Hey guys,

Just thought I would see what the members had been upto today and yesterday for the traditional boxing day shoots.

I took yesterday off but took a peg under some cracking pheasants today. even managed to bring a couple down to earth with the 20 bore

Is Boxing day shooting a tradition on the continent too?

Rgds,
K

It is called St. Stephen's Day here and usually there are traditional Stephen's hunts organized around:

Got a yearling hind yesterday on a driven hunt:



Tracked down another one with my dog at the end of a second drive (shot by another hunter, hit in the hind leg - went for 2,5km before I cought up with it and gave it a coupe de grace.

Here in Norway we're not allowed any hunting during the xmas week. Have to wait untill the 2nd of january before we can hunt anything legal here again

K,
For me it was off skiing with the family yesterday. Blue sky, temps sitting just below zero, good snow finally and surprisingly not too crowded. A pretty good day on the piste.

Merry (belated) Christmas and a great New Year to you and all the mates around this place.

stu.

Hey Stu sounds good.

I've been on the piste too for the last few days!!

No snow in sight though

Merry Xmas,
K

I did the obligatory hike over very rough wet ground in pursuit of woodcock. Only one bird flushed for me, while I was pulling my gloves off - I missed.

Nigel shot a couple of 'cock, I nailed a big cock pheasant. Four or five miles of boggy ground for 3 birds.

156 head of wild duck between 12 guns.
Lovely day but could do with getting some cold weather and a bit of flodding to get better numbers of wild birds.

Dorset Hunter,

That sounds like some really good sport. Wild Duck flighting is excellent sport indeed.

I understand that this year migratory quarry species are well down in numbers as the weather just has not been cold enough. It was ten Celsius yesterday and layers were being taken off through the day!!

K

They told me in Iceland in the Summer tht it had been a very poor year for Geese and Ducks breeding in Iceland.
We went out on the Estuary one evening but I think only fired one shot between six of us.
The effects of a poor breeding season were showing even then.
So I'm guessing that there will be reduced numbers of birds migrating south from there this year.

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
Dorset Hunter,

That sounds like some really good sport. Wild Duck flighting is excellent sport indeed.

I understand that this year migratory quarry species are well down in numbers as the weather just has not been cold enough. It was ten Celsius yesterday and layers were being taken off through the day!!

K

We are lucky and have flood plains right by the worlds 2nd largest harbour
We start at 10.30 am and shoot through until dark walkig splashes and driving out large ponds off. Last year we had thousands and i mean thousands of Widgeon in our 8" deep splashes. This year with the warm weather and lack of flooding has kept them in the harbour with no need to move for food or shelter. We are not seeing the Pintail, Teal, Snipe, Weidgeon we normally see but have plenty of Mallard about. Hopefully January will get a lot colder and we'll get some decent numbers come in.

I was out, that is,

we did see about a bakers dussin of roe, only to be shooting for boar and fox,

did take one fox.

For the rest of the weekend I shot, a fox, a badger that did not seen to realise it was winter, a handfull of magpies, a driven hare with my rifle, a driven hare with my shotgun, two ducks, one jackdawn and one goose.

I did see a ton of fallow while traveling.

I did enjoy the holidays.

/Chris

DosetH

Yep it has been a common story on the migratory species this year. My snipe meadow has had virtually nothing on it and Ducks have been difficult to say the least.

I'm hoping that a few woodcock will have made the trip to give us some sport in January so fingers crossed!!

K