The day off work!

[Sausagedog 7,381]

I've been looking forward to this day off work for yonks. 

I wanted to use my double 12g muzzleloader  and was intent on getting a pheasant and hopefully a woodcock. I was pleased to see more woodcock this year over last year. 

The day however had other ideas and was a near disaster at one point!

First off I got a squirrel, then another. Then I couldn't  get a shot off on the several woodcock and then after seeing no pheasants and whilst texting the mrs two pheasants lifted in front of me and I had the phone in hand . I then headed to other covets but nothing in them.

It was whilst in them wet woods I happened on a little duck on the edge of the water. The edge of the water was covered in leaf, deceptively  covering thick sticky and deep mud! I got my thick dog to get it off the water but she don't retrieve and dutifully dropped it on the deceptive leaves covering the mud. Need I say more....yours truly nursing gout nearly falls backwards in the mud and then trying to get out does a pirouette and nearly breaks a leg!

After recovering from that I travel to a larger and wetter wood that follows the Tern. Jess springs a fox but I don't get a shot. Then a woodcock lifted next to my right foot. I get a shot off and get a few feathers in the trade! The bird flies on good and strong. I don't reload that barrel, I'm tired, six hours I've been hunting for two squirrel and a found duck! Bloody midget duck at that!

It was at the end of that wood that my fortune improved, or so I thought! Through the hollies and on the opposite bank of the Tern was stood a cock pheasant.  It meant if I flattened him it mean an 800yd treck to retrieve him via a bridge down stream but what the heck, I need to empty the barrel anyway. BOOM, the smoke cleared to reveal a flattened  bird, excellent I thought and so I set off towards the bridge. By the time I did the 800yd round trip the bird was gone! There was feathers, blood and pellet marks everywhere but no bird . To add to the dilemma  my dog was knackered and although normally she would give me a clue this time she just could not be bothered to help!

So there I am trying to track the bird. Looking in brambles for it and even checked the river but after half an hour gave up. I just don't know happened. The blood was bright blood like you get from the lungs and a fair bit of it too!

So after all the high hopes and anticipation it amounted to a very little bag, scarring from brambles, twisted knee joint, aching back and a throbbing big toe from gout but hey, it still beats work.

In the background  you can see the smoke from the shot. The wind was very little early today.

I'll go work tomorrow for a rest

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Like you said though mate still better than work. When you're sat in old folks home, slippers on wrong feet & no idea what you had for breakfast, you'll still remember that day with the disappearing pheasant. 

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

I bet you would still do it all again tomorrow

[Gav 1,708]

That pesky fox snuck in and nicked your bird you need to get the fox first next time  

[Sausagedog 7,381]

7 hours ago, Gav said:

That pesky fox snuck in and nicked your bird you need to get the fox first next time  

I did wonder that.

They jump the river and work the scrub land that follows the river on the other side. I often hear the pheasants betraying them.

[Alsone 789]

14 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

 Need I say more....yours truly nursing gout nearly falls backwards in the mud and then trying to get out does a pirouette and nearly breaks a leg!

 

Nice account but tell us the truth, I bet you went out for ballet. Had to practise it away from the wife.
 

I think Gav's probably right, with the pheasant, the fox was still around watching from cover and took your lunch. 

Btw be careful of shotgun ballet. I once went to a shoot where a right proper idiot (didn't deserve a licence as this wasn't the only stupid thing he did), thought it would be a good idea to walk balancing along the top of the moss covered trunk of a down tree with a loaded and closed shotgun so he could get closer to the high birds!!! A whole 1 metre!  The inevitable happened, he slipped, piroutted, fell onto his back, his shotgun pointed towards me and he let both barrels go (luckily over my head). What an idiot. I never went back to that shoot.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Alsone

[shovel leaner 7,648]

I enjoyed reading that . At least when you were floundering about in the mud you didn’t have an audience . I got stuck in the mud on the edge of a flight pond a couple of seasons ago during a drive . Did a pirouette like you and ended up on my arse in the pond , in my tweeds , I did a meerkat ( 360 look around ) to see if anyone had seen , and nearly the whole beating line was in stitches. It’s hard to look dignified when you emerge from the swamp like a bedraggled rat .

       Edited to say , I’d go along with Gav . The fox had your dinner . If it’s bled from its lungs it wasn’t going anywhere. 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, Alsone said:

Nice account but tell us the truth, I bet you went out for ballet. Had to practise it away from the wife.
 

I think Gav's probably right, with the pheasant, the fox was still around watching from cover and took your lunch. 

Btw be careful of shotgun ballet. I once went to a shoot where a right proper idiot (didn't deserve a licence as this wasn't the only stupid thing he did), thought it would be a good idea to walk balancing along the top of the moss covered trunk of a down tree with a loaded and closed shotgun so he could get closer to the high birds!!! A whole 1 metre!  The inevitable happened, he slipped, piroutted, fell onto his back, his shotgun pointed towards me and he let both barrels go (luckily over my head). What an idiot. I never went back to that shoot.

Always remember....idiots are very resourceful  people!

[Sausagedog 7,381]

18 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I enjoyed reading that . At least when you were floundering about in the mud you didn’t have an audience . I got stuck in the mud on the edge of a flight pond a couple of seasons ago during a drive . Did a pirouette like you and ended up on my arse in the pond , in my tweeds , I did a meerkat ( 360 look around ) to see if anyone had seen , and nearly the whole beating line was in stitches. It’s hard to look dignified when you emerge from the swamp like a bedraggled rat .

       Edited to say , I’d go along with Gav . The fox had your dinner . If it’s bled from its lungs it wasn’t going anywhere. 

Lol, we could have a busted leg but we just got a look to see if anyone noticed!

Did the wool keep you warm?

[shovel leaner 7,648]

10 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Lol, we could have a busted leg but we just got a look to see if anyone noticed!

Did the wool keep you warm?

Cold , damp , heavy with steam coming off it . It’s why we’ve now got gortex . But it’s traditional, and I like traditional.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

I got stuck in the mud on the edge of a flight pond

When I first left school I  worked as an underkeeper & in my first week was feeding a pond and got wellys stuck. Went to pull out but left boot behind, sock right in calf height, tried to get back in boot quick, missed and landed on my arse barley sack landed on top of me. 'Keeper kept dead pan and says all the estates toilets discharge into that pond! 16yo me believes him, tries to clamber out & that's when he starts to crack up! 

[Alsone 789]

Not a shooting one but I once went on a school trip. I used to be excellent at jumping and we were in the woods and I had been jumping back and forwards across the stream. Anyway the teacher was told and I was asked to jump it for the class, and I fell short in front of 30 school kids! They were quite amused. Me much less so. Luckily it was only a couple of inches deep so no great harm but an audience is never a good thing!