As the season is drawing to an end, I thought I’d share our journey. We’ve been working for the last year towards our first shooting season. Being a part of the Severncrest gundogs team we’ve had a lot of training days and sessions to prepare our dogs for this day. We’ve had cold game training days (using previously shot game that’s been stored in the freezer) to introduce the dogs to game and simulated shot, water workshops (retrieving game and training dummies in and around water) and our weekly training sessions.
We went to Cumbria in October for a training day and a walked-up-day. This was our first real experience of being around guns and spaniels hunting around us. It was also Harrys first experience of live game and he picked his first runner which I was really proud of.
Before this season I’d only ever been to a shoot once many years ago and helped with some beating, all I remember from that day is lots of bushes and brambles.
Fast forward a lot of years, to November 2024 and here I am with my 19-month-old gundog, well almost gundog and it’s time to get out there and start picking up. Que huge panic, what to wear, what should/shouldn’t we do on the day, so many questions. Carla as always was there at the end of the phone to calm my nerves and answer my questions. Carla told me about a priest and on one of our cold game training days we were given a demonstration on how to use it. Nothing can quite prepare you for using one of those for the first time, especially on a duck, for those that know will know!
New wardrobe purchased, bag packed with essential items for Harry, game carrier, priest, spare whistle/lead, treats, water, first aid kit, waterproof coat and snacks for me. We were lucky to be welcomed onto two small shoots that were very relaxed and friendly.
I didn’t sleep the night before our first shoot day, both excitement and nerves. Wow what amazing fun, nothing to be nervous about we had the most amazing day and all the days that followed. Riding in the back of the Land rover between drives, the chatter, new friends made and great food.
There’s quite a bit of waiting around for the drives to start, you can hear the beaters in the distance. A whistle is often blown for the start of the drive then the birds start flying and the shooting begins. The only time your dog would be sent during a drive is if a bird is shot and not killed, (a runner) needs to be picked up and dispatched as quickly as possible. The end of the drive is often signaled with the sound of a hunt horn, and then the picking up starts and continues until all birds are collected. Harry finds this all very exciting, something we need to work on over the summer.
We’ve completed 8 days this season alongside my full-time job and training with the amazing Severncrest team. We’ve still so much to learn and Harry’s picking up journey is just beginning, but our first season has been amazing, we can’t wait for next season.
written by Bev for Severncrest Gundogs