UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
The pressure keepers face leading up to a shoot day is hard to re-create, so it is fantastic that the Northern School of Game and Wildlife can provide preparation for the working world
College can simulate the pressures leading up to a shoot day.
One year on since my first article for Sporting Gun brings around the 2016 Driven Grouse day at The Northern School of Game and Wildlife’s moor at Wet Sleddale, near Shap. As I wrote in the November issue, the grouse success around the country has been patchy; however Tony Williams, gamekeeper at Wet Sleddale and college lecturer, felt there was sufficient stock to withstand one driven day. The day saw all of the new gamekeeping students, several of the second year students like myself, the guest Guns and the gamekeeping staff gathering once again on Wet Sleddale, which (coming as a surprise to many) held an absolutely glorious day!
Introductions and instructions
We began the day by splitting into four teams: beating; top flank; bottom flank and picking-up. Once Tony had given us all the pre-shoot briefing into logistics and safety, we received a brief talk from Robert Benson, one of the guest Guns and chairman of the Moorland Association. Robert briefed all the students on the ever more present threat to driven grouse shooting. After the recent petition to “Ban Driven Grouse Shooting” reached 100,000 signatures, understanding the issues and solutions within and surrounding the industry is all part in creating a secure and sustainable future. This is why the new head of Game Management at Newton, Curtis Mossop, felt it was necessary for such a knowledgeable and senior figure within this debate to brief us on the current situation.
Once introductions, instructions and the pre-shoot coffee were done, we set out for the first drive. With no idea what to expect, being our first day back after summer, we were pleasantly surprised when we began to hear a rally of shots from the Gun line; there were clearly some grouse! Some students received a shock, having never set foot on a moor before, and grouse beating was clearly their first big lesson at college! Logistics were strained. With a huge beating line of around 35 people coordination was difficult from one drive to the next, so four drives were brought into butts, which we had all spent many wet, cold days building the previous winter – which was fantastic to see.
Key to understanding
After the yearly dry day on Shap, the final bag was 19 brace. Although we won’t be shooting again, we now have a better idea of how the grouse have bred, we can begin to understand why there are fewer grouse than last year and ultimately use Wet Sleddale as an educational tool into sustainable grouse moor management.
First week
Our first week back at college also saw our first driven partridge day on the college farm. This organisation, running and clearup of the day is left entirely to the second year students; and the first day saw head keeper Emma Thorburn, assisted by under keepers Jamie Watters and Jack Musgrove, organise the drives and run the beating line. The shoot captain Rhys Bainbridge and myself as picker-up took care of the other side of the drive. The first shoot day is always nerve-wracking for any keeper, especially those who have only been back for a week, however the day started with a high – the traditional first, and best, drive ‘Arboretum’ showed plenty of sporting partridge, with the pheasant poults also looking promising for our upcoming let day. Sam Riley, lecturer at the Northern School of Game and Wildlife, was shooting – and had a great start to the season, shooting like a demon – for most of the day! The day continued as it began; glorious weather and plenty of sporting birds, along with several screamers, leading to a final bag of 72 – 61 partridge and 11 various.
The huge pressure keepers face leading up to, and on, a shoot day is hard to re-create; and it is fantastic that the Northern
School of Game and Wildlife can provide this unique experience in preparation for the working world.