Game Shooting - Documentory

[BroadAmbition]

Correct, mainly play training, I'm at present concentrating on walking to heal whilst on a lead, which is terrible, she fairs better walking to heal off the lead

Griff

[ChrisB]

13 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Well that was disappointing as the new gun did not shoot as well as my present one, I was down on my average on all disciplines, hugely so on the Olympic ball trap and double rise,  so I won't be investing in it which will save a princely sum

On the upside over the Christmas break I will be taking the full arsenal of my present shotguns down to my mates farm,  ranging and patterning the lot.

Then I have to decide if they need further work on the stocks and the like.  Time will tell. funds will dictate

Griff

Without doubt Browning produce a fine gun. However being small I found their design too "chunky" for my 5ft 8ins, short arms and small hands. Beretta work far better for me in 12 bore, however my 20 bore is a top of the range Lincoln because at the time of purchase Beretta's 20s utilised the 12 action where as Lincoln made a proper scaled down action on their 20 and 28s, using the full size on 12 and 16 only.

[BroadAmbition]

Christmas jumpers n hats to the fore this morning.  Bonus - It's not raining either

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

A game shoot at last 

Me - no dog as Purdey not old enough yet

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

A great day out with the lads.  Somewhat unusual as due to social distancing etc we could not have our pre-shoot breakfast, nor our normal together lunch or after shoot dinner.  Plus did only five drives with half our usual number of beaters.  The bag was just over 30 odd,  I managed seven in total, five on one drive, just call me Wyatt Earp  My new Chameau wellies preformed very well and toes were toasty all day unlike my hands until I fired up the hand warmers

Griff

[Wussername]

9 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

A great day out with the lads.  Somewhat unusual as due to social distancing etc we could not have our pre-shoot breakfast, nor our normal together lunch or after shoot dinner.  Plus did only five drives with half our usual number of beaters.  The bag was just over 30 odd,  I managed seven in total, five on one drive, just call me Wyatt Earp  My new Chameau wellies preformed very well and toes were toasty all day unlike my hands until I fired up the hand warmers

Griff

Pleased that you enjoyed your day. The breakfast,  the lunch,  the after dinner shoot is an integral part of the day. With country folk. Every day is very special. Hopefully you will be able to revisit this  particular day at a future shoot amongst friends.

[ChrisB]

Tier 4, our shoot tomorrow, which was cancelled due to November lockdown is Off! I have written off this season.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

You shooting guys and gals, I would luv to hear what`s the most unusual gun dog you have seen or heard about? 

[MauriceMynah]

The very best gundog you can get is a Dachshund. Not particularly good at retrieving, but great for cleaning out the barrels. 

[BroadAmbition]

Unusual dogs on a shoot - Personally not seen or heard of any, probably as it's so steeped in history / tradition that us country folk have worked it out ages ago what dogs work on a shoot and what doesn't.

I did here an amusing tale today from one of our 'Pickers' about a shoot that he was working on, father and son that owned the shoot had a disagreement on which drive they should shoot next, which ended up with the guns on one drive and the beaters on another one.  Apparently this didn't work too well in practise, the disagreement then ended up in a full scale row - I bet it did too

Griff 

[Vaughan]

8 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Unusual dogs on a shoot - Personally not seen or heard of any,

Here's one!

A pedigree miniature poodle, always known as "Sweet Pea".  Photo taken on Thorpe Island in about 1960.

My mother used to shoot in those days, with a Jeffery 20 bore and the poodle was trained to a gun along with my father's Labradors.  They say poodles are hunting dogs, and it's true!  Only trouble was, on a wet winter day she would end up covered in mud and when she came running out of a field of beet she looked a lot like a hare, and nearly got shot once.  In fact a hare was the only thing she couldn't retrieve - they were bigger than she was!

Some members may remember Geoff Pleasants, who had the Ranworth Maltsters for many years in the 50s and 60s.  He often used to shoot with my parents and one day on a "rough" shoot at Hautbois, near Coltishall, he got a "right and left" at woodcock.  This is very rare and by tradition, you can write, with witnesses, to the Sandringham estate and the Queen will send you a bottle of whisky.

My parents were the witnesses, Geoff got his whisky and the birds were retrieved by Sweet Pea!

Some of those who live on the Island today, know where her grave can still be found, in the garden.

[BroadAmbition]

Nice story. 
 

By mutual agreement we don’t shoot Woodcock, we saw two yesterday 

Griff

[ChrisB]

44 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

Nice story. 
 

By mutual agreement we don’t shoot Woodcock, we saw two yesterday 

Griff

We also don't touch Woodcock. There are alot about this year. I have not shot Woodcock since finding 14 dead and washed up on Happisburgh beach a few years ago. Their migration to these shore must have gone horribly wrong.

The Shooting Times Woodcock Club have an annual dinner for those who have achieved the mystical L&R. Not sure if Bols still give away a silver woodcock lapel pin and tie plus a few  bottles.

[BroadAmbition]

That's a proper rare club, respect to those that have attained membership.  Not a club I'll ever be joining though.  I'm cock a hoop if I get a Left n Right of pheasants let alone partridge - Woodcock - Never happen as I won't shoot owt unless its going into the food chain - Vermin / foxes excepted.

Yesterday I had a proper difficult  'Reaction Shot' at a partridge, only time for first barrel, a clean kill I was well chuffed especially as our syndicate photographer saw it happen, not so chuffed when he said 'That was lucky' 

Griff

[OldBerkshireBoy]

11 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Unusual dogs on a shoot - Personally not seen or heard of any, probably as it's so steeped in history / tradition that us country folk have worked it out ages ago what dogs work on a shoot and what doesn't.

Appreciate the history and tradition within country folk Griff however I wondered if there were tales of unusual dogs being trained to doing it so threw the Q out there.

[Vaughan]

58 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

Woodcock - Never happen as I won't shoot owt unless its going into the food chain -

In the days I am talking about, Woodcock - and Snipe - were game, and a great delicacy when they were on the menu in a restaurant.  Rather like quail.

Actually, that poodle had a pedigree name about three feet long and mother once put her in the dog show class at the Norfolk Show.  The judge said afterwards that she would have won, if she had been in the correct "clip".  Poodles are traditionally clipped with those bobbles on their knees and ankles to protect them from damage in brambles or bracken, when they are hunting.  When my mother explained that she was clipped the way she was as she was a working dog, trained to the gun, the judge said if she had known that beforehand, she would have awarded a prize!

[CambridgeCabby]

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Brilliant! 

[BroadAmbition]

Could hardly miss at that range, I'm more impressed she managed to flick the clays up in that dress!

Griff

[ChrisB]

I was cursing buying 2000 rounds before Christmas...Dead Money, now I am glad I did. Just rec'd this mail from Just Cartridges.

[BroadAmbition]

Thanks for the heads up.  I have plenty in stock but reckon I'll get another thousand pronto.

I can easily use 250+ on a Sunday forenoon clay shoot

Griff

 

[JennyMorgan]

23 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

I can easily use 250+ on a Sunday forenoon clay shoot

Gosh, how many hits will you get out of that lot? 

[ChrisB]

We only shoot 50 sporting on  two Sundays per month. However we are a small Norfolk market town club and we do our own set up and strip down which takes 90 minutes or so.

[BroadAmbition]

Gosh, how many hits will you get out of that lot? 

It varies hugely tbh. I normally get the honour of being 'Top Gun' on at least one of the disciplines.  Since last March however have not done much shooting (Obviously) so goodness knows how I'll get on when we eventually get back to it, still, tis the same for all of us

Griff 

[BroadAmbition]

Rang one of my shooting mates yesterday who normally purchases cartridges for a few of us all in one go as buying in bulk is normally cheaper.  I think I have around a 1000-ish 24g fibres here at home and have asked him to get me another two thousand before the price hike if we are not already too late.  I have plenty of Game cartridges in stock as frustratingly don't use many of them

Griff