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Claire · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:24 pm Post subject: Invited to a new shoot

Talk about being out of my comfort zone. I was whinging we weren't rough shooting with Whistle on the last day of the season when Gary receives a phonecall on Thursday afternoon, inviting us to a keepers day on a shoot that we haven't been to before. Obviously thrilled at the invitation but reality sinks in that I have no idea what I am about to face.

We duly turn up on Friday morning. We only know the head keeper and a friend from our shoot who was there, so we are feeling very awkward. Not only that but I am always aware that I have a lot going against me in the shooting world. I'm female, I'm still learning lots and I not only have an HPR but its a bloody weimaraner Rolling Eyes

This is a commercial shoot with 2.5k of birds put down and the area is quite vast. A lot of woodland and very very steep hills. The plan for the day was shoot one beat one and as Gary was a gun this meant he would also be beating. I am more than happy to beat but I refuse to put Whistle in the beating line and today was no exception. Although I knew I was risking pi$$ing off a few folk, I'm afraid I stuck to my plan and didn't put Whistle in the beating line at all. We remained as the picking up dog, although unfortunately there were no birds for Whistle to pick up! However, it didn't matter too much because we both still gained a lot from this day.

A couple of times I had to hunt Whistle for a bird, one was a runner and had flown off and the other, we found out later had already been picked. However I was very pleased with Whistle's hunting ability and unbeknown to me we were being "watched". Of course I hadn't really thought about it but Gary explained that we were very much newbys and no one knew us and would want to see what we were like and what our dogs were like.

There was one wise crack made about me not putting Whistle into the beating line, but me being me, stood my ground Twisted Evil

At the end of the day, a chap came up to me, he had a spaniel that looked a good little worker, and he made a comment about weimaraners having no brains. I played along with him and told him that he just hadn't seen enough weimars in the field and in any case he hadn't seen my dogs work. His reply to that was "oh yes I have". He had been watching me hunt Whistle and was impressed Shocked

He said he hadn't seen many weimars willing to get down on their stomachs and go into undergrowth.

Another chap present was a very knowledgeable guy and we have exchanged mobile numbers. He is in charge of police dog handling and his own dogs work around 60 - 80 days per season. He trials his cockers and I think he has trialled his lab as well. He was very clued up on the HPR and backed me up 100% for not putting her in the beating line. He was a great guy to chat to and has said I can have a partridge and a woodcock from his freezer to use for training purposes.

So all in all a good day. I think we made an OK impression and even the chap who made the remark about me not putting Whistle into the beating line, agreed in the end that my decision was the right one Twisted Evil

Whistle didn't once disgrace me, she is such a sociable little lady that she got on well with everyone and she seems to have really upped a gear in her hunting these past 2 or 3 weeks that the minute I let her off to hunt she is off!

_________________
Hunting is natural, even foxes do it !

Whenever life hands you lemons, grab the salt and add the tequila

Rhimad · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject:

Well done you, Glad all worked out well.

sako75 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject:

Nice one Claire , sounds like you had a good day.

I know what you mean about turning up to a "new" shoot with a weimaraner. Weimaraners come in for alot of stick up here in Aberdeenshire and I suspect elsewhere but this does not deter me , in fact it spurs me on..........

I had some nice compliments when I had Millie in the beating line Shocked

. I know you would never beat with Whistle but personally this was my first time beating with Millie and I had one of the best days of my season with her. One beater commented on the degree of control I had over Millie "just by using the whistle" , this made me feel good and I really enjoyed using the turn whistle , stop , recall etc because the beaters had to constantly scream and shout at their unruly bunch Laughing

Barry.
_________________
"Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them.
It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu.
But I think it's Colin."

Helen · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject:

Excellent Claire. Sounds like you made some good contacts for the future. Whistle is really coming along great.

Helen

Greyghost · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

It's nice when we can show our Weims off for what they can do. Well done for sticking your ground. Sounds like a good day.
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Lesley & Holly (Age 7.5 - re-home)

Holly & Abbie

BritAnnie · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject:

windem bang · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:12 pm Post subject:

Never mind Annie, nobody ever says they don't like hunting ! Laughing

Bill T.

Claire · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject:

Perhaps there are some beating lines that would be suitable to the HPR, but on our shoot and on this shoot, the beaters go through fairly dense woodland (pine trees mainly) meaning your dog is quite easily out of sight and therefore capable of running along bumping up the birds or worse still pegging one. Also, if I can't see her then I don't know if she is on point and I could easily be trying to pip her on or recalling her. I have enough training problems without creating even more for myself Laughing

Its a lot easier for a bloke to stick his ground than it is a woman. Believe me, I've seen the men rolling their eyes when I do or say something that they are not convinced about and it often takes a man to back me up before they agree I was right Rolling Eyes

Thankfully, on our shoot this is now rare, but its taken me 3 years and a full season of working Whistle and showing willingness to find difficult birds to prove I am serious Smile

_________________
Hunting is natural, even foxes do it !

Whenever life hands you lemons, grab the salt and add the tequila

sako75 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:28 pm Post subject:

Good for you Claire - you tell em !!! Cool

I know what you mean about beating in fir plantations , luckily the shoot that I was beating on is fairly open moorland and large strips of cover crops. Having said that there are a couple of drives from thick plantations , needless to say I kept Mills on the lead during these drives and had to endure being dragged through the plantation - not good Rolling Eyes

.

I don't think that beating does any harm as long as you are out on the end of the line working open ground being able to keep in contact with your dog. In fact ,I thought that it done us alot of good to be out in amongst other dogs and still being able to keep control.

Barry.
_________________
"Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them.
It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu.
But I think it's Colin."