Got invited to shoot a 'cheap' driven 'mop up' day with My friend, his dad and his dad's friends at Ashintully estate, Kirkmichael (up a mountain between Pitlochry and Glen Shee) I'd never hear of this place let alone been there, so it was a leap of faith (and at the right money) I accepted Alaster's invite to shoot there on Saturday.
Saturday morning, out the door at 5, fed the cows, got them started the milking, quick shower, tweeds n tie on and set off at 6.30 to get to Pitlochry by 8am. 8.05 and I'm at the Craigvack hotel to meet the team of guns, quick intro, usual pleasantries and decant into a 4x4 pick up with off road tyres for a 12 mile hill clmb over the 'Moulin' rd...complete with snow two feet deep at the side of the road!!! 20mins later we turn into the estate front gates, quite a few pheasants kicking about...promising, hmmm!!! Park up, meet the keeper, get a safety talk, all pile into the gun bus and off to the first drive!!!
The first drive was a small wood, 6 of us lined up behind the wood, the other 3 were driven round to walk into the line, across a bog from the side, I was the second gun in from the walking guns, standing down in a hollow. BANG!!! One of the walking guns shoots a snipe, a dozen came low toward us, BANG BANG the gun next to me 'scared' them off (.) Then I spot a towering snipe (50yd), never seen a snipe that high flying toward me!!!
"OVER" I shout, the gun next to me doesn't raise his gun(?)
"Too high" he replies,
BOOM BOOM...behind with the full choke first barrel, more lead, the second barrel 3/4 choke and 32g or 5's bring the tiny little wadder down, good start. The guy next to me misses a hen out in front both barrels, I touch its arse first barrel, hit it hard second barrel, he sets his wings, glides into a wood. Over lead an easy hen, then prick it second barrel. Clean miss an easy hen. Over lead a cock, then nail him second barrel. Drive over.
Next drive is the wood my two wounded birds flew to. I line out 6 guns for the keeper, he takes the other 3 with him. Not much comes forward, a few shots from the walking guns, 3 ducks get up in front of the end gun who shoots 2 with the first shot and clean misses with the second shot.
"Woodcock"!!!
Straight at me, 30yds up, BOOM!!! Take it out in front and drop it just behind me in the snow. Drive over. Could we find the woodcock...could we f*ck!!! 5 dogs, 3 men, 10 mins later it's found 6" into the snow!?!? The beaters picked both wounded birds, both dead!!!
Drive three, lots of birds, looks good, my heart sinks when I find out my peg in on the end at the wrong side of the wood, the high side with the wind taking the birds away from me...loads of shooting, didn't even raise the gun.
Drive four, walking gun, I was on the left, they all broke right!!!
Drive five, "I've never tried to drive the birds this way before" says the keeper "...don't blame me if this doesn't work" (eh, who else would we blame??? ) "who'd like to walk down to the bottom? The birds will be really good from there...?"
I didn't need asked twice!!! Pricked the first bird, both barrels, got through the next killing him dead, loaded the gun double quick with the two shells that were between the fingers of my left hand while I was shooting, this let me get a quick shot off to finished off a wounded hen behind, shot a nice cock out front left, second barrel that four other guns had pricked. Finished the drive with a 45yd straight cock, nailed it first barrel with full choke, landed next to me...BOOM!!! Lunch time.
Lunch was a DIY job in the bothy, piss taking, jokes, more piss taking, very little drink because of the new lower drink drive limit in Scotland!!! I mentioned I'd never shot a partridge, never even lifted a gun to one, shot partridge drives at beaters days and never had one come anywhere near me!!!
Partridge drive after lunch!!! Yes!!! "Who wants to cross the burn and stand in the hollow, need four volunteers? It's the hot spot, but the burn is in spate..." (Big burn, small river!!!)
Didn't need to ask me twice!!! Back gun...hen pheasant, gun in front over the burn tickles it, I drop it dead in the burn, it disappears down current faster than I can run after it through the snow!!! Woodcock!!! Second barrel that. "Over" partridges start going over the guns at the top of the hill, my excitement is at fever pitch, it finish off a wounded partridge right into the burn, then I drop another into the burn coming over the trees, then I hit a 60+ yard crosser that's been shot at and has a leg down second barrel, I watch it fly on 250-300yds before dropping. "f*** me, am I going to pick one of these?" I say to myself...then I miss two, both barrels. The gun in front misses a nice bird coming right at me, I mount, start my swing only to see it drop just before I loose sight swinging through...the gun in front had turned round and shot it behind!!! The bastard!!! It all goes quiet my side of the burn and I'm thinking I'm not going to pick a partridge today..."over" BOOM BOOM...and it was, my first partridge was dead 20yds behind me!!! Two more pheasants, cock and hen, drive over!!! Never seen ANY of the birds dropped in the burn again, all gone down stream!!! Found the 60yd crosser 300yds back on the road, dead!!!
Last drive, getting cold by now, temp was +3 at lunch,much colder as the sun was setting. Long wait as the beaters brought the biggest wood of the day to us, two walking guns were getting plenty of shots at birds going back. Two hens came towards me, took the first clean out front, clipped the second, broke the gun, rammed a shell in the top barrel that was already between the fingers in my left hand, spun round, dropped it 60yds behind me next to two large oaks, YES!!! Next hen dropped 30yds behind, Jumped up, took off like a road runner on the snow...no pockets up, so shot it on the ground running. Shot another two hens dead and another that set its wings and glided 250+yds back before dropping!!! Didn't pick that one!!! -5 when we got into the car to go home!!!
Retrive of the day, Alastair's lab going 250+ yds back to pick a cock that Alastair shot.
Cracking wee day, got home at 8pm, knackered!!!
Saturday morning, out the door at 5, fed the cows, got them started the milking, quick shower, tweeds n tie on and set off at 6.30 to get to Pitlochry by 8am. 8.05 and I'm at the Craigvack hotel to meet the team of guns, quick intro, usual pleasantries and decant into a 4x4 pick up with off road tyres for a 12 mile hill clmb over the 'Moulin' rd...complete with snow two feet deep at the side of the road!!! 20mins later we turn into the estate front gates, quite a few pheasants kicking about...promising, hmmm!!! Park up, meet the keeper, get a safety talk, all pile into the gun bus and off to the first drive!!!
The first drive was a small wood, 6 of us lined up behind the wood, the other 3 were driven round to walk into the line, across a bog from the side, I was the second gun in from the walking guns, standing down in a hollow. BANG!!! One of the walking guns shoots a snipe, a dozen came low toward us, BANG BANG the gun next to me 'scared' them off (.) Then I spot a towering snipe (50yd), never seen a snipe that high flying toward me!!!
"OVER" I shout, the gun next to me doesn't raise his gun(?)
"Too high" he replies,
BOOM BOOM...behind with the full choke first barrel, more lead, the second barrel 3/4 choke and 32g or 5's bring the tiny little wadder down, good start. The guy next to me misses a hen out in front both barrels, I touch its arse first barrel, hit it hard second barrel, he sets his wings, glides into a wood. Over lead an easy hen, then prick it second barrel. Clean miss an easy hen. Over lead a cock, then nail him second barrel. Drive over.
Next drive is the wood my two wounded birds flew to. I line out 6 guns for the keeper, he takes the other 3 with him. Not much comes forward, a few shots from the walking guns, 3 ducks get up in front of the end gun who shoots 2 with the first shot and clean misses with the second shot.
"Woodcock"!!!
Straight at me, 30yds up, BOOM!!! Take it out in front and drop it just behind me in the snow. Drive over. Could we find the woodcock...could we f*ck!!! 5 dogs, 3 men, 10 mins later it's found 6" into the snow!?!? The beaters picked both wounded birds, both dead!!!
Drive three, lots of birds, looks good, my heart sinks when I find out my peg in on the end at the wrong side of the wood, the high side with the wind taking the birds away from me...loads of shooting, didn't even raise the gun.
Drive four, walking gun, I was on the left, they all broke right!!!
Drive five, "I've never tried to drive the birds this way before" says the keeper "...don't blame me if this doesn't work" (eh, who else would we blame??? ) "who'd like to walk down to the bottom? The birds will be really good from there...?"
I didn't need asked twice!!! Pricked the first bird, both barrels, got through the next killing him dead, loaded the gun double quick with the two shells that were between the fingers of my left hand while I was shooting, this let me get a quick shot off to finished off a wounded hen behind, shot a nice cock out front left, second barrel that four other guns had pricked. Finished the drive with a 45yd straight cock, nailed it first barrel with full choke, landed next to me...BOOM!!! Lunch time.
Lunch was a DIY job in the bothy, piss taking, jokes, more piss taking, very little drink because of the new lower drink drive limit in Scotland!!! I mentioned I'd never shot a partridge, never even lifted a gun to one, shot partridge drives at beaters days and never had one come anywhere near me!!!
Partridge drive after lunch!!! Yes!!! "Who wants to cross the burn and stand in the hollow, need four volunteers? It's the hot spot, but the burn is in spate..." (Big burn, small river!!!)
Didn't need to ask me twice!!! Back gun...hen pheasant, gun in front over the burn tickles it, I drop it dead in the burn, it disappears down current faster than I can run after it through the snow!!! Woodcock!!! Second barrel that. "Over" partridges start going over the guns at the top of the hill, my excitement is at fever pitch, it finish off a wounded partridge right into the burn, then I drop another into the burn coming over the trees, then I hit a 60+ yard crosser that's been shot at and has a leg down second barrel, I watch it fly on 250-300yds before dropping. "f*** me, am I going to pick one of these?" I say to myself...then I miss two, both barrels. The gun in front misses a nice bird coming right at me, I mount, start my swing only to see it drop just before I loose sight swinging through...the gun in front had turned round and shot it behind!!! The bastard!!! It all goes quiet my side of the burn and I'm thinking I'm not going to pick a partridge today..."over" BOOM BOOM...and it was, my first partridge was dead 20yds behind me!!! Two more pheasants, cock and hen, drive over!!! Never seen ANY of the birds dropped in the burn again, all gone down stream!!! Found the 60yd crosser 300yds back on the road, dead!!!
Last drive, getting cold by now, temp was +3 at lunch,much colder as the sun was setting. Long wait as the beaters brought the biggest wood of the day to us, two walking guns were getting plenty of shots at birds going back. Two hens came towards me, took the first clean out front, clipped the second, broke the gun, rammed a shell in the top barrel that was already between the fingers in my left hand, spun round, dropped it 60yds behind me next to two large oaks, YES!!! Next hen dropped 30yds behind, Jumped up, took off like a road runner on the snow...no pockets up, so shot it on the ground running. Shot another two hens dead and another that set its wings and glided 250+yds back before dropping!!! Didn't pick that one!!! -5 when we got into the car to go home!!!
Retrive of the day, Alastair's lab going 250+ yds back to pick a cock that Alastair shot.
Cracking wee day, got home at 8pm, knackered!!!
