The best laid plans: when shoot days go wrong

As with everything in life, days shooting won’t always go according to plan. Even the very best shoots in the country have a ‘bad’ drive, a ‘bad’ day, or even a ‘bad’ season. The birds don’t want to fly, or they escape out the side, or sometimes just aren’t there, much to the keeper’s surprise and annoyance.

In fact, it would be unusual, perhaps even unnatural if every day’s shooting went perfectly every single time. We must allow for the effects of Mother Nature: the weather, a rogue fox in the drive, a wily old pheasant leading a flush out the side... We are shooting wild quarry, and the ‘thrill of the hunt’ is still an important aspect of the day.
 

We can't control the weather (photo credit: Michael Lake)

 

I put the word ‘bad’ in inverted commas though, as I want to challenge the idea that a day in the field can be ruined by one bad drive. Our research tells us that eight guns in a line of nine go shooting to have fun with their friends, with the quality of the shooting ranking lower, so it shouldn’t affect our enjoyment of the day. Whether the day goes brilliantly, or disastrously, the number of birds is not the most important thing.

The shoot briefing on my day at Leighton Hall recently summed this up perfectly. In amongst the host giving us a warm welcome and wishing us a thoroughly enjoyable day, he told us which drives we were going to shoot, and said: “Let’s see if we can find some pheasants in amongst the most important drives”, by which he meant elevenses and lunch, of course!

 

 

The tone for the day was set, and each good drive was all the more warmly received, with the one mishap enjoyed by all over pheasant goujons and a drink as ‘the one that got away’, rather than the ‘injustice’ that it is often seen as.

 

I hope in writing this, we will all consider why it is we go shooting, and that next time you're out in the field you'll be able to relax and enjoy the day for what it is – a day out with friends – rather than what might have been.