lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Anybody ever shot these or had experience of putting them out on a shoot? I have a breeding population of them in my pens and got them orgionally to train my dogs on. When they are released in the morning they re-call in the evenings into sheds, similar to homing pigeons. I was thinking of putting out a few hundred of them into an area of bracken, rushes and gorse to experiment as a walked up shoot. As far as I understand they wouldn't contravene the wildlife and countryside act of foreign species because they recall to a loft and they don't cross breed with native birds such as grey partridge. Any helpful input/comments are welcome. Regards, Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) They fly really well. Look like a really sporting bird for a walked up shoot. Edited February 28, 2013 by lee-kinsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 they aren't legal for release as best I can find. I wanted to do the same with the dogs for training purposes, but everything I found was that you couldn't release them to the wild. Even though they recall to a pen, there is nothing forcing them to do that. It would be a different case if they were always contained. rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kelly Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 A mate of mine shot one in Suffolk. It was down the end of his garden when he went down to inspect his fox trap and he bowled it over with his .410. Said it was really tasty. Don't know who's collection it escaped from, but it would be great if they "accidentally" became part of the fauna here. Much more use than those bloody parakeets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I forgot to mention that they are quite tasty, though not much meat. A bit less than a pigeon, but about on par with partridge for flavor. I used to use bobs for the dogs in the US, but they were almost all shot and never left. They don't fly high so you have to be careful and know what is around. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Try phoneing BASC or which ever org ur in, i would have thougt it would be illegal thou. Why not try releasing Grey Partridge, first year this year (been wanting to do it for years but everyone said it wouldn't work) I released them more as 'hill partridge' as u often get greys on the moorland fringe off grouse moors in the rashes/brackeny type places. The area i released them is all white grass, rashes, bog myrtle and scrubby willow, the partridge are still hanging about in the same place and been there all season. Not an arable field for miles The greys will sit tight althou tend to stay in 1 larger convey than reds but atleast sit tight and flush instead off running Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) I'll talk to BASC. Out of interest how many greys did you put down, did you hatch and rear them yourself and what was you return %? Sounds like you area is very similar to mine. Thanks, Lee Edited February 28, 2013 by lee-kinsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Just the 50 this year just a samll diy shoot, shot 14 so 28% but we spent the first 5-6 shoots attempting to drive them to standing guns, a wee bit dangerous (althou our guns are safe really had to watch wot u did) often attempted to shoot them like driven going away grouse but we couldnae hit them. Once we started purely walking them up we were hitting a few more even thou they were gettin more jumpy. Probably flushed atleast 1 if not 2 coveys every shoot day sometimes catching up with them on return too, had plenty off shots at them as well We also put a small pheasant pen about 50m away from where the greys where, we never really recoerded how many pheasants we shot around that area but prob around the 20ish but by the end off season very few if any in the area. I could go up the shoot now and find the 2 conveys of approx 30 greys (20 and a 10) still in the same area where they always have been. If u go back 25 year there were no red legs released in this part of scotland, the shoot i worked on would release greys into turnip fields and they hold really well for walked up or driven days. I think the greys are seriously underrated bird for walked up shooting and the weaknesses for driven ie form big coveys and sitting tight are actually a bonus for walking up Bought them in as poults, been a doddle really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Thanks for that Scotslad. Where we are we can't release reds because the naff off to the next county as soon as we've put them down. Greys are a much more sporting bird in my opinion and they are far prettier. Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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