The left and right woodcock!

Since changing breeds many years ago to HPR's,specifically Large Munsterlanders, it changed my shotgun shooting. Shooting became calmer, more exciting (partly due to being less frantic than chasing a spaniel through the woods) and the bags increased each season. I enjoy a pure form of shooting, myself, a good friend, and a couple of dogs, walked up. On an annual invite day with a similar setup over the past decade, I have enjoyed some great days, and in the past few years, a couple of opportunities of a left and right including two years ago hitting the first but missing the second! Not necessarily the pinnacle of shooting but always one of those things I would love to do given the team of dogs we have worked over the years providing good opportunities, although often not with the necessary two witnesses.

Yesterday on this invite after a very slow morning, a woodcock got up which I shot with the first shot and as I broke the gun to re load, a second was up and away, dog handler and second witness next to me, never mind! On a bit further and the dog came on a staunch point, so I got in position and before I was stood we heard the wing-beats of a woodcock getting up and away, but the dog was still on point. So the dog was sent in, up got a woodcock that I took with the first barrel at the same time I took the shot, right by the dog I could hear another one get up, so swung the gun round to immediately pick it up and shoot it with the second barrel, in-front of three other guns, two dog handlers and the owner of the small shoot!

Two retrieves later my challenge of two woodcock, two shots, two witnesses had been completed so the shoot owner is going to write in for my acceptance to 'The Woodcock Club'!! What did it mean? For me and my friend who was handling the dog yesterday, it was something we always said would be a great achievement after all our hard work trudging through the undergrowth in search of our truly wild quarry; for HPR handlers, there is nothing more special than a dog getting a full HPR (hunt point and retrieve), to have it pointed and not bumped made it very special. For me personally I changed guns this year after a ten year relationship with my last one and it has been a challenging season, although a much better fitting gun it is taking time to hit with the same success ratio; confidence is everything with shotguns so I will be getting back out there this week!
View attachment 36705View attachment 36706


A fantastic ending to a fantastic week, especially as earlier in the week we managed a snipe, woodcock, pigeon, rabbit and crow all before lunch: View attachment 36707

Not deer stalking but thought I would share!
 
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Great write up and well done...

it it looks just as wet there as where we were shooting!

the only improvement could have been a nice English side by side rather than the Italian OU!
 
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On 2 occasions in the last couple of months I've flushed a pair of woodcock simultaneously while stalking. Not often I wish I had the shotgun instead of rifle in my hands. Oh well, I'd probably miss them anyway!

Novice
 
Congratulations – some achievement.
So as a member of the Woodcock club what do you get- isn’t there a ball/dinner you get invited to- Surely and exclusive tie to?
 
Excellent. Those Munsterlanders are lovely dogs. I have an old longhair here, but he is retired now.

Woodcock over a pointing dog is the ultimate shotgun sport.
 
Well done and Waidmannsheil, mate!
A great write up....
Yes, the shotgun shooting is something special, isnt it?
I cant wait for next Saturday, the start for our woodies decoying session...!

Atb:tiphat:
 
Cheers guys, memorable for sure!

Paul O/Bart308 I believe you get a badge and tie! And possibly whisky to as I think they are currently sponsored by a company! Will see and report back! Think the dinner will have to go on hold at £85 per ticket!

Oscarsdad- it was slow with us and the woodcock had definitely moved to higher and drier land. As for being improved by an English sxs, my aim is to hit them not wave a pretty gun at them, although I did buy my Italian O/U for the fantastic walnut stock and nice engraving!!

Claret_Dabbler, munsterlanders are the only one for me! Changed my shooting and enjoyment beyond recognition!

We are of course available on request to work on a shoot near you!! My bitch is also in pup due valentines day! Has given the pup a good opportunity to learn the ropes this season and coming on so well.

Michael (Wildboar) I love stalking so much, but there is something so special with a shotgun and the unpredictability of it all! No shotgun session is ever the same and the relationship with the dog/s is so close, I love it. Stalking requires a lot of fieldcraft, but shotguns require that relationship with the dog and a lot of practice to actually hit consistently! Perhaps thats why I loved the driven with you so much that mix between dogs, and moving targets! Stalking but like shotgun shooting!
 
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Congratulations mate, Not easy. I would love to get a brace like that (mainly because it would royaly P**s my brother off) Over the years I have had several chances. Once in Scotland on a wildfowling/driven week I Shot one and as I broke the gun a second came over I dropped a cartiridge in and shot the second (maybe 10 seconds between them) Nobody saw them. On another driven day 2 flew past in a high left to right and I killed the first, rushed the second missing it completly. It flew in a big circle and came past my peg for a second time (by this time he was a fair way off) so I did the only thing I could and proceeded to miss it with both barrels (of course, every one saw that one!) We used to walk the up in rough cover with 28's, not long range or high but incredibly challenging. I'm lucky to live in some fantastic woodcock country. Nothing wrong with the gun choice either it looks identical to mine.

Well done, Ezzy
 
very well done stalker.308. I had a similar experience over 10 years ago on Keepers day in Yorkshire. I was out in the field with other guns, it was a beautiful day, 2-3 inches of snow, the other team were beating the wood towards us, out came a wood cock, at about 25 yards, down it went, then another at about 30 yards, down it came.,

I was over the moon, then as I was breaking the the barrels, some one shouted "Patrick" I looked up, and a third wood cock was coming straight at me, bang, down came the third, all were witnessed by other guns, hip flasks were out and a toast was made by all, wonderful memory!!!
 
Well done indeed one off the bucket list and like all have mentioned a memory to treasure. My father also joined the club in december after 30 plus years of shooting at the age of 63. He has attended previous dinners as a guest and they are very good as usually sponsored by a whiskey maker so a very fluid event :)
 
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