UK coming Game Season

Feltwad · Jul 27, 2019

August the 12th is the start of the red grouse season ,the red grouse is a true wild bird with no rearing. Some moors will do good and some will be bad this is common for grouse shooting most of the shooting guns are foreign people from different country's for which a days grouse shooting is very expensive .
Most of the pheasant pullets will now have gone to covert also the partridges this is a busy time for the keepers mostly keeping the vermin such has foxes , crows and grey squirrels to a low level Has partridge shooting starts in September and pheasant in October although most estates do not really start till November . Birds are now 4 months old and are strong on the wing ,this is time when keepers are dogging from the shoot boundary ,there is a certain amount that go over the boundary mostly on shoots that do no rearing .There are other small shoots that shoot every game bird but put nothing back and they call themselves sportsman gone are the days when the poacher shot a brace of pheasants to feed his family today it is for beer money
Without the big estates and game shooting in the UK the sport and countryside would be in a sorry state the spinneys, woods disappear also the hedgerows and we will end with prairie type of landscape.
Feltwad
Coming out of the sun

Swing onto a high bird

A high Bird

Feltwad · Jul 27, 2019

Enclosed are a couple of images of the type of percussion gun used by the Victorian game shooter
Feltwad

hanshi · Jul 27, 2019

I like!

Sidney Smith · Jul 28, 2019

Here in Pennsylvania to hunt pheasant you either go to a private game farm, pay for X amount of birds, and they let them out before you hunt. Or you can hunt on the state game lands and go after birds the game commission has stocked. We have little to no more wild population of pheasants sadly. Loss of habitat from development, different farming practices, where no cover is left for birds to rear young in, to predation. All have left us with little options. Now I will say our state game commission does a pretty good job with lands set aside that are maintained in as close to natural habitat for birds to be hunted in. It's still very enjoyable to go afield, however you will definitely not be alone. It can make for a pretty crowded affair, especially on the opening day, and on the susbsequent stocking days. A fairly new permit requirement to hunt birds has reduced the crowds some, and the money goes to raise more birds so it's not so bad.

Now here in the states we hunt differently than our Brit counterparts. Here the hunter goes after the birds, either with dogs or just ground pounding. No serfs pushing birds to the Gentry. Here its not uncommon to emerge from a field cold, wet, and usually bleeding somewhere from humping through the thick stuff. But with a full game bag it's all worth it. I'm not knocking the way you guys do it, Id love to try a driven hunt. It's just that we do it differently here, at least in my part of the country.

poker · Jul 28, 2019

Feltwad, those pictures are somethin else. I'm not sure how good you are at hitting those birds, but you definitely could make it with a camera. Thanks for the eye candy man!

Britsmoothy · Jul 29, 2019

Sidney Smith said:
Here in Pennsylvania to hunt pheasant you either go to a private game farm, pay for X amount of birds, and they let them out before you hunt. Or you can hunt on the state game lands and go after birds the game commission has stocked. We have little to no more wild population of pheasants sadly. Loss of habitat from development, different farming practices, where no cover is left for birds to rear young in, to predation. All have left us with little options. Now I will say our state game commission does a pretty good job with lands set aside that are maintained in as close to natural habitat for birds to be hunted in. It's still very enjoyable to go afield, however you will definitely not be alone. It can make for a pretty crowded affair, especially on the opening day, and on the susbsequent stocking days. A fairly new permit requirement to hunt birds has reduced the crowds some, and the money goes to raise more birds so it's not so bad.

Now here in the states we hunt differently than our Brit counterparts. Here the hunter goes after the birds, either with dogs or just ground pounding. No serfs pushing birds to the Gentry. Here its not uncommon to emerge from a field cold, wet, and usually bleeding somewhere from humping through the thick stuff. But with a full game bag it's all worth it. I'm not knocking the way you guys do it, Id love to try a driven hunt. It's just that we do it differently here, at least in my part of the country.

That is how I hunt in the UK. I stopped attending the traditional way years ago.
I create my own favourable habitat and go alone or with a good friend.

Feltwad · Jul 29, 2019

Sidney Smith
Your type of game shooting is what we refer too in the UK has rough shooting there are more rough shooters than those that shoot driven birds . You work with a dog which gives you has much pleasure has shooting , I personally did most of my shooting has a rough shooter with a brace of curly coat retrievers a breed your very rarely
see in the field today but today age and walking I make do with driven shooting.
Poker.
I must admit that the pictures were taken by a young lady photographer which I thought were good .Has for hitting those high birds , I like most shooters at driven days have what we refer too has good and bad days.
Feltwad

Sidney Smith · Jul 29, 2019

Yes it is a pleasure watching a good dog working birds. Up until a few yeats ago I did not experience hunting over a dog. I have hunted the past 3 years with a friend who trained and hunts with a Brittany Spaniel. It's amazing watching his dog when it gets on a bird. I've probably walked past many birds hunting alone over the years. The dog makes a big difference in success rates.

pamtnman · Jul 29, 2019

Hunting in Wales, Scotland and England is very different than how we do it in America. Then again, America was a reaction against Britain. In all ways. But the British sporting guns are and were the best made. Especially that Lancaster there

Feltwad · Jul 29, 2019

The British sporting gun I agree are the best but I am a patriot those by the London and Birmingham makers are the best but the provincial gun makers turned out some good work for the local gentry .I have enclosed images of provincial makers which members may wish to see.
Feltwad
Watson of Newcastle -Upon - Tyne

Harrison Of Carlisle

Rowntree Of Barnard Castle Builder Of The First Percussion Cap Sporting Gun

poker · Jul 30, 2019

Those are some beautiful pieces, Feltwadt. I especially like the Watson.

Feltwad · Aug 12, 2019

Today the 12th August marks the start of the red grouse season , owing to some very bad weather with plenty of rain and floods most moors will not be shot today. Visibility on most moors will be poor and grouse will not fly very good has a rule the 12th has good weather and very fine days with little wind making it very hot and grouse fly well if they have a strong wind in their tails they come like rockets and because they fly low to the ground shooting is difficult. Most moors the birds which are true wild birds are driven to the guns by beaters and this type of shooting is very expensive , personally I did prefer to walk them up and shoot over a brace of pointers you get has much pleasure in seeing the dogs work has actually shooting , but now I am reminiscing in my old age.
Feltwad
A grouse moor

In the butts

GREENSWLDE · Aug 12, 2019

Hi Feltwad,Nice Watson.I have a P.T.Watson of Newcasle,though mine is a Single Side hammer 12b. B/L Daw Patent live pigeon gun.It has some of the finest engraving I have ever seen on any gun.Must learn how to send photos on the forum. We spoke about Curlies some years ago when I had my Liver gripe, Wig,regrettably long gone.Are there still any workers still left in your area ? Last of the GREENSWYLDE Labs has gone as well.

OLD DOG

Feltwad · Aug 12, 2019

Hi Greenswilde
Glad to hear from you yes I remember we talked about Curlies it must a few decades ago since I saw a curly coat working in the field .it seems the old breeds are now gone and if lucky you might see one at a dog show which most have lost their working ability ..
Feltwad

smo · Aug 12, 2019

Felt , Thanks for posting the fantastic pics, I can only imagine a hunt in the UK.

It really looks like a small game paradise!

You said , if I understood correctly that most of the hunters on the estates were foreign people paying high dollar too hunt.

So if you don’t own property there, are there hunting grounds available too the Locals?

Fantastic guns it seems in all your post.

You Guys apparently see a lot more of those in the UK than we do in the States.

I just got my first double percussion gun a couple weeks ago, I picked it up off the classified ads here on the Forum.

Good Hunting!

Feltwad · Aug 12, 2019

You will find that on the large grouse moors which are measured in square miles a large majority of the shooting guns are foreign multi millionaires of many nationalities
including British . For a local with a working income he may be able to rent a day walking up on a small moor owned by a hill farmer but now these days are expensive and hard to come by
Good shooting with your d/b percussion you did not say what was the bore size or was it a original or a repro, volume loads will do the job against most small winged game
Feltwad

Feltwad · Aug 29, 2019

Reports on the grouse moors are very patchy some moors have shot on average but other have been poor , the late snows in the spring have done the most damage when birds were sitting eggs September is the start of the partridge season and also fowling , have seen some good coveys of grey partridges which is a welcome sign because their numbers were getting very low the last few seasons there is also plenty of resident geese and ducks.
Feltwad

Zonie · Aug 29, 2019

I can somehow see Percy talking to Tom saying, "No. I didn't say there would be more birds here. I said there would be moor birds here."

hanshi · Aug 29, 2019

Zonie said:
I can somehow see Percy talking to Tom saying, "No. I didn't say there would be more birds here. I said there would be moor birds here."

Aaarrrgghh.......

Britsmoothy · Aug 30, 2019

Zonie said:
I can somehow see Percy talking to Tom saying, "No. I didn't say there would be more birds here. I said there would be moor birds here."

Any more jokes like this and I will be grousing about it to a moderator! Oh wait a minute.....

UK coming Game Season

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

45 Cal.

45 Cal.

Cannon

58 Cal.

50 Cal.

70 Cal.

45 Cal.

58 Cal.

Hunt to Live

45 Cal.

50 Cal.

45 Cal.

45 Cal.

45 Cal.

70 Cal.

45 Cal.

45 Cal.

Moderator Emeritus In Remembrance

Cannon

70 Cal.

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!