A small extract from my diary

[fuzzypigeon]

firstly its not the full day as its far too long but the first few drives..... hope you enjoy

 

Arriving early I pulled up into the shoot yard, greeted everyone and was giving the usual brief and banter. Pegs were drawn, being a guest I opted to go last in the draw, I pulled peg 11.

The first drive I was a walking gun, allowing all the other guns to line up first myself and the gamekeeper began by pushing a small spinney by the road side out, my gun still in its slip. Some stubble and wild rape from last year’s crop followed. A further 200 yards saw me reach the banking I was to be shooting and walking along. The gamekeeper said to walk down the far side and along the roadside until I reached the end of the field. I took my Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon 20bore from the gun slip and started to walk alongside a ditch away from the road 60yards from the road I loaded the gun with Gamebore Pure Gold 28gram 6’s. The beating line started moving, I was told to stay around 50 yards in front. As I walked slowly along the ditch side, slightly nervous as this was the first outing with the gun, a shout from the beating line behind me. A hen bird broke cover from the top of the bank heading to the beaters right and climbing fast, I turned shouldered the gun and shot, it folded. It dropped onto the far side of the ditch into brambles around 45 yards from me. The bird was marked, as it was dead to retrieve after the drive. The line started moving again, now I was slightly less nervous after such a nice first shot with the new gun. I could see pheasants breaking in front of me and heading out to the right so I moved a little further in front of the beaters to try and help, when another shout from the beating line behind me, this time a cock bird broke cover in exactly the same way as the hen bird before, it also fell to my first shot. This too fell into the brambles on the far side of the ditch. Walking again, feeling very pleased with myself a hen bird came off the bank in front of me quartering away from me from left to right my first shot connected but did not bring the bird down, my second shot also connected but the bird flew on and made it to the next wood before dropping. I now reached where I was to stand for the rest of the drive I stood on top of the bank so I could watch the birds fly high over the guns, I was watching a spectacular show and saw the shot of the day from one of the other guns, a hen bird curling on the wind, was heading straight for peg 9 around 50 yards up, as the bird got closer I watched as he lifted his gun only to see the bird fold before he fired a shot, peg 10 shot the bird, at what must have been 70 yards. If it wasn’t such a fantastic shot I’m sure he would’ve been reprimanded from the gamekeeper for taking someone else’s bird. A hen bird broke from the wood in front of me and travelled low to my right when the keeper told me to shoot it again it folded to my first shot, I reloaded and a cock bird broke in the same direction only this time much higher I rushed my first shot and missed but slowed down and took the second shot at about 50yards and the cock bird folded. I then stood and watched the rest of the drive.

 

The second drive I was peg 2, I was placed in the wood to shoot through the canopy. I could not see but could hear plenty of shooting once the birds began to break from the wood, I could’ve raised the gun at 2 or 3 birds but these birds were heading for the other guns outside the wood so I didn’t.

 

The third drive I was peg 4, on the corner of a wood. I didn’t raise the gun when the first birds broke cover as I felt they were too low for me personally, they were at enough of a distance from me but the birds were flying into the wind and struggling so I waited just as the drive was coming to an end a cock bird and a hen broke and headed straight over me at around 45 yards I shot at the cock bird and missed with both barrels. Another 2 hen birds broke and went straight over me at around 40 yards I shot at them behind me, again missing with both barrels.

 

Peg 6 on the fourth drive saw me standing in a position where I could see every gun as we stood in a horseshoe around a wood, I watched as the birds began to head over the guns, seeing some nice birds being taken and some being missed. 2 pheasants flew from the wood at full speed heading straight for me when they turned on the wind and began to curl to my left. For a moment I considered raising the gun to them but they were now heading straight for peg 5 so I watched instead, the first of his shots missed and the second connected but did not bring the bird down straight away, it folded around 60 yards past him. As the drive was coming to an end, 3 pheasants took the same route as the previous 2 which I left. This time I shouldered the Beretta, and shot at the bird closest to me, today the birds were better than I was as I missed again with both shots.

[Paul T]

Sounds as though you enjoyed your game shooting this season or you wouldn't have written that lot up.

 

Is that you hooked then and looking for a syndicate for next season?

[fuzzypigeon]

Yeah, looking for a small local one, always kept a diary of shooting when younger, and started again this season, been on quite a few let days and a few as a guest this season but I'm missing the one I was looking forward to the most as I'm going to South Africa for work for a few months

[Paul T]

I'll keep an ear open for you mate and let you know if I hear of anything,

 

Enjoy S.A !