Our first day picking up

[Mooch. 177]

Yesterday was Max and my first ever day picking up on our local driven shoot. Max is my three year old lab x and we've been learning the work of a gundog together. Here's my attempt at a write-up of the day.

 

Our day started at 7 am with our usual saturday morning walk to the paper shop in an effort to burn off some of Max's pent up energy! At 9 we arrived at the Keeper's cottage and met up with the keepers, beaters and other pickers up. Some of them I already knew and I was quickly introduced to those I didn't. The first drive was fairly near to Keepers Cottage so the beaters set off on foot in two groups to get into position, the pickers up followed the guns in an assortment of 4x4s. Parking up at one end of the drive the guns walked to their pegs and the pickers up positioned themselves well back behind the line. Max and I stayed near the vehicles with an experienced picker up to keep an eye out for pricked birds heading for a nearby pen. It must have been a long walk for the beaters for it took a good while for any birds to show but eventually a few sporadic bangs signaled a start to the action. A few more minutes and pheasants were flying over the line of guns like a swarm, several dropping to the ground as the guns fired as fast as they could reload. Only two pheasants headed in our direction, running into cover but were marked by both men and dogs. With the Head Keeper blowing the whistle to signal the end of the drive my mentor and I headed off to search for the marked birds. My dog Max stayed firmly on the lead and both birds were found by my new mates experienced lab. With the two birds accounted for we swept the ground towards the middle of the line but most of the birds had fallen at the far end so there weren't many to find. We worked our way up the hill behind the line to the fence at the edge of a wood. The fenceline was, in places, thick with brambles, and good cover for a pheasant trying to hide. Max is now towing me up the hill (heeling has never been his strong point and the excitement of the day was proving far to much for him to "get it" now). Walking close to the edge of the brambles Max suddenly lunged into the thicket and reversed with a hen pheasant in his mouth. Eventually I got it off him but not before he'd given it a good chew and I'd got a handful of bramble thorns. Not an ideal start but a promising show of enthusiasm!

 

The first drive of the day (and the first pheasant drive of the season) saw a total of 109 birds shot.

 

Drive 2 was to prove quite uneventful for me and Max. We were positioned well back from the line at one end and no birds came anywhere near us, in fact, we couldn't even see much of the action at all! Sweeping the ground once the drive was over produced no birds for us to pick up either as most had landed in a pen already covered by other dogs.

 

Drive 3, a partridge drive, was far more eventful. Again we were way back from the line but we had a good view of all the guns. The drive finished and we moved forward. Max still on the lead but we were both looking for downed birds. The first one I spotted was clearly still alive and took off as we approached it, flying over a ridge in the field and out of site. Continuing on we found one dead partridge. I pulled Max in close and I let him sniff it before making him sit while I picked up the bird and praised him. Heading back to the car we both saw the pricked bird from earlier running across the field. I looked around but there were no other pickers up nearby so we walked nearer. I made sure that no one was watching, sat Max, removed the lead and sent him for the bird. He was off like a rocket but as he got to it the partridge jumped into the air and flew for the hedge with Max racing along behind. I knew full well that any commands would fall on deaf ears so I just watched to see what would happen. I needn't have worried because within 30 yards the bird nosedived into the dirt and Max was on it. He picked it up, ran straight back to me, sat and presented his prize! What a moment! The hours and hours of training have paid off and he did me proud, I just wish somebody else had seen it now!

 

Drive 4 was after lunch, another pheasant drive. We started by beating through a pheasant pen before we were placed just within the pen again at the end of the line. This time we were right behind the number 8 gun who turned out to be an excellent shot who would only take the most sporting of birds. After a fairly long wait birds started showing and all of a sudden we were surrounded by pheasants flying just a few meters over head! The dead were falling into the pen and just outside but none particularly near to us. Once the end of the drive was signaled we moved off, walking the hedgeline between the guns and the pen as there were plenty other pickers up with in the pen itself. Max again stayed on the lead but the downed pheasants were easy to spot with my own eyes. I didn't allow Max to pick any but there were so many to pick up I had to walk the ground twice to carry them all out to the game cart.

 

Drive 4 was the last drive of the day and I can't think of a way I would have rather spent that beautiful autumn day. Max is showing real promise as a good working gundog and I can't wait until our next day with the shoot.

 

Total birds for the day = 291 pheasants, 140 partridge and 6 "various". A total bag of 437 birds.

[Lab 10,979]

Did you get paid at that shoot?

[Mooch. 177]

I didn't but the other pickers up and beaters do. Me and Max are still both in training, learning the ways of the shoot. Hopefully with time we'll become valued members of the team. To be honest being paid to pick up is not important to me, I just want to work my dog in beautiful countryside doing what I've been training him to do.

[Lab 10,979]

I didn't but the other pickers up and beaters do. Me and Max are still both in training, learning the ways of the shoot. Hopefully with time we'll become valued members of the team. To be honest being paid to pick up is not important to me, I just want to work my dog in beautiful countryside doing what I've been training him to do.

Very much like myself mate. I'd trust your dog and let it have a few easy retrieves of the lead. It obviously knows what to do and it wont get any better on the lead........

[Bradford Lad 74]

Nice write up pal, i'm looking foward to the day i get to work my Sprocker for real, he's only 6mths but coming on really well.

[Dave C 63]

Good write up mate, i agree with L-T, do your training on your own time and when compident take him to the shoot, then give him some easy retrieves and trust him off the lead.

 

Dave.

[hily 379]

nice of you to share your's and max's day with others helps folk understand the partnership/bond you get when working with a dog. a.t.b.

[Mooch. 177]

Cheers guys. Our next shoot won't be for a fortnight due to a work commitment but when we do next go picking up Max'll be getting a few more retrieves circumstances permitting. He's a fast learner and very keen but this is his (and my) first season so we're taking it slowly. The partridge on drive 3 was a bit of a gamble but it definatly paid off so the outlook is good.

[stroller 341]

i know its almost impossible to tire out a spaniel but a good walk before he goes out might calm him down a bit.

 

you have a good attitude its all about the dog and handler working together i couldnt care less if i get 1 or 500 as long as the dog has worked well

[Lab 10,979]

i know its almost impossible to tire out a spaniel but a good walk before he goes out might calm him down a bit.

 

you have a good attitude its all about the dog and handler working together i couldnt care less if i get 1 or 500 as long as the dog has worked well

not having a dig mate but it would matter to the keeper if you only picked 1 and were expecting a wage....:-)

[Rhodey 96]

I don't mean to be funny but your dog won't walk to heel, it's chews birds before giving them to you, and you said any commands will fall on deaf ears when he is sent on a runner, should you really be picking up with him? Sound like he needs to do a good dose of basic training.

[Mooch. 177]

We've been "basic training" for about 3 years now but it's quite hard to replicate the busyness and excitement of a 100+ bird drive on my own with a few canvas dummies. If I had thought he was ready for a full role as a picking up dog then I would have had him off the lead and sent him to search for downed birds and my write up would have full of expletives (or I could have lied and said everything went perfectly).

 

I consider going picking up part of his training. He's still very excitable and full of the joys of being alive but with time and perseverance he'll get used to all the people, the gunfire, other dogs, dead and running birds and he'll knuckle down into the role he loves so much. In the mean time we're going picking up again 5 times in the next 4 weeks which should help to accomplish that.

Edited November 11, 2011 by Mooch.