OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Hi guys, hope you enjoy this short video. As always it was an interesting start to the day, this time I wasn't assaulted by my alarm as some how the night before I set it for 18:00 rather than 6:00am. Luckily TGL had set hers as she was giving me a lift to the shoot captain's house. I arrived and was greeted with a bacon bap. I made the mistake of a accepting a (very small) wee dram of whisky in my coffee and had to hide my winces from the other guns for the good hour it took me to finish it! Fortunately the gun who I was sharing a ride with is a brewer and was good enough only to insist on one minutes warning if I felt the "coffee" might repeat on me en route to the shoot. After over an hours drive we took a left down a small lane that led up a steep hill, at the top was the picturesque shoot lodge that would be our home for the rest of the day. We were warmly welcomed by the jovial keeper and served tea and coffee. Drive 1 This was a great drive with the guns lined up along a valley with woodland behind and a steep slope in front. The birds were driven from the top of the bank in front and raced down the valley above the guns. The pheasants burst over the tops of the trees to my right and I found some excellent sport above the peg of my neighbouring gun. Drive 2 This drive tested me with pheasants and partridges flying low and fast, it was very difficult to pick a bird and I was forced to make some snap decisions. We had just had a very heavy shower and the birds didn’t want to get up high. Despite this I found them to be very sporting, with the wind blowing strongly and particularly as I had tight chokes in. The sun was shining brightly and meant picking off pheasants out to my left was difficult but I did finally connect. I had some bad misses on this drive but really enjoyed it. Drive 3 I shot a right and left on a pair of partridge right at the start of the drive, TGL’s father complemented the shots and so did the keeper which made my day. The only downside, I hadn’t turned my camera on yet! The emphasis on this drive was certainly quality over quantity with some really good birds being presented above the guns stood on the valley floor. I was back gunning on the bottom of the slope behind. Drive 4 This was a small drive with the birds being pushed out of a copse in front. It was lovely scenery however the majority of the birds flew further down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 A good video and good shooting. The birds on drive two were not very good. Were they filling them into another drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) A good video and good shooting. The birds on drive two were not very good. Were they filling them into another drive? Thank you, every day is a learning curve and I'm trying to really think about what I'm doing. As always, at some point I realise I don't have enough carts in my pocket and have to bend down to pick up some more! The birds weren't being filled into another drive and the keeper was very apologetic about it, some of the guns had shot it before and said last time the birds shot up and were really high. I think it was because we had just had some very heavy rainfall and then the sun started beating down hard, which put them off. They just didn't want to get up. I tried to make my own sport non the less and did feel challenged, you probably heard me getting frustrated . Hardly any birds were shot on that drive by the team as a whole. Edited November 22, 2015 by OJW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Nice write up a video to match Some nice high birds in that mix aswell as some hedge hoppers. Well done with the left and right on the partridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudwalker Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Good video and shooting, Nice to see you bring selective and picking your shots, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Nice write up a video to match Some nice high birds in that mix aswell as some hedge hoppers. Well done with the left and right on the partridge Thanks SABS, haha just a shame I didn't get the on film. They made my day! Good video and shooting, Nice to see you bring selective and picking your shots, Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wilksy Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Great to watch! Just makes me want to go shooting! Thanks for posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Looked to be some mans birds on that third drive for sure. It would have been easy to fill a wheel barrow on drive 2, pleased to see you being selective. I hate drives like that on a bought day, bag fillers., get a couple of half handy novices in the wrong place and they can shoot so many as to spoil the day for the rest of the guns. Been on one drive in that area myself as part of a good team, 2000 + birds over my head and not one high enough to be shoot able, then they did a reverse drive !!, luckily I was on the end of the line that drive. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Great write up, video and shooting. There were some great birds to set your heart racing. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Great to watch! Just makes me want to go shooting! Thanks for posting Glad you enjoyed it, be great if my videos got people into shooting or encouraged people to get out and about as much as possible Looked to be some mans birds on that third drive for sure. It would have been easy to fill a wheel barrow on drive 2, pleased to see you being selective. I hate drives like that on a bought day, bag fillers., get a couple of half handy novices in the wrong place and they can shoot so many as to spoil the day for the rest of the guns. Been on one drive in that area myself as part of a good team, 2000 + birds over my head and not one high enough to be shoot able, then they did a reverse drive !!, luckily I was on the end of the line that drive. A Cheers, I know what you mean. To be fair to the keeper it wasn't his fault, they just wouldn't get up. The team were experienced and we only took about 10birds off that drive, it could well have been a nightmare with guns you didn't know/ trust blasting away. I tried my best to pick the sporting birds and tried to find them above my neighbours pegs to get some distance on them. Great write up, video and shooting. There were some great birds to set your heart racing. Thanks for posting. Thanks Al, I look forward to your next video as well and, as always, enjoyed the one you just put up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshAndy Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Good shooting, always enjoy watching your vids with my lad. Did you kneel for some of the shots on the 2nd drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Good shooting, always enjoy watching your vids with my lad. Did you kneel for some of the shots on the 2nd drive? Haha, perhaps I should have done. I did kneel down once, but that was to get cartridges out my bag as I didn't have enough in my pocket, a bad habit Jdog spotted on my very first video and one I am yet to overcome. It's a difficult dilemma when faced with birds like those, but there were enough factors in play to make some a challenge and as such I deemed the ones I shot/ shot at, to be sporting despite their height. As I said the the write up, I had to make snap decisions but did my best to be selective not only on that drive but throughout the day. I'm next out on the 28th so hopefully will have another video for you and your lad to watch not so long after that. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredwalton Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Nice video that. What was the totally bag? And out agin you are a lucky one!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Nice video that. What was the totally bag? And out agin you are a lucky one!!!! I am very lucky, I appreciate everyday I have out in the field and make sacrifices elsewhere to fund my passion for it. I'm also lucky enough to be invited on quite a few. I actually said to one of the guns when we were sat in the shoot lodge at the end of a cracking day that I felt more happy and relaxed than I would if I'd spent a whole week on holiday and I'd rather spend the same money shooting to be honest. Total bag was just over 110, I'm not entirely sure what the exact split between quarry was but it was made up of pheasant and partridge. Glad you enjoyed. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredwalton Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 I am very lucky, I appreciate everyday I have out in the field and make sacrifices elsewhere to fund my passion for it. I'm also lucky enough to be invited on quite a few. I actually said to one of the guns when we were sat in the shoot lodge at the end of a cracking day that I felt more happy and relaxed than I would if I'd spent a whole week on holiday and I'd rather spend the same money shooting to be honest. Total bag was just over 110, I'm not entirely sure what the exact split between quarry was but it was made up of pheasant and partridge. Glad you enjoyed. Thanks I would rather spend money on shooting on shooting but the wife doesn't agree. I love wish I could afford more days but totally agree with the relaxing part I feel that whilst pigeon shooting I just love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Good video once again. You got a cracking double on drive 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJW Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Good video once again. You got a cracking double on drive 1. Thanks Ollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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