Many years ago, in late October, creeping about the wood in the pre-dawn moonlight, a small shape fluttered down into the clearing in front of me. I felt part of a magical moment, for this was a woodcock and I was pretty confident it was arriving from its migration.
I had not seen a woodcock since high summer, when they were roding over a little chalk stream valley nearby as I fished the evening rise. A few days later, three woodcock came flighting out of the wood on the usual line and it was clear that the first autumn migrants had arrived.
Woodcock have always fascinated me, ever since the first one flushed from under my feet when I was an eight-year-old beater at Clandon Park near Guildford. There was such excitement from my fellow beaters and Guns alike, and though I did not understand it then, I do now. The combination of secrecy and elusiveness, plus the fact that they are one of the most delicious things that flies, gives them a value far above most other birds of similar size.
The late Sir Peter Scott once wrote of the fundamental difference in emotions that the sportsman feels between a skein of geese and a mere flock of rooks. For me, woodcock have a similar magic.
Golden age
These days, sadly, the woodcock no longer rode over that little west Hampshire chalk stream, but the winter numbers in the wood with the clearing stay much the same. A great deal is said about the decline in home breeding woodcock, but we should not confuse this with the numbers that visit in winter. There is nothing to suggest that these have declined in any way. However, we cannot deny the drop in the numbers that breed here; successive surveys show both range contraction eastwards and fewer birds displaying.
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2019-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra October 23, 2019-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
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
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
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
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
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
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside