Pine Marten
Well-Known Member
Hello everyone.
I just thought I’d share a reasonably common experience that just sits uneasy on my conscience, more so than I perhaps expected. Last Saturday I was backgunning on a walked up section of our little shoot, with YPM just behind me. Over the bushes climbed a hen pheasant, and I shot it at tree-height in front and to my left. The first shot killed it stone dead but I’d not been on great form, so I put a second shot into it out before I registered that I didn’t need to, so surprised was I at the result. It plummeted over the tops of the trees and disappeared into the bushes. Between where we stood and the area where it presumably landed was genuinely impenetrable scrub, brambles and assorted thorns. “No problem” I thought, making a mental note of where it was and surrounded visual cues, “we’ll come back and find it from the other side”. YPM (9 yrs young now) insisted that he could get through the brambles and find it, but I didn’t want him tearing himself to shreds and wanted to keep up with the group. When it was over, we headed back to find the bird. And we couldn’t find it. Others came to help with assorted gundogs. No sign of it. I decided to call it off after half an hour or so as it was late afternoon, people needed to move onto the final section and daylight would soon be in short supply, much as it pained me. But YPM wouldn’t hear of it. He was incandescent with rage with me for giving up. He was literally crying with fury and frustration that I’d stopped him from going after the bird immediately through the thorns, insisting that he, with his much smaller stature, would have made it through.
And the thing is, with hindsight, he was probably right, and I made the wrong call. He’s been on quite a few shoot days now and actually has a decent idea of what needs doing. Next time, I will trust him.
It’s four days since the event now and this cloud lingers. We have one shoot day left and we’ll need some glorious act of joint sportsmanship to wipe away this stain. It all sounds over-dramatic, I know, but I think it’s because YPM was there to witness it that it leaves such a bad vibe.
There you go, perhaps it helps to confess one’s sins…
I just thought I’d share a reasonably common experience that just sits uneasy on my conscience, more so than I perhaps expected. Last Saturday I was backgunning on a walked up section of our little shoot, with YPM just behind me. Over the bushes climbed a hen pheasant, and I shot it at tree-height in front and to my left. The first shot killed it stone dead but I’d not been on great form, so I put a second shot into it out before I registered that I didn’t need to, so surprised was I at the result. It plummeted over the tops of the trees and disappeared into the bushes. Between where we stood and the area where it presumably landed was genuinely impenetrable scrub, brambles and assorted thorns. “No problem” I thought, making a mental note of where it was and surrounded visual cues, “we’ll come back and find it from the other side”. YPM (9 yrs young now) insisted that he could get through the brambles and find it, but I didn’t want him tearing himself to shreds and wanted to keep up with the group. When it was over, we headed back to find the bird. And we couldn’t find it. Others came to help with assorted gundogs. No sign of it. I decided to call it off after half an hour or so as it was late afternoon, people needed to move onto the final section and daylight would soon be in short supply, much as it pained me. But YPM wouldn’t hear of it. He was incandescent with rage with me for giving up. He was literally crying with fury and frustration that I’d stopped him from going after the bird immediately through the thorns, insisting that he, with his much smaller stature, would have made it through.
And the thing is, with hindsight, he was probably right, and I made the wrong call. He’s been on quite a few shoot days now and actually has a decent idea of what needs doing. Next time, I will trust him.
It’s four days since the event now and this cloud lingers. We have one shoot day left and we’ll need some glorious act of joint sportsmanship to wipe away this stain. It all sounds over-dramatic, I know, but I think it’s because YPM was there to witness it that it leaves such a bad vibe.
There you go, perhaps it helps to confess one’s sins…
