Getting close - fingers crossed!

The Our Shoot team are more than ready to get stuck in

Oh the frustration of it – all around us, shoots are enjoying the first day of the season’s sport, but our eagerly awaited start remains tantalisingly a few days off. Still there’s always something to do and with the big day looming, Bernard grows ever more jittery in case the unthinkable happens and our charges are nowhere to be seen when required.

However, after time spent sitting out with binoculars on a warm bright evening Bernard reports that, yes, they are still around and although they are wandering during the day it seems that a lot of our birds are returning to their home comforts at night, around the pen and outlying feeding points which should hopefully translate into flushing points as our season gets going. Let’s hope things stay that way.

The birds look magnificent and are definitely ready to shoot, with some cockbirds being almost impossible to differentiate (other than their spurs) from last year’s birds. They are so well grown we expect some good high flying birds over the line – but whether or not the line will be up to the challenge remains to be seen.

Andy, heart and soul (and currently sole member)
of our planned beating team

We have also prepared the ground for our beating team – and by team, we basically mean local builder Andy, who has agreed to be our main man. To help familiarise him with the drives, we have taken him round the shoot, pointing out start and finish points along the way. An experienced beater with some good dogs, we hope he will keep our massive beating line (himself, a couple of local lads and the walking guns) going in the right direction.

Other than feeding and protecting our birds, there isn’t much more we can do now. They will either be there or not and will fly where we want to or not. Next month, you can read how our first day went, and whether all our efforts proved to be as rewarding as we hoped.

Doing our bit for the local wildlife

Feed rides are watched for signs that the birds are visiting regularly – and from the disturbed straw and the fact that the feeders look to have had a good pounding, it seems our feathered flock are indeed still coming to the dinner table. But our spy in the bushes, the Bushnell Trail Scout camera, has been producing pictures that show how a portion of our hard-earned feed budget has been doing nothing more than feeding the local undesirables.

Rats are unfortunately a fact of life when it comes to feeders, and ours are no different; the scuttling vermin appearing in numbers soon after dark. Our other unwanted visitors are badgers burglarising our precious feeders, singly, in pairs or as a trio on occasion. Brock may be an endearing piece of country life but there are times when they are just a pain. Still, there is nothing to be done; we shall have to carry on in the knowledge that we’re doing our bit to feed the local fauna through the winter.
For more information on the Trail Scout camera, visit: www.jjvickers.co.uk

Welcome guests? I think not!

Our spy in the bushes, the Bushnell Trail Scout camera, has been producing pictures that reveal where a portion of our hard-earned feed budget ends up.



See the full story in the December issue of Sporting Shooter, and check for regular updates here.

Planning the drives

Work is being done to open up Five Oaks and The Firs

The birds, now growing well, are not quite ready to shoot so it will be a month or so before our first day and although we have a regular bunch of diners at the evening feed in the pen the shrinking numbers suggest that a few of our charges have started to wander to the outlying parts of the shoot. That’s only to be expected, and so long as we can keep them interested in the outlying feeders then they should stay around.

Bernard’s feeding round is now much lengthier and we are looking at putting some more money into the pot to try and source a second-hand quad bike to ease his burden a little. The weather continues to work against us and our cover crops are looking patchy at best, although having spoken to other local shoots it seems that everyone is in the same boat. We are just thankful that our birds went to wood during a patch of fairly good weather, unlike some others who have had to go out in the worst of the storms with heavier losses of poults as a result.

We may not be shooting yet but we have now planned the drives, giving us the chance to imagine what our days are going to be like – a tantalising thought as the first day draws nearer!



1 The Walk Up
Much of the ground on the other side of the farm lies wet, and there isn’t an abundance of cover so a walk round the boundaries with just a couple of strategically positioned standing guns is the best way to cover it. We don’t expect much but walked up shooting is always fun.

2. The Orchard
It’s common to see birds scratching around in the orchard, so the drive starts
in the garden right next to the house, before
pushing up through the river cover stopping some way short of the pen.

3. Yard Pit
With spilt cattle feed, straw and other goodies on offer, the top end of the farm usually proves popular with the resident wild birds so including this short drive should provide a shot or two whilst driving them back towards the pen.

4. The Pit
Another one that is short but, we hope, sweet: a mini suntrap, the pit seems to attract birds like a
magnet and this year’s are already regular visitors. It sits atop a steep bank so any that fly from here should present a challenging shot to the guns below.

5. The Swallow Hole
Another warm and sheltered spot, undersown with a little kale this should deliver a couple of shots as the birds curl back towards the pen, whilst the start of the drive may present a chance or two at some snipe later in the season.

6. Firs to Five Oaks
Both Five Oaks and the Firs have benefited from Bernard’s tree surgery expertise, both having been opened up to allow in more light to both promote undergrowth and provide birds with flushing points and escape routes out through the canopy. Pushed uphill the final section at Five Oaks should present the highest birds of the day as they head back to the pen.

7. Cover Crop drive
Pushing the birds from the top of Five Oaks down through our thin strip of cover crop towards the main cover crop section we should see birds break out left and right as well as straight home towards the pen. Running along the top of a bank it should catch birds that have run out undriven from the previous drive.

8. Homeward Bound
Our last drive of the day, this starts at the thickest part of the river cover and heads back towards the pen, taking in several feeding points along the way. Finishing the closest of any of our drives to the pen, the birds should hopefully have plenty of time to get up to roost before the light
fades too badly.

None of these drives are big. Other than the walk up nothing should take more than 40 minutes or so. By breaking the day up into small chunks we stand the best chance of making sure that the guns can get into the right positions, and maintain as much control as possible over where the birds are headed – and most drives push them homewards to the pen. That’s the plan anyway, though only the first days shooting will prove whether our theory is right.

Feeding the birds - and ourselves!

Bernard is in charge of the 7am feed
and the birds flock to his whistle

It’s been a few weeks since our birds arrived and although its not unusual to lose some in the first few days, they’ve all survived and are growing at a rate of knots. In fact numbers have increased – courtesy of a wild bird and her brood taking advantage of the food and drink on offer. Bernard has been doing the morning feed about 7am, and has found that the birds are happy using the now open pop holes.

A quick whistle sees the them heading through them in anticipation of breakfast. The fountains are cleaned twice a day to minimize the risk of any disease, and the 255 litre header tank lasts a full week between top ups. A lot of people put down straw rides straight away but Bernard is holding back: “They are happy eating out of the feeders; the straw will go down as the weather gets colder. If you put straw down straight away it can be a breeding ground for disease.”

Time for a spot of eating, socialising and
extremely competitive shooting

A small syndicate like ours means that we don’t have the funds to pay for a full time keeper, therefore we all get stuck in with building the pen, feeding the birds, and all the other jobs that running a shoot entails. So it seems natural that every now and again we should get together for a bit of fun, and nothing seems to hit the spot quite like a combined syndicate barbecue and clay shoot.

Not only does it give the guns a chance to catch up and have fun, it also allows wives and girlfriends to meet the syndicate and put faces to names of those who take up so much of their partners time. One of the syndicate members has a few auto clay traps so we were able to set up a 40 bird shoot on which to test our skills. It also gave the WAGS a chance to have a go themselves, and, on that basis, it seems that some of the syndicate may want their wives to shoot on their behalf come the season. We finished up the shoot with a two man flush that was certainly fast and furious, as well as being a good laugh for both participants and spectators alike.

The poults arrive

The big day has finally arrived and our birds are going to wood. The weather which has been simply awful for the past week or so looks set to give us a few days respite, meaning that our charges will at least have a chance to settle in and get over the trauma of release before any further rain arrives.

Before the crates arrive there are a few last minute jobs that need to be finished. The electric fence needs to go on, as do the last few insulators, in particular those that run through the popholes. The popholes themselves were firmly closed a few days ago to make sure that our birds don’t venture forth too quickly and that there are no unwelcome visitors hiding in the undergrowth awaiting an easy meal.

The food for the birds has to be brought down, an initial supply of 10 bags of pellets should last them a while and help them acclimatise before moving onto other food – and to make sure that the local vermin don’t eat their fill of our precious grub, we have installed a metal lockable bin that should keep it in tip-top condition.

Shoot member Ro's new Yamaha Rhino
comes in handy for transporting feed

Bernard’s CD collection was also sacrificed to ensure that there would be plenty of shiny deterrents for winged predators, hanging across the pen; the shine and movement should help keep our birds safe.

With the feeders and drinkers ready, its time to introduce them to their new home. Fortunately it has only been a short journey from the game farm, and the birds certainly seem fit and healthy as the crates are opened and they move off into the undergrowth to explore. Of course, this is when the work really starts, for although building the pen has taken a bit of time, that will seem as nothing compared to the time consuming duties of feeding the birds and checking our traps. Whether we have a good or a bad season depends on how the initial few weeks in the pen go for them. Only with careful husbandry, and a little luck, can we be confident of seeing the majority of our new arrivals flying strongly over the guns in a few months’ time.

Pest control measures pay off
Our keeper knows a thing or two about vermin control and his precaution of putting two mink traps in the nearby stream has paid dividends. On our last working party before the birds were delivered we found that one of them had been sprung, the lure of fish heads proving to be irresistible to a large mink. The close proximity of the stream has been a worry to us as Bernard has recounted tales of the terrible bird losses he has suffered before at the hands of a mink. It’s a relief that we caught this one but it does mean there is a good chance that there are more frequenting the locality. Let’s hope that if there are any more out there that they prefer fish to game.

Mink coat anyone?

Pest control and budgets

Rob doing his bit to keep the corvid
population under control

The farm has always enjoyed having a few wild birds as residents and, at this time of year, it is important to try to keep the predators at bay while the young birds are vulnerable. As well as regular nightime patrols, Rob likes to get out and about in the long summer evenings with either shotgun or rifle, when he can observe the farm from one of its highpoints, noting – and if necessary putting a stop to – animal movements.

A great way of keeping local corvid numbers down is the Larsen trap. Always a favourite, this useful piece of kit is an excellent way to catch that most unpopular of birds – the magpie. We have two Larsen’s on the farm, one set close to the farm itself and another near some outlying buildings – both spots favoured by the cackling black and white vermin. Suitably set with food and water, it wasn’t long before our first victim was caught by its own greed. Attracted by our inmate, others soon followed, and within a couple of days the cage was full of birds to be dispatched. With one bird kept back, to act as a call bird to its brethren, we soon had the trap full again and within three weeks we had caught nearly 20 – a very satisfying bit of work indeed.
The second trap delivered a far more interesting catch. “Come to the farm right now and make sure you bring the camera with you,” was the message from Rob. Although I have seen pictures before of the same thing, the sight of a fox in a Larsen trap was a bizarre one to say the least! Rest assured that the fox did not have to suffer its captivity for very long.

Sometimes, you just know you're going to

regret last night's activities in the morning!

Budget update
Having now updated our accounts, we can now see that our initial budgets were a little optimistic – but we are still running close to the predicted amount. Much of our cost over-run is down to the tree planting. However, as with most of our costs so far, these have been one-off purchases which will not re-occur in the next three or four years of the shoot.

Total budget so far
Budget £400
Actual spent £523.63
Difference £123.63

Pen building
Galvanised wire £24.06
Wire netting £164.15
Stakes £72.77
Hinges, gate wood £41.15
Budget £250
Actual spent £302.15
Difference £52.15

Traps
Budget £50
Actual spent £37.98*
Difference £12.02
* Additional fen traps still need to be bought.

Battery & electric fencer
Budget £100
Actual spent £94.00
Difference £6

Trees
Budget £0
Actual spent £89.50
Difference £89.50

Preparing the ground: The Pen

A south-facing spot with a stream and some
cover, this is the ideal spot for the pen

Ideally the pen should be close to the farm so that it can be easily monitored, and it needs to be sheltered and easy to get to for regular feeding. A nearby water source will negate the backbreaking and time-consuming job of lugging large amounts of drinking water out to it. A short walk along the stream and Rob highlights a spot worthy of consideration. An oxbow bend in the stream has left an area sheltered by established trees, a site where birds have been fed in previous years. Bernard paces it out to see if the area is big enough for our needs and yes, the pen will just about fit. It is south facing, and a balmy spot, even on a cold but sunny day – ideal then for our poults to keep warm. With the stream nearby it should be easy to replenish the drinkers and if that dries up – unlikely if recent summers are anything to go by – there’s a natural spring that Rob can’t remember ever drying. The only downside to being so close to the stream is that we will have to maintain a good trap line to deter waterborne marauders such as mink.

Our pen will encroach into the field by ten yards or so but the ground here is currently left as margin so it already has a degree of cover – additional planting and some branches under which the birds can shelter should make it warm and cosy. Access will be easy as the pen is only a few yards from a gateway.

The posts set in straight lines, but right-angled

corners are avoided as they put a strain on the wire

Roe and Bernard roll out the bottom wire
making sure that it doesn't snag

Low-tech, low cost - John assembles a door frame

from off-cuts of wood and leftover wire

The finished pen, assembled by a fairly eager

and willing team over the course of a weekend