Underrated Early Season Partridge
James Chapel looks at alternatives to Grouse and an exciting way to start your Season
Given that we are currently enjoying one of most prolific grouse shooting seasons ever (certainly in England and at least parts of Scotland) this may seem an odd time to be singing the praises of September partridge shooting.
However the moors are not for everyone – not just for financial reasons but also even in today’s time of improved moorland roads and access, because of mobility and having the time to travel quite large distances to get to them.
The only real alternative in this day and age is shooting driven partridges and for lots of reasons this is a very different sport to the older style of driving them off stubbles and over hedgerows allowed to grow taller for that very purpose.
Although the purists would call them “mini pheasants”, the modern method of driving red legged partridge out of strategically placed game covers, can ensure by the location of these crops and the skill of the keepers driving them, that the birds fly high and challenge the Guns right from the first day of the season. Add some wind as we experienced on a superb day last Friday and you have some of the best birds you could want for on any day of the season not just the first!
Game farmers are now able to rear and produce fantastic early release birds allowing keepers to have fully grown partridge over 24 weeks old at the start of September which in turn ensures that they are healthy and strong flying when driven out over the Guns.
All this on a day when there is a better than even chance that you are shooting in shirt sleeves with the sun on your back and the combination is very hard to beat. Sure Spain offers you that pretty much although the season but at a time when we are mostly shooting pheasants and without the worry that the airline will lose your gun or the fear of the Hispanic desire for overages!
So why wait for the pheasants? Take advantage of the weather and often good early season deals available and contact us about some September partridge shooting. I am very confident you will be back for more!
