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Hilderstone shoot


The gouse
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 Well 10 months ago we started a new venture taking on the tenancy of game shoot.  We started out with six syndicate guns with little experience of running or managing a game shoot.  We designed a shoot around one large pen Situated in the centre of the shoot this pen is just over for acres in size. We have 8 drives on this block of the shoot which are drove back to the pen. This shoot had not bean touched for years so we had are work cut out with cutting rides through all the woods. Are birds arrived on this part of the shoot the rd week in July 8 1/2 week old poults.

then the work started on Hilderstone part of the shoot with yet again new pen cutting rides making more feeders. 

The birds arrived the first week in August on this part of the shoot. We reared are partridge from day olds we started with 500 but  released 365

Are first shoot day was the 13th Oct so three weeks before I started to get the birds into the drives. Come the shoot day I was think are my birds going be there are they going to fly have I cut flushing points in the  right place??? I was running the beaters line this was also new to me as I’ve never even beated before. We started the first drive with birds running out the side running back through the line this happened on every drive we finished with 50 in the bag but did put some good birds up. So back to the drawing board with the beating line. Shoot day 2 the 20th Oct 

we had more beaters more dogs I put stops out and ran a very tight line when pushing the woods this worked and are birds were up and flying. The bag was 81 so not to bad. 

Upto date we have had 6 shoots

1st.  50

2nd.  81

3rd.  88

4th.   76

5th.  97

the 6th shoot was yesterday still that 100 bird bag  alluded me so was it going to be the day? I was not beating and on a peg I was so please to see are birds fly with some unbelievable shots from the guns with a few myself. 

So when we had finished the allotted drives we finished with 96 so still not got 100 but the birds are in stunning condition that would test the best of shots. 

We had a  discussion and we decided we would shoot one more min drive and we drop another 8 birds we cheated I know but the bag was 102

So upto date 492 birds at 4:3 shot ratio

i think we are in danger of making a very good shoot with thanks to a lot of people from PW 

But I’ve still a lot to learn I cannot work them partridge out one day they are there the next there gone??

kind regards 

steve,

 

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I was dubious when I read last year that you were going to take on a game shoot with little experience but you seem to be making a decent fist of it.

Unless you have totally suitable ground for partridges you should consider forgetting about them and having a few extra pheasants if the place will allow that.

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Do your beaters make a lot of noise? This can cause the bird's to run ahead and then out of the sides Tapping it out quietly and steady is always better. Look at the shot count on each day that will give you an indication of how many birds have gone over the guns 

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4 hours ago, JDog said:

I was dubious when I read last year that you were going to take on a game shoot with little experience but you seem to be making a decent fist of it.

Unless you have totally suitable ground for partridges you should consider forgetting about them and having a few extra pheasants if the place will allow that.

It’s a lot of hard work mate and we have only utilised half the shoot this year as we just couldn’t get all done. We have two pens to put up for next season and more woods to sort. With the partridge I’ve a plan for next year we have over 2000 acres so 365 take some finding. Will be more cover crops and all my partridge will be reared in them.

 

4 hours ago, B725 said:

Do your beaters make a lot of noise? This can cause the bird's to run ahead and then out of the sides Tapping it out quietly and steady is always better. Look at the shot count on each day that will give you an indication of how many birds have gone over the guns 

100% mate as the birds get more smarter there just up and gone with making a lot of noise we just try and walk them in to where we need them to push over the guns. 

The problem is are woods are big we push one wood in one drive and it’s 27 acres we need a lot of beaters to do this. 

4 hours ago, alastair0903 said:

Sounds like a great shoot, must be pushing 80% returns already

 Mate if we shoot 150 bird days till the end of the season we wouldn’t get 80%

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We were forced to shoot early due to work commitments and other constraints and the birds did just as yours did. It has slowly improved and as you state, we are now getting into the best bit with fit birds flying strongly. I find that when running a day invariably everyone enjoys the day but me, I am always worrying. The days when you pull it off are great and make all the effort worthwhile.

Always something new to learn and different ways of doing it, well done keep it up.

 

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On ‎25‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 09:17, The gouse said:

We had a  discussion and we decided we would shoot one more min drive and we drop another 8 birds we cheated I know but the bag was 102

I wondered if you were going to own up to the extra drive 😄

And don't forget the hospitality, we get spoiled rotten every week by Steve's daughter and wife keeping us all fed and watered throughout the day, that rice pudding was great 😋 

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  • 1 month later...

We had our beaters day on Thursday, and a strange day it was. Midges in December? 

we started off well with 18 birds off the first drive, and went down hill from there 😅😅 thankfully the shot count wasn't done as I'm sure we all missed way more than we should have, me especially.

A great day was had, with everyone enjoying themselves.

Back to how things should be on the 5th, I'll have a stick not a gun 😄 

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17 hours ago, Mice! said:

We had our beaters day on Thursday, and a strange day it was. Midges in December? 

we started off well with 18 birds off the first drive, and went down hill from there 😅😅 thankfully the shot count wasn't done as I'm sure we all missed way more than we should have, me especially.

A great day was had, with everyone enjoying themselves.

Back to how things should be on the 5th, I'll have a stick not a gun 😄 

Sounds like a great day was had, great usual humor and banter and yes I agree, great hospitality from Steve wife and daughter, them sausage rolls are to die for.

It was a shame I could not make it.

Hopefully get over in the new year.

atb

7diaw

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1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, a shoot i know put out a lot of partridge last year but shot very few, they think it is down to the buzzard and red kite that we have many in the VOWH 

We do have lots of buzzards and I would say that’s a lot to do with it. But are cover crops are not good enough this year so we struggle to hold them in an area to drive them from. We still have a lot on the shoot but they cannot be found on shoot day. Will be different next year I will not let them crafty little beggars beat me. 

 

24 minutes ago, 7daysinaweek said:

Sounds like a great day was had, great usual humor and banter and yes I agree, great hospitality from Steve wife and daughter, them sausage rolls are to die for.

It was a shame I could not make it.

Hopefully get over in the new year.

atb

7diaw

Was a good day mate just needed a few more beaters. 

 

18 hours ago, Mice! said:

We had our beaters day on Thursday, and a strange day it was. Midges in December? 

we started off well with 18 birds off the first drive, and went down hill from there 😅😅 thankfully the shot count wasn't done as I'm sure we all missed way more than we should have, me especially.

A great day was had, with everyone enjoying themselves.

Back to how things should be on the 5th, I'll have a stick not a gun 😄 

Was a great day we just need more beaters to get the birds over you guns. 

I will take you pigeon shooting mate in the close season so you can get with shooting a shot gun again. When you haven’t shot a shot gun for years it’s not easy. 

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On 30/12/2018 at 17:30, Stephen-H said:

We knocked some brillant drives through on the 22nd you weren't far off from your 100 mark! Will have to pm me your shooting dates for the next season nearer the time would like to come back again brillant drives , banter & hospitality

Will do mate when we have them good to have you on are shoot your welcome back when ever your available. And thank you for your beating expertise mate.

Steve, 

 

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Well on are shoot on the 22nd we had a cracking day this was are  Xmas shoot.

this day was made more special has we had 5 guns on the pegs that were under the age of 21 the Young’s being just eight shooting a single barrel 410 with is dad he managed a hen bird on the first drive.

We also had a 14 year old half gunning with is dad and a 15 year old girl half gun with her mum.  Rumour as it she out shot Westley on the next peg? we also had my son at 16 and another girl at 21

The beaters where unbelievable again making the day what it was putting them birds over the guns. We also have 4 beaters under the age of 20 so all good to see  

the bag was 86

Next up was beaters day on the 27th this day we let them down really with not a enough beaters with just 6 syndicate guns and with Xmas man flu 🤧 

We did manage to put birds over them but they just didn’t point the gun in the right place. Bag 38 but we didn’t take a shot count but there was a lot. I think they all had good thought.

On to yesterday’s shoot another good day was had this day I was on a peg with Lincoln he’s just 11 and he missed beaters day as is dad had to Work so he shot the peg with me he end with 3 birds but 1 he hit would have any gun thinking what a shot.

This day after 3 drives was looking like a record bag with 47 in the bag but not to be we pegged  a new drive the wrong way with the guns the wrong side of the wood with the birds going in the opposite direction. But watch this space on this one there must have been 30 plus woodcock come out just guns in wrong place.

After 4 drives the bag count was 54 so we moved to Hilderstone shoot bad move the birds where just not in the drives we should have stayed at hose wood as when we drove out down the drive the elusive partridge where in the next drive planed to do bad move on are behave.

we finished with 64  

 

 

 

 

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Lovely write up! Is that you finished for the season now Steve? We've are beaters day on Saturday the 12th then a final day for the guns on the 19th but the birds are thin on the ground now we did five drives last Saturday and the guns managed 12 pheasants there were some misses but to be fair to the guns there weren't a lot of birds in drives that normally hold them well.

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  • 3 months later...

Evening all, 

Thought I would just put up a quick update on the shoot. We have secured all the land again for the coming season as well as a new wood block and the go ahead to put a lot more cover crops in to get the best out of the landscape. We have two new pens being built in the next month or so as well as updating the water system so we can put drinkers into the cover crops. We are going to do the same as last year and sell pegs on the majority of the shoot days which are all going to be on Saturdays. These will be 100 bird days and will be sold for £350 per gun including all hospitality. If anyone is interested in taking a peg please PM either myself or Steve (The Gouse). We will hopefully see some old and new faces this coming season and more importantly have some good days in the field. 

 

Regards

Al

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