Training on new grounds and Picking up

Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:37 AM

We have been lucky enough to get permission to Train Jay Jay on a shoot just a few miles from us. The old syndicate on there had fallen apart and so we popped along and got permission of the land owner.

We haven't found much game there but we have found some :) and there is some wonderful areas for her to train on as you can see from the footage.

We were on shoot yesterday and we consider ourselves very lucky with the shoot we go to as it has wonderful people and a shoot captain/land owner that works his socks off to achieve a good shoot day for all. Even the beaters have a mode of transport to carry them whenever possible between drives.

This year there is some beautiful mixed cover crops which held the birds well and I cannot wait to work Jay Jay through them. Plenty of birds where put in front of the guns and with the wind on the day the flew well.

We all gather together for the normal drinks before we start the day and then half way through we have more drinks, hot soup and hot dogs :) Then we all get treated to a pub lunch, and yes you guessed it, another drink :) Guns and Beaters together.

There is also a great array of dogs from the captains German Short haired Pointers to a King Charles Caviler that goes through the bushes with sheer joy and determination in his heart, named after 'Father Ted'. he is a joy to watch :)

Whilst I am very grateful to our shoot captain allowing me to be on the picking up line I cannot wait to once again be back on the beating line, though I think the old knee needs another fortnight before that happens :(

It is such a total joy to have Jay Jay working away in front of me but until then the picking up line is a good lesson in patience for Jay Jay and a way for me to be on shoot but to not do much damage to the knee.

We are so blessed to have our dogs and the pleasure that working them brings.

One of the shoot captains Germans

Gary & Jay JayThe wonderful Ted with his charming owner