Shooting Times

Saturday proved to be a perfect driven bird day. Dry, bright, a little wind and numerous pheasants. We shot our new 240 acre mixed woodland for the second time this season and after two weeks of leaf fall the birds were far more shootable through the tree tops. We are not a big bag shoot and after four drives and 25 brace we retired to the pub for a pint and a bite.
Sunday morning dawned bitterly cold with a hard frost. Our little clay bashing club meets at 10 o'clock for a 40 bird sporting shoot. I was on my usual crap form with 19 ex 40. If they had long tails I would improve my score somewhat.
After a lunchtime session at the Old Bull we returned home to find one of the estate's foresters at the door. He had just had a run in with a bunch of roughnecks coursing deer just down the road from here. Even though he blocked their exit from the field with his Landrover they barrelled their Subaru straight through the hedge, across a ditch and away down the road. Five men, two lurchers and a dead fallow made a clean getaway. The registration number when ran through the police computer proved to be a false one.
I have since received certain information regarding these characters which has been passed on to the police. Suffice to say it appears that they are of the travelling fraternity who no doubt will escape any punishment for the deed.
On a lighter note I have discovered a new source of mistletoe which should prove profitable in a few weeks time.