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Send the dog


adzyvilla
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Now the pheasants are safe, permission to get out after the estates innumerable pigeons has been granted. With vast acres of rape and winter wheat to shoot over, the birds have been flocking in larger and larger numbers in the last few weeks, and so to a shelter belt between two 100 acre rape fields, with father at one end and me at the other.

My usual haunt down by the river had been treated to a visit from the wood processor in the autumn last year and is now an unusable new plantation, so after 12 years of fast and furious action down in 'the swamp' behind me, I bid farewell on a little detour before setting up in the shadow of the poplars on the windward side of what is known unimaginatively as hundred acre west.

With a strong south westerly gusting up to 40mph, last weeks reconoiter by the old man indicated a strong presence of between 2 and 3 hundred in the immediate area, flitting between the warm Great wood to the north and the feeding areas all over the field. Hopefully then, a fruitful afternoon was in the offing. A frantic start saw me let off 9 shots from my trusty armsan without reward, while dad was busy at the other end. A bit ring rusty perhaps, with my opportunities to shoot over the last year few and far between (although I didn't disgrace myself on beaters day earlier in the week).

I broke my duck as the cartridge count reached double figures, a bit of luck seeing my wild swing through snap shot knocking down a woodie that passed high to my left. Ones and twos followed with more misses than hits, but the flow of birds was steady and I soon reached 10 down for around 40 shots. My last shot resulted in a winged bird setting its wings and being carried down to the hedge at the bottom of the field. A long blind retrieve for the dog, who was gone for several minutes before returning with her prize and hearty congratulations from me. With the light beginning to fade and father appearing from the gloom with what appeared to be a full game bag, it was time to pack it in. Back at the car, we pooled our haul and counted up 17 total, so not a bad afternoons work. 

Weather permitting, we will try again next Saturday and I might even find some time to dust off the decoys if work is kind.

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6 minutes ago, marsh man said:

A great report on your first days roost shooting now the game season is over, and how nice it must have been for you and your dad spending the afternoon shooting together , well done to both of you .

 

Yes, it was nice to be out. At 75 I'm never sure if he won't pack it in at the end of each game season, but he keeps on surprising me.

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1 hour ago, adzyvilla said:

Yes, it was nice to be out. At 75 I'm never sure if he won't pack it in at the end of each game season, but he keeps on surprising me.

I am only one year behind your dad and like your father we keep giving it ( at least ) one more season , just finished a full season with all the game shoots and done a lot of wild fowling , looking forward to it all is what keep us going , so hope your dad will be raring to go when the 2022 season  roll around , I am sure he will be :good:

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24 minutes ago, marsh man said:

I am only one year behind your dad and like your father we keep giving it ( at least ) one more season , just finished a full season with all the game shoots and done a lot of wild fowling , looking forward to it all is what keep us going , so hope your dad will be raring to go when the 2022 season  roll around , I am sure he will be :good:

Well he is renewing his license later this year, and being a skinflint he'll want to get his moneys worth...

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1 minute ago, adzyvilla said:

Well he is renewing his license later this year, and being a skinflint he'll want to get his moneys worth...

And can you blame him with all the increases going on all around us , trouble is , we need to stay alive because if you don't use it all up , you don't get any money back for unused time :lol:

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