Hi Guys,

Me and a mate or two are looking for somewhere to go in January to shoot some snipe and Woodcock. I have been going to a place in Cornwall for he last couple of years but I fancy a change. does anyone have any ideas or reccomendtations?

Incidentally usually we see a few woodcock by the end of November, but I have yet to come accross one on our shoot yet this year. How is it looking for everyone else?

Rgds,
FB

Kiri, can't help on the Snipe.

We had some woodcock here in Co Down, (eastern NI) about three weeks ago. They then disappeared. I would hope that we have some more in over the next week or so.

Hey CD

I spoke to my mate in Co Sligo today and he said that there has been a good fall of woodcock so far. I'm over there on Stevens day for a couple of days walking up over his setters.

Apparently there are a lot of fresh bids at the moment as he sees them at night on the roads, and they don't fly off when he drives past. CD , I heard that a lot of your birds move on to the west coast shortly after they land. Is that true?

Rgds,
FB

FB, in my experience, a lot of the birds which arrive here during the first fall of cock - usually with the November moon - don't stay long, but move on to the west. Birds which arrive in December sometimes stick around longer. However, if it turns cold they also move on.

This is not the best area in Ireland for cock.

I'm off to the Cz Rep on the 26/12, piggy bashing (hopefully).

Snipe Shooting Reccomendations?

I recommend you don't miss.............

quote:

Snipe Shooting Reccomendations?

I recommend you don't miss.............

Puntgunner,

The first time I went out snipe shooting I fired 42 cartridges for nothing!!! The other 8 cartridges accounted for 2 woodcock, 3 teal 2 Mallard and a Pheasant.... Those pesky snipe were just bulletproof!!

I managed to account for 4 the next day which made me feel slightly better but there really is a nack to shooting the little fellas!!

I've had a bit of practice since then but the progress is very slow!!

It looks like the trip has been put on hold for now in January. We've realised that we have a decent number of pheasants on the ground still on the shoot so a couple of walked up saturdays have been slipped into the diary to try and up the returns a bit.

Rgds,
FB

My great uncle, now deceased was a fantastic snipe shot.

He once shot seven for seven shots including two right/lefts, he then missed one and shot two more. I was in my late teens at the time and he was in his late-sixties. It was some of the best shooting I have ever seen.

He shot a dubious old English hammer gun which he bought in the 1930's. He thought the secret was in the choking, true cylinder in the right barrel and full choke in the left. What he tried to do was drop one snipe as soon as they jumped before they got a chance to zig zag. He then waited until they straightend out at 35-40 yards out and then dropped a second. I tried to do this myself, but I could very rarely get the first one fast enough.

I walked up a large field of potatoe stubbles a few years ago. Shot 2 for 23 shots.

I hate snipe.

fallow Buck,
We were lucky enough to have the shooting over a large section of arable farm, that flooded every year.

The snipe were plentiful. With riffles of them rising and disappearing in front of us as we walked out on the flood or cat ice.

we shot a few, with my partner at the time making a big thing about what a prized gourmet meal they made. I let him keep them all .

About the same time , I had an invite to a keepers shoot in Thame, Oxford. During the walked up, round a pond, I flushed a group of snipe , and managed to swing on to one. It fell, much to the excitement of my fellow shooters. " You must eat that if you have never done so before,"seemed to be the common cry.

So the little bird was duly taken hope and prepared, the classic way, spatchcocked. Undrawn, on toast and grilled .

Well. I should have given it to the cat !!
That was the last time I ever raised a gun to a snipe. Pretty little things, and they can stay that way as far as I am concerned.

But have fun trying to connect, they are a challange

puntgunner,

I tried to cook them that way onces and they were far to strong for my likeing. I always draw them and Woodcock, and found that if drawn, snipe bbq'd whole over coals with a squeeze of lemon and sea slat are excellent.

I defo won';t be cookinng undrawn again though!!

FB