SABS's Shooting Tales 15/16

[shoot and be safe]

Central Scotland
By kind invitation of Tam and Hopper.
5^th December 2015

The Good Lady and I were privileged to receive an invite from Tam and Hopper to a wee little shoot up in Scotland.

With TGL's work Christmas party on the Friday night before, it meant a very early start on the Saturday morning, probably less than 2 hours sleep, to arrive at our hosts' house for 08:15.

Storm Desmond was not on our side on the drive up, with howling winds and driving rain making for tricky driving conditions.



I had it in the back of my mind on the drive up that the day was going to be cancelled. Yes it would have been a shame but we were not too worried, as we would be catching up with Tam and Hopper again and we were looking forward to seeing them. We passed one unfortunate hgv on its side, just north of Shap on the M6. Hope the driver wasn't hurt.

We duly arrived at Tam and Hopper's @ 0815 and were welcomed with open arms and caught up with each other.
Soon enough we were off and in the direction of the shoot. Again "Storm Desmond" decided he was an anti and dropped tremendous amounts of rain on the hills in the area, causing the local river to burst its banks and close some roads, thus slightly impending our journey to the shoot.

Once on the lane to the farm, we forded some deepish puddles,

before meeting up with the other guns for the meet and greet.

George the shoot captain / keeper gave the best brief I have ever heard. He can only be described as a young version of Billy Connolly, with plenty of laughter as he gave the briefing.
We then headed off to first drive, which saw me as a walking gun in the beating line.

Once in position at the top end of a, flooded, sugar beet and bean field we slowly pushed through in the hope we would flush a fox. No sign of Charlie, so I was pointed in the direction of a peg to stand at for the next drive.



With the rain at my back I looked on at the wood in the hope that the pheasants up in Scotland were as tough as the men folk. They must have been supplied by the southern softies and stayed in the shelter of the wood
There were a few pigeons about to keep us entertained and these were added to the bag.

It was during the drive before lunch that I added the first pheasant to the bag.


Duly picked up by Indy from the beans.

Another soon followed from myself and the gun to my left also added one to the bag both of which fell into the standing crop of beans. After a 10 minute search through beans for my second bird, we retired to the bothy for lunch.

Tam is a whizz in the kitchen and provided a venison stew served with neeps and tatties and a wee dram of Port to help warm the cockles

After lunch we headed up to the higher part of the shoot and parked up in a field which our Scottish hosts described as moist.


Again only pigeons offering entertainment for the guns as we walked the hedges to our pegs.
There were some stunning views from here (when the rain eased off a bit)


The last drive was the pen wood and I was pegged out on the left of the wood.

Several birds were flushed over the guns standing at the bottom of the drive and the sharp shooters added to the bag as they rocketed overhead with the wind behind them.

That concluded the day's shooting and we reconvened back at the vehicles for the final tally, and to say our goodbyes to the team. I thanked George for the excellent day both The Good Lady and I had had, he was a star and kept us entertained all day.

Following the shoot we headed back to Tam's to dry off, freshen up and sink a couple of cans, before we headed off in search of an restaurant that was open

I would like to thank George and the team for making us both feel very welcome and allowing us to be a part of the day.

I would especially like to thank Tam and Hopper for inviting both The Good Lady and I up to shoot for the day, for looking after us all weekend and for taking us to see two of the Scottish landmarks I have always wanted to see.

The Falkirk Wheel




and the Kelpies.




Thank you both for your hospitality throughout the weekend


Thanks for reading.
All the best.
Sabs

It is through the PW charity shoot that I first met Tam and Hopper and would urge you all to try and attend one in the future. The days are much more than the shooting, they offer you great opportunities to meet up with new people and make lasting friendships

[fenboy]

So how do you get a Vidio from photo bucket to here ?

Its a pain in the backside OF , you are better down loading videos to youtube and then linking it from there.

[JDog]

SABS you certainly do enjoy your sport. Your latest report was more like hurricane chasing than shooting. Good effort by you and your wife.

[Tam]

Glad you both enjoyed your visit pity the bird's weren't playing ball Hopefully we will get the lights fixed in the lunch hut soon I did try & empty the puddles a bit for you to get through but seems I caused a mini tsunami instead

[OJW]

Storm Desmond provided the action there even if the birds didn't. Enjoyed reading as always.

[shoot and be safe]

SABS you certainly do enjoy your sport. Your latest report was more like hurricane chasing than shooting. Good effort by you and your wife.

 

Storm Desmond provided the action there even if the birds didn't. Enjoyed reading as always.

 

Thanks JDog and OJW.

It was a little fresh up there

Looking forward to shooting with you on the 6th

 

Glad you both enjoyed your visit pity the bird's weren't playing ball Hopefully we will get the lights fixed in the lunch hut soon I did try & empty the puddles a bit for you to get through but seems I caused a mini tsunami instead

We had a great time Tam, it's not about pulling the trigger for me, it's being out in the fresh air enjoying the company of others

I think you did empty some of the water from the puddles but the wake you left made them deeper Amy took a video of the drive down the lane, I'll ask her to upload it when she gets a chance

[Tam]

That would be interesting 👍😄😄

[magman]

looks like a good few days

Nice to get the invite

[shoot and be safe]

looks like a good few days

Nice to get the invite

Had a cracking time Rob. It was good to catch up with Tam and Lynelle again. Hopefully see them both again, very soon

[Tam]

looks like a good few days

Nice to get the invite

 

Anytime Rob, might be a long drive for nowt though

[Old farrier]

Hi

Sounds like a good time was had and good company 😊

Shame about the weather although that's part of the sport

 

Did you catch a glimpse of Nessie 😂

 

All the best

Of

[Tam]

Nessie was in very deep waters a good few clicks NW They did get a glimpse of Boris though ;)

[shoot and be safe]

Hi

Sounds like a good time was had and good company

Shame about the weather although that's part of the sport

Did you catch a glimpse of Nessie

All the best

Of

There's no better feeling than standing in a open field, with the wind trying to stop the swing of your barrels and the rain trickling down your neck

Didn't get as far up as Nessie territory, but as Tam said, we did get a glimpse of the elusive Boris

[Mentalmac]

Looks to have been a great day, and good on you for persevering with the weather and heading up to see friends anyhow regardless. Nowadays too many would look at weather and call it off. Good to see friendship and catching up put above some shooting.

 

Loving the pics, Indy looks pretty wet and happy being there - I've noticed how my labrador is strangely attracted to water, any chance and she's in.

The Good Lady looked in good spirits too considering you had taken her all the way up there to stand in the rain!

[shoot and be safe]

Looks to have been a great day, and good on you for persevering with the weather and heading up to see friends anyhow regardless. Nowadays too many would look at weather and call it off. Good to see friendship and catching up put above some shooting.

 

Loving the pics, Indy looks pretty wet and happy being there - I've noticed how my labrador is strangely attracted to water, any chance and she's in.

 

The Good Lady looked in good spirits too considering you had taken her all the way up there to stand in the rain!

 

It was a great weekend, yes it was wet but I've never been one to let a little rain stop a days sport

[Old farrier]

Hi

Busy week for you mate look forward to your next couple of write ups 😋👍

 

All the best

Of

[The Good Lady]

It was a great weekend, yes it was wet but I've never been one to let a little rain stop a days sport

Fab weekend, thank you again Tam and Hopper We were made to feel very welcome by yourselves and the team. Great spirit in more ways than one

 

We did get wet, but we had a change of clothes as a backup and soon got warmed up again. I took four pairs of gloves, to keep my hands warm, so I could keep taking photos It was lovely to see Indy retrieve one of Mark's pheasants and make memories.

 

SABS is on his own for a couple of away days at the moment, but Indy and I will be joining him later in the week. I look forward to our next adventure!

[shoot and be safe]

Hi

Busy week for you mate look forward to your next couple of write ups

All the best

Of

Indeed the next write up is underway although the tinternet is a little below par at my current location

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to back woodcock

14th & 15th December

Part 1

 

I was lucky enough to receive an invite to this shoot last year, where I had the pleasure to shoot with bakerboy and the Italian boys.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day then, so when the advert appeared in the sporting opportunities paid section, I straight away sent a PM to Highbird70.

 

Today is the first day and what a day

With the meet and greet in a layby just out of the local town, I arrived with plenty of time to be greeted by Bob and one of the other guns. Soon enough the rest of the guns arrived along with the beaters and formal introductions were made. One of the beaters appeared with a tray of coffee for us all to enjoy. A nice warm refreshment on thus cold day.

 

Soon enough we were off to the first drives.

 

 

The day started slow as the guns got their woodcock eyes in, the chap to my right let one go straight over his head in front of him

It was on the second drive that I added a woodcock to the bag. A left to right 20-30 foot up and around 40+ yards out in front

 

 

There were also a couple of pheasants added to the bag of this drive aswell as some more woodcock on the other side of the wood.

 

The 3rd drive saw my first ever snipe fall from the sky as I watched it fall I couldn't believe my luck as another appeared over the hedge and in my line of site. This was my first ever chance at a left and a right and I missed

 

My view over the hedge at the snipe bog.

 

Elevenses was next and a good spread it was too. Pork pie, scotch eggs and enough booze to open a pub always nice to have a tot during elevenses

 

There was 1 more drive before lunch where a couple more birds were added to the bag, sadly none by me.

 

 

Lunch was served back at one of the beaters' pub. A nice beef casserole served with chips and veg all washed down with a glass of beer.

 

The last 3 drives were out on the snipe bogs where there was some good shooting.

It was on the second of them whilst looking for Mark's snipe on the previous, that the sky filled with snipe.

I managed to get a couple of shots off but sadly they outwitted me.

The guns over on the far side of the bog had some great shooting towards the end of the drive.

 

The final drive was a pheasant and partridge drive. The rules on this one were cock pheasant only.

 

 

As the drive got under way a couple of hen pheasants broke from the cover and you guessed it, one got shot. This now means that he is paying for the round of drinks when we go out for our evening meal shortly That will teach him

 

I will upload some pictures tomorrow when I get home.

 

Thanks for reading.

All the best

Sabs

 

Edit to add photos

Edited December 15, 2015 by shoot and be safe

[Highbird70]

Hi Mark,

It was great to have you back and your jolly good company, we all had a good couple of days, shooting wildbirds, when you shot your Snipe, I was over the moon and as usual, I was jumping up and down, like a child in a sweet shop.

The shot count, over the 2 days, was 336 shots, with a total bag of 67 birds and 1 fox.

Finally, after years of trying, I have managed to do the Welsh Macnab, extremely difficult challenge, with huge obstacles, well placed, by the estate manager...lol

Welsh Macnab= While using a 20bore, you have to shoot, on the same day, 1 snipe, 1 woodcock, 1 duck, 1 pheasant and a fox. I'm still waiting for the first bottle of Tallisker, the second one should be here for Christmas....right.

 

ATB

Mark

 

 

 

Indeed the next write up is underway although the tinternet is a little below par at my current location

Back to back woodcock

14th & 15th December

Part 1

I was lucky enough to receive an invite to this shoot last year, where I had the pleasure to shoot with bakerboy and the Italian boys.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day then, so when the advert appeared in the sporting opportunities paid section, I straight away sent a PM to Highbird70.

Today is the first day and what a day
With the meet and greet in a layby just out of the local town, I arrived with plenty of time to be greeted by Bob and one of the other guns. Soon enough the rest of the guns arrived along with the beaters and formal introductions were made. One of the beaters appeared with a tray of coffee for us all to enjoy. A nice warm refreshment on thus cold day.

Soon enough we were off to the first drives.
The day started slow as the guns got their woodcock eyes in, the chap to my right let one go straight over his head in front of him
It was on the second drive that I added a woodcock to the bag. A left to right 20-30 foot up and around 40+ yards out in front
There were also a couple of pheasants added to the bag of this drive aswell as some more woodcock on the other side of the wood.

The 3rd drive saw my first ever snipe fall from the sky as I watched it fall I couldn't believe my luck as another appeared over the hedge and in my line of site. This was my first ever chance at a left and a right and I missed

Elevenses was next and a good spread it was too. Pork pie, scotch eggs and enough booze to open a pub always nice to have a tot during elevenses

There was 1 more drive before lunch where a couple more birds were added to the bag, sadly none by me.

Lunch was served back at one of the beaters' pub. A nice beef casserole served with chips and veg all washed down with a glass of beer.

The last 3 drives were out on the snipe bogs where there was some good shooting.
It was on the second of them whilst looking for Mark's snipe on the previous, that the sky filled with snipe. I managed to get a couple of shots off but sadly they outwitted me.
The guns over on the far side of the bog had some great shooting towards the end of the drive.

The final drive was a pheasant and partridge drive. The rules on this one were cock pheasant only.
As the drive got under way a couple of hen pheasants broke from the cover and you guessed it, one got shot. This now means that he is paying for the round of drinks when we go out for our evening meal shortly That will teach him

I will upload some pictures tomorrow when I get home.

Thanks for reading.
All the best
Sabs

 

[shoot and be safe]

Thanks Mark. I really enjoyed the couple of days and have finally managed to shoot my first ever snipe It was only with your guidance that I managed to achieve it, it was very nearly a left and a right too (if only i didnt drop my gun from my shoulder and then miss the second

Well done on the "Taff-Nab"

I'll put the rest of my write up on tomorrow when I've had a chance to up load some of the pictures and my finger stops hurting

Great time in great company

[OJW]

Thanks for posting, nice to see new ground and well done on the Snipe!

 

I've wanted to shoot a woodcock all season but hadn't even seen one. Then on Monday, when I had my gun broken and was having a wee in a bush, one flew straight over my peg! Gutted! The gun on the next peg shot him. What are the chances! Literally caught with my trousers down. I thought it would be ages until anything came out the drive as I was at the far end.

 

Glad you had another good day! Cheers.

Edited December 16, 2015 by OJW

[shoot and be safe]

Woodcock and snipe.

Part two.

 

Following a steady evening on the liquid refreshment on offer in the pub to accompany our evening meal, it was back to the guesthouse for some delicate liquor from Cyprus I only managed the one shot and concentrated on the port instead

 

Anyway I awoke to the sound of my alarm,did my morning ablutions,packed the truck up and then sat down to breakfast.

 

Shortly after, we were in our vehicles and heading off to the shoot.

 

A different area today, mainly woodland in search of the ghostly woodcock.

 

The banter continued throughout the day and the second drive causing most to be directed at one of the guns, who had many great opportunities to bag his first bird for the two days. Sadly he didn't manage to connect with any and blamed his poorly finger and broken tooth for putting him off.

To be fair to him, he did catch his finger on a blackthorn or barb wire in a hedgerow the previous day and it was a little swollen during breakfast.

 

 

The second drive provided much sport with 91 cartridges being fired at various game birds.

A number of woodcock, pheasants and 2 pigeons got the bag underway for the day.

 

The third drive saw my first pheasant of the trip added to the bag, for the only shot I had fired at game so far, for the day.

The view looking into the wood from my peg.

 

Lunch was next, and we reconvened back at the same pub as yesterday. Chicken curry with rice and chips

 

After lunch was over we headed off to the "golf course" drive. During this drive I had many snap shots on both woodcock and snipe, sadly all to no avail.

 

 

Next was the "super bog" where again I was a walking gun with many many opportunities at snipe were to be had. I only shot at a couple of them as they weren't lifting soon enough to be a safe shot and in range.

Once in position at the bog side, I had a great view of the snipe, woodcock and pheasants being shot at over on the far side, the majority flying on to survive for another day.

There were a few pheasants and woodcock added to the bag, mainly by Marko, plus the fox he also shot.

 

That concluded the day's shooting and we reconvened back at the vehicles, for the final counts, which Marko has mentioned above.

Day one:

Total bag - 28

Shots fired -110

 

Day two:

Total bag - 39 + a fox

Shots fired - 227

 

It was a fantastic couple of days, shooting with great company and good to meet PW members, both old friends and new.

 

I would like to thank the shoot captain, beating team, pickers up and all involved from the shoot, for what they did for us in presenting some fantastic birds over the guns.

And of course Highbird70 (Marco) for organising the shoot and allowing me to join the team for the two days.

 

Looking forward to next year already.

 

Thanks for reading.

All the best

Sabs.

Edited December 18, 2015 by shoot and be safe

[shoot and be safe]

Thanks for posting, nice to see new ground and well done on the Snipe!

 

I've wanted to shoot a woodcock all season but hadn't even seen one. Then on Monday, when I had my gun broken and was having a wee in a bush, one flew straight over my peg! Gutted! The gun on the next peg shot him. What are the chances! Literally caught with my trousers down. I thought it would be ages until anything came out the drive as I was at the far end.

 

Glad you had another good day! Cheers.

caught with you pants down whilst in pursuit of a bird

[BRNDL]

Nice to meet you again, and thanks for driving us around the shoot, mucho appreciated. I was on the next peg to you when you managed to add your first game bird to the bag. Nice shooting.

[shoot and be safe]

Nice to meet you again, and thanks for driving us around the shoot, mucho appreciated. I was on the next peg to you when you managed to add your first game bird to the bag. Nice shooting.

Good to catch up with you again Chris and glad my driving didn't put you affect your shooting.

You missed a good day yesterday by the way, I'll get around to the write up tonight hopefully