First walked up/mini driven and first woodcock too!

[Nikk]

First walked up/mini driven

 

After my first driven day I was lucky enough to be offered a day on a syndicate shoot due to a cancelation. One man's loss is another man's gain! It looked like I would be off work so I took the chance and booked it. This was going to be a completely different experience to the comercial 100 bird day I was on two weeks ago and I wasn't really sure what to expect.

 

Tuesday night the nerves once again started to kick in and I didn't sleep well. I woak up at 5:30 and rushed around getting things ready and managed to be out the door before 7am. The weather was horrendous so it was just as well I set off so early, half way there I then managed to convince myself that I'd forgotten my gun and then I hit traffic and my worry switched to the fact that I might even be late. In the end I made it right on time but missed any chance of a brew...at least my gun was in the boot. I hurridly got my stuff out of the car and ended up dropping my big welly socks in the mud F*$%ing hell!!! I filled my pockets with cartridges and went to meet everyone. This time I felt over dressed and carefully eyeing everyone else up noticed two things....they were dressed very practically some with camo jackets, cartridge belts or chaps...great I thought...I look like a **** again I awkwardly introduced myself to everyone using my polite telelephone voice it probably sounds wierd when I switch back to my lovely stockport accent...sound mate! I also noticed that my gun looked very out of place a big heavy sporter with grade 5 wood and long barrels. Most people had short and light SBSs or smaller O&Us, guns that could be thrown in the back of a truck!

 

This time no one asked for me to drive and I was secretly pleased because it was muddy...very muddy! We set off for a duck flight. I then realised that no one else had their slip while I was ambling along with my gun tucked away nice and warm in sheeps wool. I put my new fangled electric ear defenders on and straight away found they were cutting out and switching off so I was fiddling with them all the time.

 

We quietly lined out on a field and walked up slowly, I was still trying to get those stupid ear defenders working and then looked around to see where the beaters were. When we stopped at the edge of a wood I could see the pond behind and a shot was fired. I started scanning the sky and saw a couple of duck but the majority decided not to play and cunningly avoided us.

 

There was little wind in the morning so it wasn't looking like the pheasants were going to play ball either. After this we lined out on a small wood and some of the guys worked their dogs through the cover. I had the oportunity on a couple of pheasants but they weren't far enough from me so I didn't take any shots, the guy to my right took a nice bird. After this we moved up on another small wood and this time I missed two really easy birds and a third which was the first time I have ever turned around and fired behind the line...this I did very deliberately making sure my gun was at 90 degrees, turned and fired and missed again. My confidence was ebbings away and we'd only been out for 40 minutes. I calculated that I could have had 2 or 3 by now and worried If I carried on like this I'd be going home with a blank day.

 

We walked on to a marsh/bog and walked up looking for snipe. I was given some tips and advice but secretly decided that I wasn't going to take a shot unless I was sure it would be safe. I wasn't going to be the guy who shoots someones dog! and there are plenty more days shooting ahead of me so I want to take it steady and just learn. The dogs put up a few snipe (amazing birds!) and two were shot with very fast snap shooting which was excellent to see. We were stood *********** at the end of the walk when a pheseant broke cover right behind us...I mean we'd walked right over this bird and with dogs too . Someone took the shot and we all laughed "where the hell did that come from?!" The ice began to break and I felt a bit more comfortable. We then moved up to a small wood and I missed a nice pheasant and got to see a woodcock for the first time it landed right next to me so I could have a good look at it before it flew off again.

 

We stopped for something to eat and then jumped in to the cars to move on. This time we were walking up hedge rows...another new experience! I've been rough shooting a couple of times but with just one other person. Here we were in a V formation 60+ yards spaced and with the beaters working the hedge rows in the middle. A few birds were put up, nothing for me again. I resigned myself to blanking and thought at least I'd met these people and proved I'd be a safe shot for the next time.

 

Then we lined up on another wood. This produced a few woodcock and a couple of pheasant still nothing for me! I broke my gun and had a quick smoke while trying to rest my aching shoulder...bloody clay gun must weight 8 1/2 pounds at least. I shut my gun and stood ready again as the beaters moved down towards my end. I was the furthest on the left end of the line. Suddenly I heard a shout "Woodcock forward!!" And I spotted two birds flying fast through the trees in front of me going right to left. I couldn't shoot in to the woods but they would pop out to my left. Without thinking I brought my gun up fired and continued to swing through and fired again and to my amazement saw the bird tumble down to the ground. I think this was the first time I have ever been really proud of shooting real quary because this was a challenging snap shot unlike anything I've ever taken. As it dawned on me what I'd done my exitement almost got the better of me and I just couldn't believe it...I even ended up asking someone if it was definately me The bird was a hard one to find and these guys were very thorough looking for it. I went down to show them where I was sure it was and it was found in a hedge too high for the dogs. I was worrying for 20 minutes we'd not find it!!

 

We continued to walk up hedge rows and do a little more mini driven and I started to have a real laugh with a couple of the guys I was with. I was feeling relaxed, I'd had a nice bird and I was having fun. I wish I'd writen this a couple of days ago because there were some really funny moments and excellent banter going on but my memory escapes me. Clambering up through muddly ditches desperately clinging on to my gun and trying not to poke the barrels in the ground for example!

 

As we got closer to the end of the day I was just soaking up the atmosphere and the amazing scenery, the sun was out and the wind had picked up producing some very fast and testing birds. This was especially nice to see because up to this point I started regarding pheasants with contempt and nothing more than flying chickens. One in particular was very fast, if anyone had taken it it would have been an increadable shot...saddly two of us missed it. My shoulder and bicep were absolutely killing me, I'd had an op on them 3 years ago and I really started to appreicate why those experienced guys had such light guns. I was also sweating like mad, all that walking in the sun and I was wearing a t-shirt, shirt, tie, jumper and shooting jacket...I was soaking inside!

 

We got back to their shoot hut and enjoyed a brew and some stew..again nothing had really sunk in at the time. There was an optional duck flighting which I decided I would do. I didn't want the day to end! We went down to the pond and I stood with one of the guys I'd been chatting with all day and we talked bullsh!t while we waited for the duck. These were wild birds and they came out of the gloom like ghosts it was an erry sight but I fired a few cartridges and missed every time. Only one bird was shot and we all started to get seriously cold so called it a day when the duck stopped coming.

 

Again I drove home deep in thought. This was much more the type of shooting I'd imagined myself doing. The syndicate members were good people and full of interesting advice on all kinds of stuff...of course I questioned the owners of the best dogs for advice! I loved the walked up way of shooting and I like the exercise but it was fairly hard work.

 

Then it started to sink in...I'd shot my first woodcock and a testing shot it was too. Someone had told me there are people who've shot for years and never had one but it was a daze at the time so I probably didn't accnowledge them properly. I had a mission that day...it was to bring home woodcock or snipe feathers for my daughters show and tell on friday...Result!!!

 

Anyway this was a day I will never forget saddly there are no pictures this time so appologies for reading all this and not even getting a photo...I'll do better next time.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[pg123]

Sounds like you had a good day Nick. Cheers for the write up.

[Mabery 3]

Thanks for the post, now enjoy the memories of a great day