JDog Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 My invitation to shoot in the Scottish Borders was an opportunity to take Barney out game shooting for the first time. He is eighteen months old and I felt it was the right time. Not wanting matters to be complicated by having two dogs out I chose to leave Jasper at home in front of the fire with my wife. New experiences even before we got to the first drive were meeting lots of other people and dogs and travelling in the back of a strange car with another dog. For the first two drives he stayed on a lead pegged down by my thumb stick though he was so steady the stick wasn’t really necessary. At the end of those drives he stayed put whilst other dogs picked birds around us. After the third drive when I was sure there was nothing to pick I let him off the lead and he busied himself finding the falls of pheasants already picked. On the fourth drive I was back gun. The picker up collected most of the birds but I asked him to leave a dead hen in my view. Once he had moved off I sent Barney out to find and retrieve it. He was soon onto it and he dragged it back to me by one wing. There is work to do there. Thinking that there were no more to pick I encouraged Barney to use his nose and search around which he did until he came across a cock with a broken wing but very much alive. It was bigger than him. He pounced on it and held it there until I took it from him. This was slightly more than I wanted at this stage. The last drive was in a field containing fifty very wild and vocal cows and calves. Taking a dog would have been madness so I left him in the back of another vehicle. On the long journey home today he slept all of the way. He was greeted with hugs and kisses from my wife. I wasn’t offered the same so I mucked out the car. It was ever thus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 excellent....................when my sprockers were hesitant to pick a bird up firmly..........i let them on to pricked birds.....a bit of a risk but it worked....my proudest moment was on their 2nd shoot ...was watching them come back to me over the brow of a hill with a fine cock each ...side by side...... a great day to be remembered for Barnyard rocket after all the angst with him.......................told yer so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Excellent day out for you and Barney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor91 Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Nice read JDog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Nice day out Sod’s law on the cock bird 😉 not what you needed but Barny did well he will learn how to pick them up and a first hot bird by the wing I’d take all day long 👍 better than not touching it thanks for posting all the best of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 hello, another good write up JD, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Forty five years ago I knew a chap whose Yellow Lab bitch would only ever lift birds by the wing tip. She hated them I her mouth but worked for years using wingtips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 what shoot were you on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 5 hours ago, JDog said: My invitation to shoot in the Scottish Borders was an opportunity to take Barney out game shooting for the first time. He is eighteen months old and I felt it was the right time. Not wanting matters to be complicated by having two dogs out I chose to leave Jasper at home in front of the fire with my wife. New experiences even before we got to the first drive were meeting lots of other people and dogs and travelling in the back of a strange car with another dog. For the first two drives he stayed on a lead pegged down by my thumb stick though he was so steady the stick wasn’t really necessary. At the end of those drives he stayed put whilst other dogs picked birds around us. After the third drive when I was sure there was nothing to pick I let him off the lead and he busied himself finding the falls of pheasants already picked. On the fourth drive I was back gun. The picker up collected most of the birds but I asked him to leave a dead hen in my view. Once he had moved off I sent Barney out to find and retrieve it. He was soon onto it and he dragged it back to me by one wing. There is work to do there. Thinking that there were no more to pick I encouraged Barney to use his nose and search around which he did until he came across a cock with a broken wing but very much alive. It was bigger than him. He pounced on it and held it there until I took it from him. This was slightly more than I wanted at this stage. The last drive was in a field containing fifty very wild and vocal cows and calves. Taking a dog would have been madness so I left him in the back of another vehicle. On the long journey home today he slept all of the way. He was greeted with hugs and kisses from my wife. I wasn’t offered the same so I mucked out the car. It was ever thus. Excellent report on Barney's first ( proper ) shoot , by all accounts he done well and his welcome homecoming was well deserved , I know how you feel ,as my return from a days shoot with hugs and kisses were that far back the gun licence was still 10 bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 Lovely to read! Unfortunately you’ll always find that we will greet and cuddle the dogs first (mostly because I’m annoyed if the hubby gets to go out with the dogs and I can’t) 😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgy dave Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 On 03/11/2019 at 16:38, ditchman said: excellent....................when my sprockers were hesitant to pick a bird up firmly..........i let them on to pricked birds.....a bit of a risk but it worked....my proudest moment was on their 2nd shoot ...was watching them come back to me over the brow of a hill with a fine cock each ...side by side...... a great day to be remembered for Barnyard rocket after all the angst with him.......................told yer so IF ONLY WE COULD GO BACK AND HAVE THEM TIMES AGAIN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 Congratulations Barney on a job well done. JD, I suppose you did your bit too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.