happening and as the beaters came up to our end of the line I was warned that we might get one or two turned out towards us. We did but they were very low and I didn't pay them any attention but then One turned right in front of me with a decent height and distance. I could hear the coach saying "good bird" and I took the shot. The bird went down and I watched the picker up send out his Labrador for it. I was happy with what I had, the drive came to an end and we waddled back through the mud trying not to lose our wellies. Being slightly labrador obsessive I accosted every Picker Up that was foolish enough not to have moved on and while chatting we turned around to see a brilliant sight...One of the guns had fallen over in the mud .

 

The third drive produced very low birds and I decided I wasn't going to even think about shooting unless I got lucky with a decent bird. Because of that they took us on to the forth drive instead of lunch. I had a nice spot and I could see the beaters at our end hitting the gates to move the birds back towards the beating line (I guess?) also plenty of dogs about so I was well happy. The drive started and I'd seen a couple of pheasants but then a flurry of ducks came out towards us. Expecting pheasants, I stood and watch them fly over my head and thinking what a nice sight it was when I heard a voice behind me saying "What are you waiting for!?" I guess we're shooting ducks again....I took two ducks but the first of my shots was sloppy and the duck was flying away slightly quartering, I'd probably given it too much lead and pricked it. It fell down and landed pretty close still very much alive, I felt bad about that and looked round for the Picker Up hoping he'd send his dog for it before it got in to a hedge and I tried to make sure I only took the shots I was more confident of making. I wasn't going to shoot another but I was getting some decent birds so I took a second.

 

At lunch it was clear than my embarrassment over my attire was unfounded...one after another I watched the guns take off water filled wellies, removing wet socks and they all looked a fair bit wetter than me, I tried not to be to much of a smug *** as I handed out several pairs of spare socks I'd thoughtfully packed although I couldn't stop myself telling someone I actually had 4 different coats in the back of my car either .

 

everyone thought we'd only shot 60-70 birds but it turned out we'd had 85. It was pretty late so we went out for the last drive which was on pheasant again. Lots of excited talk about who had the best pegs etc and I was the Stop...meant nothing to me but the few murmurings I heard suggested that I'd see nothing and for a minute I thought maybe I should have bagged a few more earlier on. We had a good walk to where we were positioned and I couldn't see anything. One of the picker ups shouted to me to move position so I trudged through the bog where I could see the corner of the wood. Up to this point I was getting more confident and felt I knew what I was doing but that started to drain away a little and I started asking questions to the coach. We had a few birds come over and I didn't raise my gun but one was a good bird and I'd let it past, the one after it I just took but it was dropping towards me and by the time my gun was up and I'd pulled the trigger I already knew it was a bit low. I cringed as I smacked it . This time birds were coming out the side and curling back towards us trying to get back in to the woods and I was getting lots going left to right, after I let a couple past I was assured they were good height and distance wise so I took another four...hey the game keeper actually said "go for it" So I did!

 

The whistle blew and we started our walk back to the cars, the picker up next to me wasn't fast enough to escape me either and I grilled him on anything I could think of, interestingly this is the first person I've ever met who has a springador....I bet he wished he'd never told me after the further grilling he got . By the time we got to the cars most people had cleared off so with the demisters on full blast we managed to latch on to a Hilux and head back to the farm. Once we got there I had to suffer moving my car because someone couldn't get through a gap big enough for a bus but this time I was going to have a dry cigarette and didn't care! The game keeper invited us in and his wife had made dinner for us, a fantastic end to a most memorable day. Unfortunately I was back at work this morning so I left around 7pm...next time I'd love to stay for a few beers.

 

As I drove back home I was almost in a trance and completely lost in thought over the events of the day. In honesty I'm not sure if any of it actually registered with me at the time I was too busy soaking up the atmosphere, watching what the beaters and pickers ups were doing and trying to absorb as much information as possible. I stopped at costa coffee on the m56 and caught a few odd looks from the motorway travellers... clearly they too weren't impressed with my baggy green jumper and cords nor my pheasant tie!

 

When I got home my 6 year old daughter had waited up for me because she wanted to stroke one of the pheasants....yes she is strange like that, my wife says I've brainwashed her! I wanted to have a few well deserved beers but they had to wait whilst I unpacked my gun (cleaning that in the morning honest) and hang the birds in the cellar. All the cartridge boxes even the big heavy duty outer one that holds 250 cartridges were completely soaked wet through and spilled cartridges everywhere.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

 

[Tim Kelly]

Good for you, sounds like a great day and you handled yourself very well.

[pontbeck]

Sounds like you had a good day glad you enjoyed it. Reading it I remembered what I felt on my first day. The more you shoot the more relaxed you`ll become.

Nothing quite like it though, is there ?

I shoot a few driven days,

belong to a small syndicate and pickup on a couple of commercial shoots and don`t know which I enjoy most

Edited November 12, 2012 by pontbeck

[JDog]

Superlative report which brought out your excitement extremely well. I enjoyed your modesty and self deprecation even though you did very well on your first day.

[ollie]

Great read and congrats on your first driven day.

[Nicky T]

Nice write up; if your coach is Ian Corrigan i've shot that shoot in Anglesey.

 

Were a couple of guys called Barry and Tony there? Top lads and great shooting companions if so

[magman]

Enjoyed the read thanks , took me back a few year's

You shot well to

[Nikk]

Nice write up; if your coach is Ian Corrigan i've shot that shoot in Anglesey.

 

Were a couple of guys called Barry and Tony there? Top lads and great shooting companions if so

 

Thats the one

 

Lots of nice people but I'm terrible with names so not sure.

 

The keeper and his wife were lovely and the under keeper a good man as well.

Edited November 12, 2012 by Nikk

[oscarsdad]

Fantastic write up, well done

[guest1957]

Sounds like an excellent day.

[JBS]

A great read that, just what this forum should be about. Sounds like a cracking day

[otherwayup]

Enjoyed reading that; thanks for posting.

[Only1cliff]

Great read, thanks for posting.