Mock Dog Trial 2

[BLACKBOB 9]

Well we have had our second mock trial and were joined by some outstanding old boys with their dogs, one being a trial judge so pressure was on to preform well, and living up to my usual standards it didn't start off to well

 

Got there on time and it was a lovely crisp day, straight off to the first section and with only 2 guns to start there was alot to cover. Keeper shot with us last time but not this time as his guns had been seized but he wouldn't let on why after lots of ribbing.

 

Got the drive underway and the first bird rose for me. lovely partridge, used both barrels to watch if fly off into the sun, just warming the barrels up was my excuse. At this time there were 5 dogs working and it was difficult to concentrate on shooting as it was a pleasure to see the dogs quartering so beautifully as there was some class dogs here today. Suddenly the dog to my left neigh on stopped like a pointer and his handler said get ready. the dog was only about 8 foot in front of me and flushed up a hen bird. Now this bird headed directly to the fence on my right hand side and no higher than the top of the fence, i decided it wasn't a safe shot as id be firing directly over the fence and not knowing what was on the other side as it was mixed with some bushes, i let it go.

 

Well if i did the gamekeeper shouted across " you got to shoot them mate " my reply was " to low " he then said " etiquette dosn't come into it when you are doing this " I shouted " no but safety dose " then i wondered why he had his guns taken off him idiot.

 

Well that set me in good stead for the rest of the day as i was well pee'd off with those comments. The other gun was having the upper hand today and getting more birds than me although he had some superb misses as well, which always makes you feel a bit better, the next bird to rise for me was another partridge which again was just ahead of me, but it got up and it was tiny and was like slow motion, i give it a bit as if id shot it in front of me i think it would have disintegrated. Well again two barrels and it was still going, i was looking in amazement it flew for about 80yards and dropped from the sky stone dead. Few minutes later exactly the same again partridge up behind the other gun, he misses it and it circles around the back of me, over my head, im pirouetting like a rether large ballerina and get one shot off. The bird makes the next field then again drops from the sky dead. Across comes a shout " you still using them rice cartridges " it bloody felt like it.

 

But it seemed to be the story of the day with very little clean kills and not just myself but the other gun as well, my mate was over with him and he said on the way home that nearly every retrieve was a live bird. Although shooting them from behind is the main reason for this, i will be going with a heavier load next time and using 5s instead of 6.5s as the birds get a bit tougher as the season goes on. A good example was the last bird i shot, one of the guns wanted one more flush and retrieve and the keeper asked me across to accompany him for a final flush. Although not ideal as we were by a river and nearly all the birds fly across the river so to get one down your side very rarelly happened. The keeper said if they are heading over the river then leave them so this is what i did and all birds were heading that way. Towards the end of the drive he said, just shoot one any way and see what happens. Nice cock bird was flushed and headed to the top of the trees over the river. Hit well with the first barrel and give it a second for good measure knowing what had gone on that day, big puff of feathers and a loud thud as it hit the floor. We marked the position where it was shot and walked around the other side for a retreive. Not ideal but the river was swollen and not safe to send the dog across.

Do you think we could find the bird, could we heck as like, totally unbelievable but the story of the day.

 

Best bit for me though was a comment my mate said on the way home, as he was walking along one of the drives the judge who came along said to him is that gun any good then, about me, and he did have reason to ask as i hadn't been that good till then, and as he asked a flush of birds came up and i had a left and right partridge. My mate said you couldn't have timed if better as my only reply to him was " well im not sure but he just had a left and right partridge " that put a smile on my face and ended a good day.

 

Cheers bob