Penultimate day

[Ferret664]

Right today was my penultimate day on the pheasants a walk one , stand one day . With the  walking team being able to shoot any cock birds coming back on the shoot my dad is keeper . I was team captain for one team and my dad the team captain for the other. It was a hard frost with some snow on ground bright sun and dead still not the best weather for getting round wily old cock birds but with high hopes we set off .

Once we had picked teams it was off to the first drive which was a wood with a cover crop down it's side joining to another wood . My team would walk the first wood and cover into the other wood then stand as the other wood was brought down . This drive was pretty quiet but around 8 birds were flushed and 4 added to the bag 2 from each team so a nice start . I didn't fire a shot this drive.

  Next we were walking and pushed a section of our big wood round hoping to flush them to the standing team . This is normally a great drive but was very quiet today with only 4 birds being flushed but a member of my walking team shot a beauty crossing over the wood a good 40 yards infront of him that was going to squeeze out the side.  Was a great shot to witness and well done that man .

It Was then our turn to stand again but this next drive a small wood drew a blank for the first time ever with a couple  birds running out where we normally have a stop .

It Was then to the other side of the farm to push a small spinney which always holds birds and today was no different with the standing team getting a good bit of shooting and adding a few and my sister taking a cock bird coming back and a couple others on my team being unsuccessful on 2 cock birds curling back . I still hadn't raised my gun at this point but was glad everyone on my team had at least had a few shots

. Then it was time for what should be the best and most varied drive of the day a small wood with a load of marshy flood ground beside it's  known to hold a lot of snipe and teal . Well this time I was standing at the front of the wood acting almost as a stop as well . as a ditch runs straight out . Well once this drive started it didn't dissapoint with teal and snipe flushing in huge numbers .  The guns to my left were having plenty of shooting at teal , snipe,  woodcock and some pheasants.  I had my first opportunity of the day as a group of 4 teal crossed to my right simple shots really and I fluffed it !!! I was amazed I had missed such a easy bird . Reloading and feeling a bit annoyed to have wasted my first attempted of the day I looked up to see a towering teal well above me and I just swung through and shot and dropped it must have been the highest teal I have ever shot !! Was chuffed.  Then a Jay came down my hedge and I added that to the bag . The drive finished and everyone, front and  walking guns had had a hell of a drive with 5 teal,  2 snipe ,  3 pheasant and a woodcock shot by my sister which was her first one so chuffed to bits . 

Then was our last time to walk a wood that has a small river along the side of it.  Our team lined up and pushed through slowly . This drive produced several good pheasant with the front team adding a couple and my team getting a few shots off and bagging one . I myslef didn't fire a shot but with my teal on the drive before I didn't care if I fired another shot today. 

Lastly we stood while the walking team pushed a t shaped spinney and cover crops down to my team unfortunately most of the birds kept low and were left but as the drive got near the end some started to gain good height and provide testing shots for my team who were facing a very bright sun . I had one shot here taking a cock pheasant coming from my left crossing me . There was a last splattering of shots and a couple more birds added and the day of over.  We ended with 34 head . I had 1 teal , 1 pheasant and a Jay for 5 shots . We then headed back to the yard for a little bbq

. Another lovely day over and one more to go tomorrow I shall report how that goes .

All the best

Ferret

[prem1234]

A nice write up....thank you for sharing 👍.....I've got a walk up day tomorrow so hoping for good things in the cold 😄

 

[Rossco89]

Final day for me today, handful of us out with work commitments so plenty walking done. A cold night and hard frost this morning had pushed the birds into heavy cover it seems. 

Nothing dropped for me today but was great to be out and the dogs put in a good shift rising birds for others to get a shot at. Pleasingly one dog pulled of a 200 yard retrieve for a gun with no dog. The same dog that last month wouldn’t lift a freshly shot bird! Big grin for me. 

No woodcock seen, surprisingly a few snipe risen but not shot at. 

Ground still holding plenty birds despite struggling to find them some days this season so will hopefully hang around for next season and possibly rear a few young while their at it.

Hope you all had an enjoyable final day and hopefully next season I can get a few more reports posted.