A moveable feast
Shooting Times & Country|October 28, 2020
To keep the drives full of birds, they must have food and water or they will wander — and they might not come back, warns Liam Bell
Liam Bell
A moveable feast

One of the most frustrating parts of early-season shooting is knowing you’ve done the work, knowing you’ve kept your birds fit, alive and fairly close to home, but being unable to get them into the drives in any number.

It is all well and good seeing them wandering about, but it is particularly infuriating when you are trying to concentrate them in the drives and they don’t really want to be there.

Late season, a combination of hunger and the need for shelter — when the weather gets colder and wetter — will pull them in anyway, but for the early days it is important that there are enough birds in the drives to reassure your fellow syndicate members that their subscriptions have been well spent.

Exercise restraint

The Guns will, of course, need to exercise restraint on these early days, or there is a very real risk that the birds will be over-shot and you will end up with precious little to shoot come January, when the birds are wilder, faster and stronger. And as day follows night, it will be the less-discerning Guns who shot more than their fair share in October and early November who will be complaining.

The biggest driver and biggest draw for both pheasants and partridges is food. We are never going to be able to compete with acorn-laden oak trees, or stubbles and weedy root crops in early autumn, but we can at least make sure the food we put out is good quality, that it is accessible and that it is where the birds will see it.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYView all
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023