Introduction to The Falkland Syndicate

[Maddaftspaniel]

After the easy task of picking up it was off to the northern border of the farm to Old Davies drive.

This drive was not a success the last time through because we did it the opposite way so we reverted to the tried and tested method of blanking in the southern leg and then driving it East to West.

No sooner had the beaters started tapping in at the far end than there was a huge commotion at the other end and pheasants flew off in all directions some back towards the beaters, some over the guns and others out the side.

I was out on the far left of the line when I heard the shout of "Fox" and a couple of shots went off. As I came up level with one of the back guns I spotted a movement in some brambles and sure enough there was a wounded fox. Stewart the back gun did the necessary.

The drive continued and there was a good deal more shooting with the two back guns hitting two good birds which came back over some big beech trees on the edge of the wood which gave Stewart a couple of easy retrieves for his lab Murphy.

 

Kieran with his dogs at Old Davies

 

 

Tessa waiting patiently

 

 

Stewart back gunning

 

 

Murphy delivering a bird

 

[Maddaftspaniel]

We then headed back to the motors for elevenses

 

[Maddaftspaniel]

While no one was looking I took the fox and hid it in Old Wullie the stonemasons van. This is a standing joke on the shoot. Every time a fox is shot it is hidden in some ones motor. The first time we did it to Old Wullie he did not find it till 5 days later when he arrived at a job and went to get his overalls which had been covering the fox! They were stinking! He was not best pleased and when he came into the shoot yard the following week the joke was compounded when someone said "Whats that smell........................its fox" as he walked passed.

[shoot and be safe]

Sounds like a good day on the ducks and the bonus of a fox

 

I like the standing joke with the fox It's not just me that enjoys a practical joke after all

[Maddaftspaniel]

After elevenses it was our turn to shoot. I was peg 8 on Lawsons Knowe which was the furthest one around the corner of the wood. I swithered about how far round to go.

I could have been a walking gun but I had a sore ankle so I stood just at the top end of the pen wood hoping to get a few early shots as birds headed to the pen.

As soon as the beaters started tapping at the far end a cock pheasant appeared at the edge of the wood about 200 yards to my left and began legging it over the winter barley and then over the boundary wall. This should have been my cue to move to my left a bit because as the beaters approached another two cock birds got up well out of range and flew over the boundary . Considering this is only our second time through it is surprising how wily the birds have become!

 

As the beaters came forward and passed by me there were a good number of birds out over the other end of the line. I counted 27 shots but never raised my own gun.

 

View from my peg. The pen wood is on the left

 

 

Edited November 18, 2014 by Maddaftspaniel

[Maddaftspaniel]

The last drive of the day was to be the Glenbervie Strip which is a long narrow wood beaten back towards the Cash Loch. Since it does not need many beaters I chose to stand beside Billy with the hope of getting a retrieve for Tessa.

 

Billy

 

 

This is usually quite a good drive as the birds tend to get up above the trees at the far end a fly along the length of the wood before soaring over the gap into the Cash Loch. I was hopeful that it would yield a good few fines as I had seen a number of white birds feeding in it all week.

 

So it proved to be with a steady stream of birds getting up and heading our way. James on our right had 3 good birds but unusually for him he needed his second barrel to account for them. He took a bit of ribbing for this because he is the best shot in the syndicate and does not like wasting money so he would grudge the extra cartridges. Billy who I was standing next to did not have much opportunity apart from one hen he missed cleanly. I sent Tessa for a hen that had dropped in front and she retrieved it well.

 

 

As expected the drive yielded 5 white pheasants two of which were shot and one pegged by an overenthusiastic cocker so that was £60 in the kitty.

 

Young Charlie Hee-Haw with one of the White Pheasants

 

 

Billy and Liz with their trio of colourfull labs

 

 

We headed back to the farm for a welcome bowl of soup

 

The bag was:

 

25 Pheasants

32 Ducks

1 Teal

2 Pigeons and a fox

 

 

I was again a bit disappointed by the number of pheasants shown and as we drove back to the pub afterwards this was compounded by seeing about a dozen of our blacknecks feeding in a stubble field about a mile from the shoot . I cheered up however when one of the guns posted some photos on his facebook page under "Another great day at Falkland". That sort of thing makes the effort seem worth it.

 

I am looking forward to Friday when a team of 8 guns from the syndicate have taken a driven day at Blacklunans on the Glenshee road north of Blairgowrie. It is nice to have a day when the results are someone elses responsibility and I can concentrate wholly on enjoying the shooting

[Penelope]

A great read as usual.

[ollie]

Another great write up. Could you not run the dogs through the pheasants that were feeding on the stubble field to try and get them back towards the shoot? Or are they a lost cause at this stage?

[Maddaftspaniel]

Another great write up. Could you not run the dogs through the pheasants that were feeding on the stubble field to try and get them back towards the shoot? Or are they a lost cause at this stage?

 

 

They were several fields away

[Maddaftspaniel]

Last Saturday we were at Ballo for the third time this season. It was mild and misty on the hill with very little wind.

As usual we planned to do the Castle partridge drive first but we decided to place the guns differently putting 4 of them out the other side in a little glen over which the rascals had escaped untouched the last twice through

I led the beaters out in a long encircling movement right around the back of the hill until I was in a position to act as a flanker as I walked parallel to the glen where the guns were standing much further down the hill.

Once I was in position I sent word along the line for the beaters on the left to start and bring the moor in.

As the line swung round a small covey got up and flew forward right over the guns resulting in a flurry of shooting but I could only see one bird down. Then a covey of about 20 got up and flew over the end of the line escaping unscathed.

Once at the top of the hill we waited until the guns had moved position and then took in the shelter belts at the side of the road and the cover crop. I lifted Tessa over the fence and before I could join her she flushed a white pheasant which our guest accounted for followed by another 2 hens and 2 cocks one of which flew back up the hill.

As we gathered after the drive I was pleased to learn that in fact 6 partridges had been shot!

 

The view (or lack of it) before the first drive

 

[Maddaftspaniel]

The next stage was for those that felt fit enough to walk right out to the end of Harperlees reservoir in search of snipe. The old and decrepit would (me included) walk back to the farm blanking in the fringes of the loch on the way and wait in the bothy for the others to come back before driving the loch side.

 

After a pleasant interlude by the stove in the bothy it was our turn to shoot the lochside. I was on peg 5 where I had been the last time we did this drive. Old Davie was next to me on peg 6 which was usually the hot spot.

 

Old Davie on peg 6 with the beech tree behind him

 

 

The first birds got up well back but instead of heading for the wood at our backs flew along the lochside giving the guns on pegs 1 and 2 some spectacular shooting resulting in a few more in the bag. As the beaters approached a single cock bird rose and flew over Old Davie. He missed it and I shot it behind him and it fell dead in the wood. I then missed an easy hen directly overhead and accounted for a second cock behind Davie which was a runner. Davie then nailed a high cock which fell at his feet. Despite missing the easy hen I was pleased with my shooting because the two cocks I had shot behind the line were effectively crossers my least favourite shot. I left the birds to pick later because we were about to beat the wood they had fallen into

 

The view from my peg

 

 

Pickers up

 

[Maddaftspaniel]

Next it was up the hill again to do the near end of the big wood. I took the end of the line so that I would be in a position to pick the birds that I had dropped on the last drive.

It is a thick conifer wood and is difficult to get the birds out of but as we worked our way down the hill I was encouraged to hear a good deal of shooting although my view was obscured by the conifers.

As we approached the end of the drive I was on the lookout for my two cocks. Tessa was on to the runner and chased it through the thick undergrowth away from me towards the rabbit fence.

One of the other beaters shouted that she was down at the fence with a pheasant but when I whistled her back she didn't have it...................she must have let it go. We hunted about and just as I was about to give up Bill with his pair of yellow Labradors shouted that he had both cocks one which had been dead and one a runner.............panic over!

 

Up the hill to beat the wood

 

[Maddaftspaniel]

Next it was our turn to shoot the middle partridge drive.

I was peg 7 out in the field to the left of the pen.

As soon as got to my peg the beaters disturbed a couple of pheasants on their walk out. One a hen flew over me and I dropped it with a single shot and Tessa ran in to retrieve it. The cock was missed by the gun two to my right.

 

Tessa and the hen pheasant

 

 

View from my peg

 

 

As we waited a good trickle of partridges flew through the line but did not result in any shooting as they followed the contours of the land and just skimmed the rushes..............oh for a bit of wind!

 

Then a cock got up. I saw it coming from a long way off but waited until it was almost overhead before raising the gun and squeezing the trigger. The bird appeared to flinch but a hurried second shot made no impression and it glided down into the rushes about 200 yds behind the line. I emptied my gun and went to look for it expecting it to be a runner but Kenny was already there and his Labrador had found it stone dead. I was glad that it was accounted for but it is never as satisfying as folding a bird in the air.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Maddaftspaniel

[Maddaftspaniel]

Next was the pen drive and it was our turn to beat.

 

As I walked up the hill again I passed Peter who was shooting this drive and jokingly said "There is a white pheasant in this drive with your name on it"!

 

He replied " I hope there is something with my name on it. I have only fired one shot all day"

 

We took the drive through slowly as the birds were sitting tight,. They got up in ones and twos giving the guns at the side some testing snap shooting. As predicted a white one got up and flew right over Peter. He missed it with both barrels but never mind that was a fine in the bag!

 

The last drive was the other end of the big wood and my peg was at the top of the hill where birds had a tendency to slip out. I set off early for the long walk and arrived in time to get my breath back before the beaters started.

I missed an early hen crosser with both barrels and Davie missed it too. Then a few birds got up but were too low for me to shoot at although Davie down the hill to my left got chances at them. Then as the beaters approached there was a shout of "Woodcock" and one shot out of the wood to my right. I turned and shooting instinctively folded it with my first barrel . I sent Tessa for it and she brought it to hand, her first woodcock a perfect end to a good day.

 

 

 

24 pheasants 6 partridges 1 woodcock for 134 shots

[shoot and be safe]

Well done on getting the partridge up and a few in the bag

 

And congratulations to Tessa on her first woodcock retrieve They are not the easiest to find being so well camouflaged and very little sent.

 

I enjoy reading your posts. Well done

[Maddaftspaniel]

Last Saturday we were at Glentarkie for the third time. I had been up twice during the week handfeeding the main drives to try and encourage the birds to stay in the woods because the weather has continued to be very mild and the birds had been well spread out across all the pastures. I had got a surprise when I was checking the feeder in the top game crop...............there was a Gloucester Old Spot boar at the feeder! It had escaped from the animal sanctuary down the road. I went down and saw the owner and asked her if she had lost anything. She said that she hadn't so I replied that was good because I was going to put it in my freezer if she didn't come and get it! She duly obliged.

 

We arrived at 8.30 and over bacon rolls and coffee we decided that as it was pretty misty we would just do the 8 main drives. The Jungle and the Glen Cottage were shrouded in mist so they could be left for another day.

 

As usual we started with the Car Park.

It was my teams turn to shoot and I had drawn peg 1 on the downhill track with housed to my left. This is a difficult peg to shoot safely as some birds tend to sneak out at the top corner and fly over the houses.

 

MY view from Peg 1

 

 

As I stood surveying the scene a call from the gun on my left alerted me to an early partridge on the wing. I swung up and through and missed with my first barrel before folding it with my second. It fell over the hedge behind me.It was the first partridge I had shot all season I just haven't been able to hit them.

 

Birds began to trickle out of the drive in dribs and drabs over the middle of the line presenting challenging targets. Tam Brodie shot particularly well with 4 for 6 shots and so did our guest for the day also called Tom. The drive went really well with many more birds in this drive than usual but as expected about a dozen birds sneaked out the top corner between me and the houses. I shot at one which was safe but without real conviction I missed it.

 

This photo shows the Top Pen Drive up on the right with the guns standing down in the valley at the bottom of the track.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Maddaftspaniel

[Maddaftspaniel]

Next it was the Low Pen drive. I set off along the main road and down the back track to act as a stop at the far end of the wood to prevent birds sneaking out the back over our boundary. I thought I would be early enough but as I drove down the track I was frustrated to see about 20 birds hop over the boundary dyke and leg it across the neighbouring pasture to freedom.

As I parked my truck I was able to prevent more birds joining the escapees by working Tessa along the dyke and scaring about a dozen back into the wood. As the rest of the beaters joined me we agreed that we would have to start putting stops in place at the beginning of the day.

 

First we blanked in the plantation and the game crop above the pen wood putting a few birds forward including some partridges. They produced a few shots but the pheasants flew into the pen wood and landed there.

 

The pen wood is a mixture of tall conifers and deciduous mature trees and although it is at the lowest point of the shoot it produces good birds because they have to fly up and through the canopy to get out. It is a tangle of fallen trees and I kept my dogs on the lead as we worked our way slowly through the wood as the birds were sitting tight . We took about 20 minutes to finish the drive and there was a steady stream of birds over the guns with constant shooting

[Maddaftspaniel]

Then it was our turn to shoot the high pen. The first time for my team this season. My peg was 2 half way up the track. The beaters push this drive up the hill away from the guns until they reach the edge of the escarpment where they wait until they meet the other team bringing in the pen and the surrounding game crop. If there is a wind this peg produces good sport but as there was none I had to watch as bird after bird swung round and dropped back into the wood in front of me. The upside of this is that I had a good view of the line to my left as more birds soared over the guns standing in the valley below. From the top of the hill the birds stood on their tails and rose until many of them were out of shot very few being accounted for. We will have to adjust the pegs further up the hill if we are to make a bag on this drive later in the season as the birds are already very strong fliers. The two Stewarts on my left had several shots at high birds over them but missed although Billy further up the hill on my right accounted for a couple with his 28 bore. I had one moderately high angled cock going from right to left over my head which I clipped with my first shot and folded with my second.

 

After a brief halt for elevenses during which we admired Young Hee Haws new gun we set off to do the top game plot.

 

Duncan Hee Haw with Young Hee Haws new gun.

 

 

Young Hee Haw

 

 

Stop for elevenses

 

 

This drive consists of a game crop of about 3 acres on a hill above the main road below which is a small wood. The idea is to drive the birds from the game crop into the wood and then from the wood over the guns in the valley below. The last time we did this it produced nothing because I think we were too noisy on approach and the birds ran out the back of the drive.

The plan this time was to swiftly and quietly drive a truck load of beaters up to the back of the game crop leaving the rest at the far end of the wood until the game crop had been driven. Meantime the guns would have got quietly into place.

 

All went swimmingly. As we climbed up the hill birds were running in front of us getting up from the brow of the hill and then for some strange reason swinging away out to the right and missing the wood altogether. When we reached the brow of the hill the reason became obvious the rest of the beaters were standing waiting at the wrong end of the wood causing the birds to flush at the top and swing out the side. After a great deal of loud fffing and blinding they ducked down behind the wall and the remaining birds including a covey of redlegs flushed in the correct direction.

 

The latter birds that had flushed correctly had dropped into the wood as planned and gave the line some good sport but the drive had been spoiled. I thought I had given clear intructions "Send reinforcements" but the message that had got through was "Send three and fourpence"!

[Maddaftspaniel]

The next two drives were the two middle woods which produced some sporting targets but not the volume of birds that they should have. I suspect they would have been better had we had stops in place whilst we were shooting the other drives but our limited manpower does not always allow this luxury and they are not usually necessary this early in the season. On the first middle wood I wounded a moderate cock with both barrels and Billys bitch Sally ran after it and caught it as it legged it up the grass field behind and much to my dismay I cleanly missed the most challenging but perfectly shootable bird that had come my way all day.

The fines pot was added to when Kieran shot two white pheasants one an absolute corker and Normans first season cocker "Alfie" pegged his third white pheasant of the season.

 

I missed out on beating the second last drive because it was too long a walk and doesn't require many beaters and fired two shots on the last drive at a very high hen pheasant without doing any damage to it. The last drive "Roadside" has been spoiled by our neighbour growing a large field of kale on our boundary. I think we will have to leave this drive until the absolute last minute when the pheasants are coming out of the kale into the wood to roost.

 

View on the last drive

 

 

All in all it was a good day. I had only contributed 3 birds to the bag but I have had my share of the pound seats so far this season and as usual my shooting has got worse as the birds have got stronger!

 

Bag

72 pheasants

9 Red Legs

2 Woodcock

 

For 354 shots

 

[JDog]

Your efforts in posting detailed accounts of your shooting forays are much appreciated.

[shoot and be safe]

As Jdog says

From your posts it feels like we are there with you and a reasonable bag to boot

Keep up the good work.

[Penelope]

Always one to look forward to.

 

Your efforts in posting detailed accounts of your shooting forays are much appreciated.

[Maddaftspaniel]

Your efforts in posting detailed accounts of your shooting forays are much appreciated.

 

As Jdog says

From your posts it feels like we are there with you and a reasonable bag to boot

Keep up the good work.

 

Always one to look forward to.

 

Thanks guys it is nice to know that someone is reading my ramblings!

[ollie]

Thanks for the enjoyable read as always

[happychappy246]

How's the shoot been going mate I've been waiting for your next write up for ages !