Game shoots today are awash with reared French partridges and small-pheasant varieties. Charles Nodder asks whether they’re better than more traditional quarry.
GAMEBIRDS seem to be getting smaller. The plump, lazy black neck pheasants that used to populate most driven-shooting estates are seldom seen today. Lighter Michigan and half-size Kansas varieties are the order of the day and French (or redleg) partridges abound where once there were none. What has driven this enthusiasm for smaller gamebirds and are they better than their larger predecessors?
The quest for improved flying performance is a key factor. In the 1980s, when commercial shooting really got going, many shoots were struggling with birds that seemed to fly lower each season. At the same time, new guns entering shooting were increasingly focused on finding a sporting challenge and travelling syndicates observed what was possible on different estates. Tumbling, slow-flying fat pheasants from old-fashioned home coverts began to seem rather tame.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin October 25 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin October 25 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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