shoot and be safe Posted October 26, 2016 Report Share Posted October 26, 2016 Superb photo of the sunflower crop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted October 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2016 Sounds like a great little shoot, best of luck with the rest of the season. If only I had had the spare funds to join when had the chance. Live just over the hill in the 'darkside' (donside) and work for a building contractor just down the road from banchoryThanks things are looking promising but a nice cold winter would be a huge help!We have a couple of small rough shoots and woodcock days which you would be more than welcome to come to if you like? Superb photo of the sunflower crop. Thanks, they are stunning to look at and also seem to be a haven for the birds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted October 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2016 Hello everyone. Our 2nd syndicate day was on the 15th of October and conditions could not have been more different from the sunshine we enjoyed on the 1st. it was raining when we all met in the usual place and it would continue to pour down for the entire day. We didn't expect a huge bag due to the poor conditions however we hoped the Containerwood would have a few birds sheltering in the warm wood. My team were beating first and surprisingly plenty of birds seemed to be around the drive. Despite being absolutely soaked the birds flew well and a good amount of shooting was had. Next up was Tall Trees which is another warm wood and we hoped that it would have as many birds as its predecessor. Unfortunately there was very few birds in the drive but the beaters had flushed a fox which may have had something to do with it. (picture of the vixen in the photos above was shot next to this wood.) I did manage to shoot a nice cock bird which was a bonus and John managed to shoot a tagged partridge which forms part of our sweep. Kilduthie has not been shot yet so I was concerned the birds would struggle to fly however quite a few presented themselves to the guns who seemed to be in conservation mode letting the majority pass through for another day! My team had the Ruinwood next and we all hoped to have a few shots after seeing how well it had performed on the let day. I was again a walking gun however I quite like peg 1 on this drive and I managed to add a brace of partridge and a hen pheasant to the cart. I was not alone in getting a few shots with 13 birds being shot. Last two drives of the day were Matt Steele and the sunflower crop. Matt Steeles did well with a lot more birds being here than on the let day. Unfortunately the Sunflower crop had only a couple of partridge which escaped the line however 30-40 partridge had been flushed by the guns on our way to the pegs so hopefully they will be in the drive next shoot. it was a shame to end with a blank however it had been a great day despite mother natures best efforts to ruin it. We had a quick look for a pigeon at Glashmore before sitting for the duck flight. The ducks were in big groups and we only managed a single widgeon however we should have had a few more! Total bag 36 Pheasants 20 Partridges 4 Pigeon 1 Widgeon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted October 27, 2016 Report Share Posted October 27, 2016 (edited) Just looked at that photo and reminded me of a saying my grandmother had ..."If the devil was only to cast his net!" Joking apart, what a great photo and shows what a days shooting should be all about. A satisfying bag, and a bunch of happy folks. Nice. Edited October 27, 2016 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 (edited) Just looked at that photo and reminded me of a saying my grandmother had ..."If the devil was only to cast his net!" Joking apart, what a great photo and shows what a days shooting should be all about. A satisfying bag, and a bunch of happy folks. Nice. Haha we are a fair bunch right enough,looking forward to a few shots tomorow during the day and a few drams after! Edited October 28, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobo Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Sounds a cracking shoot. Exactly what it's all about. Offers still there if you fancy a fox drive sometime with wee hounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Sounds a cracking shoot. Exactly what it's all about. Offers still there if you fancy a fox drive sometime with wee hounds. We all try to have fun and the bag is very much secondary in our thoughts. Will definitely have to arrange something as we have plenty foxs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Hello everyone We had our 3rd syndicate day of the season on the 29th of October and after having such a promising start to the season we were all hoping for the good run to continue. Our first drive of the day would be Hattonburn and my team would be beating. I had high hopes that it would be a fruitful drive however it didn't really produce as many birds as we would have liked. I forgot to position a stop at the end of the burn so i have a funny feeling the birds deserted the drive early. A few shots were had and a brace of pheasants had been shot so it wasn't a complete disaster. Next up was the Willows for my team and there was certainly no lack of birds in this drive with almost everyone getting the chance to add something to the cart. Its a tough drive to beat as the willows are tightly planted and they still had their leaves which made it even harder. This drive will be done next shoot and I'm convinced it will be even better as the birds should fly that little bit stronger. The Sunflower crop was next and like the first drive it never really produced anything like the number of birds we had hoped however the 4 snipe which were flushed tested the gun with our guest Brian taking down a screamer! Never flushed Snipe from a field like this and not really sure why they were there to be honest. Last drive before lunch was the Containerwood and yet again it proved to be a real bag filler with everyone getting shooting at a mix of Partridges and Pheasants. The birds are starting to fly strongly here which made hitting a bird even more satisfying. 17 birds were added to the cart which meant we had shot 34 for our morning. Ruinwood was next and we hoped we could provide the A team with a good drive after the disappointment of their previous ones. On our approach to the drive we flushed 30-40 partridge which headed for the safety of the big pen and far away from the waiting guns at the bottom of the drive. Despite this the pheasants provided a good show and the guns had plenty of shooting. I'm tempted to try this drive up the hill next time to see if we can get a better chance at the partridges. Matt Steeles would be my teams last drive and it proved to be a steady drive with birds flushing nicely throughout and despite the fact I was out of the shooting it was nice to see some nice shots. We decided to do Glashmore as an extra drive and although it wasn't one of the most productive drives we managed a couple of pheasants and pigeons to the cart. After this Ben and myself decided to see if there were any Snipe in the bog next to Glashmore. We jumped the gate into the bog field and within seconds snipe were flushing everywhere! We must have fired 30 cartridges for only 4 Snipe but it was an amazing experience to see 50-60 of these amazing birds in such a small area. Another good day and a total bag of 44 Pheasants 12 Partridge 5 Snipe 3 Pigeon This is our 3rd consecutive day with a bag of more than 60 which is something we have never managed before. And judging by the amount of birds on the ground I don't see why the good bags can't continue! Thanks for looking Nick Edited November 7, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Here is some pictures from the day. Firstly a picture of the neeps at Hattonburn Two future sportsmen looking forward to a buttery and jam Whilst some people celebrate good shooting.... others need to be consoled about the one that got away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 A great days sport for you all, if a little steady for the first team. Well done with the snipe, it is a great site to see so many in one place and I have witnessed the same last season. Cracking pictures with great comments to accompany them. Keep up the good work. All the best Sabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuddster Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Sabs-hope your well. is the crown shoot on going-I'm sure I'm not the only one missing the shoot reports. cheers f. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Sabs-hope your well. is the crown shoot on going-I'm sure I'm not the only one missing the shoot reports. cheers f. Hi Fuddster, I'm fine thanks for asking.You have pm. Edited November 7, 2016 by shoot and be safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted November 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 (edited) Hello everyone, We had our 4th Driven shoot on Saturday and after having three 60+ bags we were hoping the good days would continue. It had been a cold week leading upto the shoot day however it was quite mild when we all met at the old bothy. My team would be shooting Kilduthie for the first drive of the day and after being rested the previous shoot I was confident it would provide a good start . As usual the small block of Willows were blanked in first and between 10-15 pheasants were flushed over guns 1-3. I was number 2 and managed to hit a nice cock bird which I was pleased with. Unfortunately the wood itself was quite poor and the birds which were flushed managed beat the guns. Next up was the Containerwood. This has proven to be a reliable bag filler over the last few seasons and after a slow start a good number of Partridge and Pheasants were pushed over the guns. Throughout the day it was noted the Partridges didn't seem to be flying as strongly as normal. Not sure what would have caused this however it was good to see them in such good numbers again. The Ruinwood was next and just like the Containerwood it has been a good drive this season. Partridges were flushed over guns 2-5 throughout the first half of the drive however they just wouldn't fly and very few presented the opportunity of a shot. As normal the pheasants flew mainly over the high numbers and plenty birds were shot at this end of the line. This drive was fairly poor last year with only 26 pheasants and partridge being shot over the whole season. This year we cut rides in the wood and spent time creating ground cover using branches etc which has resulted in us shooting 75 birds already. After lunch my team would be beating The Willows which is quite a challenge as they are thick! Plenty of birds were flushed with 6 being added to the game cart. This part of the shoot seems to be holding plenty of birds which will hopefully be reflected in the returns at the end of the season. Next up was the Opposite pen which hasn't been shot this season yet. We normally do this along with the Big Pen however we decide to leave the birds there for another day and instead tried the Tall Trees with it. It was a reasonable drive however we could have pegged out differently as the guns who normally get shooting from the pen were out of it a bit. I managed to shoot a nice partridge and Pheasant however missed my first woodcock of the season! Matt Steeles was next and as per usual it performed solidly providing the bulk of the guns with shooting. They seem to be flying stronger as the season goes on so fingers crossed this can continue We decided to drive the Snipe bog as a bit of fun and it was well worth doing with a huge amount of shooting being had with mixed results! Kenny managed two birds with one shot which was good to see and I managed to bag one myself. Total bag 46 Pheasants 10 Partridge 9 Snipe Another cracking day with 6 steady drives which meant everyone seemed to get some shooting at some point during the day. Thoughts now move on to the woodcock and Snipe shoot which should be good fun and hopefully a mixed species bag. Edited November 14, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted November 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2016 little video of me shooting. Unfortuantely i wasnt lucky with my pegs and my battery died before i shot a pheasant and snipe. will get a video of the woodcock shoot this Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted December 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2016 (edited) Hello everyone. A very late account of our woodcock and snipe day which was held on the 19th of November. I was hoping for mild weather which seems to help keep the woodcock and snipe on our boggy ground but as soon as I opened the front door it was obvious it was far from the desired temperature! When we met at the bothy it was -8 so thoughts of a bumper bag of waders went out the window however being the dedicated bunch that we are we decided to give it a try and see what was braving the cold. We split in to two teams and as my team lost the coin toss we would beat the sunflower crop before standing for the jaffreys crop. Both drives had plenty of partridges numbering between 20-30 however without the usual flaggers being in place the majority barely left the ground to offer sporting shots. Next up was hattonburn and plenty of pheasants were seen however again they didn't really fly well which was a shame but they will be there for the next driven day! We decided to try the snipe bog and glashmore before lunch and despite the frozen ground there was still a good number of snipe in the bog however in keeping with the luck of the day most of the birds flew out the side of the drive and to safety. After a bowl of stovies for lunch it was time to brave the red moss in the hope of seeing some woodcock. The moss was really solid which resulted with only a single woodcock being flushed which escaped the line. We would normally try 2-3 areas but it was clear it just wasn't going to work so we decided to make our way back to the bothy for a cup of tea! It was a good day with plenty gamebirds on show and despite the weather I think we all had an opportunity to add something to the bag. Total bag 8 pheasants 1 partridge 1 snipe Shots 78 Edited December 2, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted December 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) Hello everyone. Our 5th driven day of the season was on the 3rd of December and after a 3 week gap since the last shoot we were all eager to get out again. First drive of the day would be Kilduthie for the A team. The first drive was meant to be Hattonburn however after my usual pre shoot scout of the ground i had noticed a fair number of pheasants around the Kilduthie wood. Its always risky changing the plan but it seemed to pay of with a good show of birds being presented to the guns. This drive seems to have improved since we relocated the pen and netted it so looks like the extra work has paid off. My teams first drive of the day would be the usually consistent Containerwood however very few birds were flushed this time with only 5 pheasants being added to the bag. Hopefully it was just a one off as this is one of the best drives on the shoot normally. The big pen was next and like its predecessor it was fairly poor. There were a fair number of birds but considering it was the first time we had driven the pen we had hoped for more . Unlike Kilduthie these two drives are mainly thick dark woods so the chances are the birds were enjoying the sun in the stubbles. I was peg 6 for the willows which is usually a hot spot but all the birds seemed to fly as far away as possible from me which meant I was left to watch some good shots and some equally bad misses! Good to see this drive producing the goods especially as its a nightmare to beat through. Next up was Matt Steeles and due to the layout of the ground my team would be shooting again. As before there were plenty of birds trying to avoid my peg however I managed to get a nice bird which had tried to get through the gap in our line. This was by far the best drive of the day with birds consistently testing the guns and providing 12 pheasants to the larder. Last drive of the day would be the Ruinwood which usually starts to struggle at this stage of the season however the birds were still there in healthy numbers and we finally managed to catch up with the partridges which had managed to evade us all day. The birds seemed to spread out nicely across the line which meant a good end to the day for the bulk of the guns. Despite the numbers starting to decrease almost everyone seemed to get some shooting which is what we want. We could really use some snow to get the birds back into the heart of the shoot as they are spread all over the place! Total bag 41 Pheasants 4 Partridge 6 Mallard Ps I heard wild rumours that iain managed to shoot 3 ducks with one shot so thought id say well done as I know he usually reads the reports! Edited December 12, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted December 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 Hello everyone. We had our 6th Formal shoot of the season on the 17th of December. It was another mild day which made things difficult as the birds have no interest in being in the woodland drives. My team would be beating the Containerwood first which had been fairly poor on the previous shoot so we were hoping it would be back to normal today. It was a slow start with nothing much showing apart from a lone Mallard from the duck pond. Pheasants started to flush from the mid point onwards with the bulk of the line getting shooting however the partridges are getting smart and decided to fly back over our heads! Next up was the Ruinwood for my team and again it was a fairly slow start but this time the guns also got the opportunity to add some Partridges to the bag. I was a walking gun which meant I was out of the shooting but it was good seeing Harrie shooting consecutive left and rights! We did Matt Steeles next and if the guns had to wait a while for some shooting at the previous drives this was even worse with the first bird being flushed about 50 yards from the end! Once the first was flushed there was quite a few to follow. A half dozen pheasants were added to the cart which was much the same as the earlier drives. Kilduthie and then the Willows followed and both had a good number of birds present with a reasonable number being added to the bag. Its been a good season so far and I think part of the success is these drives which are on our boundary producing good returns. The only problem is the Willows are difficult to beat through due to the sheer size of the plantation and the jungle like formation of the trees but as long as the guns get shooting its worth battling through! Last drive of the day was the Big pen which again was steady enough without ever really producing a flurry of birds. I finally had a pheasant fly over me which I managed to hit first time. The rest of the guns shot well which meant most of us had a bird to carry back to the bothy! The birds are starting to thin out however you cant shoot 300+ and still expect the drives to be full. I was pleased that all the drives had birds and were fairly similar as there is nothing worse than one team getting all the shooting. Total bag 34 Pheasants 2 Partridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted December 21, 2016 Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 Thanks. I enjoy reading your reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted December 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) some pictures from the shoot day courtesy of Tom. Brian with his pup my dad complete with cigarrete! Brian hiding from the team captain! John at the Willows Yours truly with guest Ken Edited December 22, 2016 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 I've enjoyed reading about your days, keep the reports coming Great photos, I love the first one with the dog jumping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted December 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 Thanks. I enjoy reading your reports. I've enjoyed reading about your days, keep the reports coming Great photos, I love the first one with the dog jumping. Thanks for the kind replies. Hope everyone has a great Christmas and I'll hopefully have a report from our Boxing Day shoot before the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted January 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) Happy new year everyone! Its been a mad couple of weeks so finally got the time to write up the shoot reports. It was a shock waking up on Boxing day to find a covering of snow outside however it made it feel much more like a shoot day rather than the mild weather we have been stuck with this season so far. Our Boxing day shoots are not proper driven days and we tend to do drives on the boundaries and some walked up areas that very rarely get touched. We split into two teams of five and headed off to the first two drives of the day. My team beat the Jaffreys crop however before we were within sight of the strip a large covey of Partridge flushed and flew towards the Ruinwood. The few birds that remained managed to beat the line and make it to the safety of the Big pen. Next it was my teams turn to stand at the sunflower crop which had plenty partridges however the bulk decided to fly low over the guns which was a shame however they were all flying back into the heart of the shoot which is part of the reason for having these days. After this we headed to the opposite end of the shoot to Hattonburn which we had not tried for a while. We blanked in the turnips before swinging around and beating the rough ground around the farm steadings and the ditch towards the guns. There was a lot of Pheasants here and it would have been a good drive for one of the driven days however we all enjoyed getting the chance to get a shot and 8 Pheasants were added to the bag. Glashmore was next and despite plenty of extreme pigeons presenting themselves it was disappointing to only see one Pheasant being flushed. We then tried the Snipe bog and although we flushed 20-30 Snipe they all avoided the guns and headed out the side of the drive. The last two drives were the Lwood and the Tall trees both of which were fairly quiet however shooting was had in both of them so it was worth doing. Some of us decided to stay on for a duck flight and we were rewarded with the best flight we have ever had. Mallard and Teal were almost constantly coming into the pond from all angles and we all very nearly ran out of cartridges! A quick pick up and it was time to head back to the bothy for a dram and something to eat! Total bag 10 Pheasants 2 Partridges 4 Pigeons 16 Mallard 1 Teal Edited January 4, 2017 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted January 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) Our first shoot of 2017 was held on the 2nd of January and we all hoped to bag our first bird of the year. It would be a fairly similar day to the Boxing day shoot. We split in to two teams of six with my team walking the jaffreys crop while the other did the Sunflower crop. Birds were flushed in both and my team even had some geese fly low over us however we didnt bag a single bird from our first foray of the year! Next up was Hattonburn with my team standing. We blanked in the Neuk and beat through a field of Turnips before standing while the other team walked through Bohill which is situated accross the road from Hattonburn. My dad managed to bag a Woodcock and Ian shot a Snipe there so it was worth the extra walk! Hattonburn itself was again well stocked with Pheasants however the bulk flew the wrong way which was a shame. My team walked through the Splash whilst the other did the Lwood. Unfortunately the Lwood was empty however we managed to shoot a Snipe and 2 Hen pheasants in the Splash which was an unexpected bonus! There had not been a pheasant shot here for over two years so it was good to see some birds appearing here again and with a bit of work before next season we can hopefully make it into a proper drive. Glashmore and the Tall Trees were again quiet however one pheasant was added to the larder and a few pigeons provided some challenging sport for us! Despite both being boundary drives I had hoped to see more birds here. We waited for ducks again and had another good flight with Mallard and Wigeon providing a fantastic end to the day once again. Total bag 9 Pheasants 6 Mallard 2 Wigeon 2 Snipe 1 Woodcock Edited January 4, 2017 by Nmb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted January 4, 2017 Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) What a great thread, enjoyed the read thank you very much for sharing your season with us all. Edited January 4, 2017 by E.w. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted January 4, 2017 Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 Again, another good couple of days out in the fresh air with friends Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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