Favourite quarry

[WalkedUp]

Just as a opportunity for discussion and debate, of what you have shot what’s every one's favourite sporting quarry? Mine are:

1. Pink footed geese (called in) 

2. Canada Geese

3. Woodpigeon 

4. Greylag geese

5. Fox

6: Teal

7. Woodcock

8. Hare

9. Pheasant

10. Partridge

11. Widgeon

12. Mallard

13. Squirrel

14. Jay

15. Magpie

16. Rabbit 

17. Carrion crow

18. Snipe

19. Jackdaw

20. Collared Dove

21. Rat 

[washerboy]

To shoot rabbits

To hunt with a dog was always rats with terriers, fox and loved hare coursing. Never had a, real good hare dog. 

[Ultrastu]

think my faves are ,in this order .

Pigeon .

Squirrel 

Rabbit 

Rat  

 

[strimmer_13]

Rat

[Scully]

Oooh, think mine would have to be woodpigeon. I think it’s just the entire day really which appeals. I think there’s nothing more relaxing than chilling out in a hide just popping away at pigeons. 
Closely followed would be a day out with friends on the pheasants and or partridge, either driven or an informal rough shoot. 
I also really enjoy a bolting bunnie day too, preferably from ferrets; I’m a bit too intolerant nowadays of the dust involved walking alongside the combine, but still do it when asked. 
I no longer have a Border Terrier, but enjoyed the days out when farmers would ask me to bring my terrier round as they cleared out last seasons bales. Her eyes never shone as brightly as they did when she was killing stuff! 🙂I miss that little dog. 

Edited September 18, 2020 by Scully

[Nuke]

Driven game, with dogs, red deer - moose - wild boar. You never know what will end up in your part of the hunting grounds, when the dog is getting closer and you hear something moving through the woods it gets really exiting.

Stalking roe

Duck

/Markus

[Konor]

Cock Wigeon whistling in at last light ,woodcock springing from gorse ,wood pigeon coming in to roost are my equal seconds for shooting. The sight and sound of pink foot geese flighting off the estuary in the morning and presenting a shot is my first.

[Shearwater]

Rough shooting through the day and end at the woods for pigeons

[telf]

Rabbit.    -    ( rifle ) 

squirrel.  -   ( shotgun )

[Mickeydredd]

mountain hare with a goshawk.

[Konor]

2 minutes ago, Mickeydredd said:

mountain hare with a goshawk.

Potential first prize for originality 

[Smokersmith]

A tricky one !!

So many choices, and so many unique things to love.

I love crouching in the tide, seeing distant shapes emerge as pintail then picking the drakes out as they speed by ... the prize of a Drake in full plumage always tinged with the sad knowledge that it looked better alive.

I love game shooting .. a hen pheasant in the fens rocketing into the sky and catching the wind will take some of the most forward allowance (and sideways sometimes!) I've ever given anything to get it in the pattern. I've also had some very good high bird days in the Valleys of Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire ... but although the set wings of those present challenges, they don't make the heart race like the ones in the fens where you need to take 5 quick steps to the left then stand on tiptoes !!

There there are the pinks .. obvisouly some magic there, but in recent years if you put the miles in then they've not been difficult to get under, and I've taken to using older fowling pieces to make the experience a bit more special.

I've been fortunate enough to shoot driven grouse ... always a priveledge to be there, and I've seen some that are to be frank quite easy, and others in a wind that I would class as the harderst quarry by far.

For sheer excitement .. standing round a field of beans being combined waiting for Charlie to come out has probably registered some of my highest heartrate.

A new thrill has been seeing upstream Brown Trout turn and rise to a dry fly .. I even get a lot of pleasure from a great cast and presentation.

Then there are the more simple pleasures of seeing a crow fold up, and last but not least the sheer variety that a good day's pigeon shooting provides .. sitting in a hide, grinning like an idiot!

So ... I'm going to keep doing as much as I can of everything, whilst knowing I also want to stay employed, and married!!

[Scully]

9 minutes ago, Smokersmith said:

A tricky one !!

So many choices, and so many unique things to love.

I love crouching in the tide, seeing distant shapes emerge as pintail then picking the drakes out as they speed by ... the prize of a Drake in full plumage always tinged with the sad knowledge that it looked better alive.

I love game shooting .. a hen pheasant in the fens rocketing into the sky and catching the wind will take some of the most forward allowance (and sideways sometimes!) I've ever given anything to get it in the pattern. I've also had some very good high bird days in the Valleys of Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire ... but although the set wings of those present challenges, they don't make the heart race like the ones in the fens where you need to take 5 quick steps to the left then stand on tiptoes !!

There there are the pinks .. obvisouly some magic there, but in recent years if you put the miles in then they've not been difficult to get under, and I've taken to using older fowling pieces to make the experience a bit more special.

I've been fortunate enough to shoot driven grouse ... always a priveledge to be there, and I've seen some that are to be frank quite easy, and others in a wind that I would class as the harderst quarry by far.

For sheer excitement .. standing round a field of beans being combined waiting for Charlie to come out has probably registered some of my highest heartrate.

A new thrill has been seeing upstream Brown Trout turn and rise to a dry fly .. I even get a lot of pleasure from a great cast and presentation.

Then there are the more simple pleasures of seeing a crow fold up, and last but not least the sheer variety that a good day's pigeon shooting provides .. sitting in a hide, grinning like an idiot!

So ... I'm going to keep doing as much as I can of everything, whilst knowing I also want to stay employed, and married!!

Good post. 👍

[London Best]

23 minutes ago, Scully said:

Good post. 👍

I’ll second that, a very good post.

[greylag]

Wildfowling ,all the species on the list.Just the thrill of seeing a bunch of teal heading your way and trying to be invisible to them,or the call of geese in the half light hopefully heading to you.Just the magic of it all.

[Jacko3275]

Fairly new to shooting so my list won’t be that long

1. Magpie (just Because of my hate for them)

Joint No1 is pigeon the most amazing sport it can jink and dive turn on a penny and be off

3. Pheasant 

4. Squirrels 

5. Rats

[Mickeydredd]

4 hours ago, Konor said:

Potential first prize for originality 

I appreciate the topic is in General Shooting matters section, so I may be somewhat off piste, but my sport was falconry for many years before I got into stalking and then shooting various birds with a shotgun.

Mountain hare are not necessarily the most difficult quarry with a goshawk but everything about a day on the moor in pursuit of them with my female goshawk just seemed to emphasise/reinforce the enjoyment to be had from falconry in the homeland.

Seeing my goshawk do her thing against a beautiful creature such as the mountain hare, on a heather moorland, hopefully with a clear blue sky on a crisp winter's day with the knowledge that we would share the spoils for supper that evening, is just something I have found difficult to better in terms of a sporting day out.

[washerboy]

4 hours ago, Mickeydredd said:

mountain hare with a goshawk.

I bet that's brilliant to watch 

4 minutes ago, Mickeydredd said:

I appreciate the topic is in General Shooting matters section, so I may be somewhat off piste, but my sport was falconry for many years before I got into stalking and then shooting various birds with a shotgun.

Mountain hare are not necessarily the most difficult quarry with a goshawk but everything about a day on the moor in pursuit of them with my female goshawk just seemed to emphasise/reinforce the enjoyment to be had from falconry in the homeland.

Seeing my goshawk do her thing against a beautiful creature such as the mountain hare, on a heather moorland, hopefully with a clear blue sky on a crisp winter's day with the knowledge that we would share the spoils for supper that evening, is just something I have found difficult to better in terms of a sporting day out.

I've watched deerhounds course mountain hares, the landscape is just wonderful. I couldn't believe you could run a dog over it nevermind expecting to catch anything. I bet all those hares are shot instead of saved like we did on the fens and big fields in Yorkshire for our coursing clubs 

[London Best]

26 minutes ago, washerboy said:

I bet that's brilliant to watch 

I've watched deerhounds course mountain hares, the landscape is just wonderful. I couldn't believe you could run a dog over it nevermind expecting to catch anything. I bet all those hares are shot instead of saved like we did on the fens and big fields in Yorkshire for our coursing clubs 

I went to two or three meetings of the North Lincs Coursing Club. It truly was fascinating to watch. A great day out.

[Mickeydredd]

30 minutes ago, washerboy said:

I bet that's brilliant to watch 

I've watched deerhounds course mountain hares, the landscape is just wonderful. I couldn't believe you could run a dog over it nevermind expecting to catch anything. I bet all those hares are shot instead of saved like we did on the fens and big fields in Yorkshire for our coursing clubs 

Ive watched a big decent lurcher run them and it made it look quite easy to be fair, but she was good at her work.

The estates mainly shoot mountain hares to try to control the tick burden/loupin ill, very few try to eradicate the numbers.  A hard winter will kill more generally.

[washerboy]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

I went to two or three meetings of the North Lincs Coursing Club. It truly was fascinating to watch. A great day out.

Yes great days indeed. Met up with friends you no longer see as they like me had to give it all up. From October until February I had at least one day a week at a meeting somewhere. 

[Walker570]

Long time ago now, but walking the steep sides of Welsh Hills with a couple of viszlas shooting woodcock over a point. Doesn't get much more exciting in my view.

BUT   whacking a tree rat has to come close

[mossy835]

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[Clodhopper]

Flight lining pigeons in a howling winters gale gets the adrenaline running for me. And has to be my number 1.
 

Any type of shooting that involves being out “ hidden amongst nature” has a different but equally special lure. For example awaiting for a Fox to appear in the last trickle of light or trying to pick out Duck against a dark sky at dawn or dusk. 
 

Driven shooting, for me, is much more about the Craic with mates than the shooting. If I have much shooting or not matters little if I am with good friends with good banter.

 

 

 

[washerboy]

Stalking rabbits with a spring powered air rifle takes some beating.