Sprinter Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) Again apologies for the late write up i was too knacked to put finger to key yesterday. Had a briefing from the keeper a couple of days before the shoot, the drives were sorted and positions of beaters and standers hashed out. I was to captain one team, reviewing the drives to be done i needed to win the toss and shoot second. I lost the toss and had to stand first, damn! I briefed my team as follows :- Remember your number, move up two on a stand. Keep the previous number on a walk. If it is in range shoot at it, no etiquette unless it is obviously flying down the barrel of your next door then shoot at it when he's had a shot. There is one picker up, make sure you know where he is (picker up told to be very obvious) shoot at everything flying and all low birds going back. No ground game. Stay safe and do not swing through the line on low birds. First drive, after a 150 yard tractor ride everyone remembered their peg numbers - a miracle hallelujah praise the lord. We lined out and the fun started. It was a howling gale and we were downwind of the cover. A covey of partridges broke out and i saluted one in front, next door saluted it twice and i connected with the second miles behind, maybe 50 -60 yards after realising i was shooting a double trigger gun today ( no matter how hard you pull the first trigger the second barrel doesn't fire!!). I then proceeded to miss the next three pheasants that came over me. They looked so big and easy, in reality they were traveling at 40-50 mph with a gale up their chuff. Our turn to beat the next drive that really should have been a banker for the standers, however the birds simply couldn't fly into the wind and curled back over the beaters. We didn't take advantage much some 6 partridge a couple of pheasants and a magpie fell to the walkers with hardly a shot fired by the standers. Our stand and we had a duck drive. Apart from 3 guns claiming to be number 4!!!!!!! we had some hellish fast targets one way and some standing still in the wind coming back. Predictably i was behind those with the wind and miles in front of those against the wind. Still a nice drive and many shots fire by my team. At this point the heavens opened properly and the worse hail storm you have ever seen passed overhead. Fortunately we were all crouched in a hovel having sausage rolls, and a wee dram at the time. During this the other team captain decided that due to the wind he wasn't going to put his guns on the pegs on their next stand but to take them all round the other side of the cover as the wind was so fierce. I rehashed my guys and stuck as many as i could spare on the pegs the other team snubbed. It half worked for the other guys in that most of the partridge went their way (but were going like scud missiles) my guys stood on the vacant pegs and mopped up all the pheasants that laboured into the wind. Our stand next, this was to be done in the opposite direction to usual. Complete lottery as to what was going to happen. 99% of the partridge came over us and 50% of the pheasant - RESULT! Walking next for a mixed duck/ pheasant drive, I was number 1 on the walking team and on stop duty. Involved legging it over a fence through a ditch and 100 yards over a field to get there before the guns arrived. Just as i was recovering from my minor coronary and gasping for breath 20 ducks came hooning over me, bang bang miss miss. Oh well at least i can die in peace now. After a bit the walkers came past me and i moved to stop behind them in the bottom of a tree lined ditch. At the end of the drive a lovely duck came over but just as i squeezed the trigger it crossed a thick branch. No dead duck for me, one oak tree in the bag Time was pressing and i elected to drop our next stand. Usually a poor drive which requires quite a lot of set-up time. So walk again we did (it was at this point i thought my team were going to lynch me ) It was a long woodland drive and a long beat. Up nearly to the top then out, round, and back down again. Guns on a ride and a couple out the side. My sneaky detector twitched and i spotted an opportunity to get a crafty stand in for a couple of my guns that had been out of the shooting a little. Stuck them down a little snick just ahead of the proper standing guns a nice little snapshot spot with instructions to give anything that came their way a helping hand over the guns The drive went well the standing team had a lot of shooting and my two sneaky beakys had a few shots as well. Lunch After lunch and our first stand in what seemed like ages. Lined my team out I was pegged 3 and nipped back up the line to check everyone happy and to give number 9 a roaming brief. When i got back to my peg I had been gazumped by the tractor driver and the game cart driver Hey-ho they deserve some stands for what they do all year and i didn't mind them one bit pinching my peg. I nipped back about 70 yards behind them and back gunned. Everyone had some shooting inc the two drivers and i clipped a nice high hen late on that dropped near the picker up. Last drive and beating. To be fair it didn't go quite right and we seemed unable to a) get the line straight and keep it that way when the left hand side needs to move much quicker than the right (marching on the spot) b ) keep the walking guns cracking on in front of the speeding outside left beaters c) a stop at a vital point had gone awol. We have only beat this drive every other week this season lol, oh well there's always next year to get it 100%. Despite all of this good birds were presented over the standing guns. Unfortunately they were a little too good on quite a few occasions. Rising out of the wood at treetop height, getting a blast of wind under them to soar them up and then curl over the poor ******* on about pegs 6 and 7. Think 35-40 yards up flying like a boomerang in a gale!! A damn good day and just scraped the 3 figures. Edited February 1, 2008 by Sprinter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarlair Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Nice report. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogh shooter Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 nice write up love to read them sounds like a great day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Great read, that wind certainly affected the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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