The Joy of Your First Season

A dispatch from the Peak District Moorland Group.

As another shooting season draws to a close, it can be a time for reflection. Some days went well, others didn’t. The difference between red letter days and so-called poor days is often subjective. For those that are doing the shooting, being on top form or having an off day might determine their view of the day. For the staff that are turning out to help deliver the day, under the guidance of keepers and estate managers, other factors matter more:  great company, the weather, jokes, who brings some sweets to share, new friends made, mid-morning snacks or a tasty shoot lunch. 

In the Peak District, and likely in other areas too, it’s so encouraging to see children that have reached an age where their legs can carry them for a full day. Dressed in layers of appropriate clothing to keep them warm and dry, field sports can be a day of fun, outdoor activity in an increasingly digital childhood.

The difference between a good day and a 'poor' day is so much more than how many birds are shot.

As adults, we can get bogged down by the pressures against our rural pastimes. Some of us are at the coalface of the countryside, fighting for common sense and to retain our cultural heritage. Our youngsters are more protected from these forces, but they're not immune. They know what they love. They see and experience what's on the ground. They understand it can be under threat. As a child, this can be quite worrying.

Sophie is a great example of this love for countryside and field sports. The daughter of a moorland gamekeeper, she knows that countryside management is not a nine till-five job for her dad or her whole family. The countryside is their life, their friend circle, their home, their dogs, her world. She is acutely aware of the pressures that we are face: the continuous meetings and government submissions her dad is involved in, the wildfires he fights, and sadly the online trolls or saboteurs that attack our lives with growing frequency. She also experiences the joys of springtime, seeing the grouse, curlew, lapwing, merlin and owl chicks hatching and flourishing. At her young age she is probably a better ornithologist than many of those that hurl abuse.

Sophie and her dog Brock at a pheasant shoot in the Peak District.

This year was Sophie’s first full season helping on a local pheasant shoot with her dad. It delivers sporting birds and great company. Everyone is on the same level – there is no 'us' or 'them'. We all sit down and eat together and laugh together. Proper enjoyment, exercise, fresh air, mingling of generations and taking home game to eat throughout the season.

So was it a red letter day or poor day? For the head gamekeeper, sadly his regular dog men couldn’t make the day. He was short-staffed. Key personnel had other commitments. We have all been there, the pressure can build. Sophie suggested she could take one of her dad’s dogs, Brock, and pick up shot birds and any wounded birds all by herself. The bond between dogs and children never fails to impress, especially when they’ve watched and learnt from their parents.

In her dad’s words: “Sophie went off and positioned herself behind the gunline with Brock. A bird was shot which they both watched fall a long way off. She sent Brock away and after a while he came back with the pheasant. After a bit of encouragement, he sat down beside her, delivering the bird to hand. I was so proud of her. Her sense of achievement was clear for all to see, and she was elevated to an integral part of the day – her red-letter day.”

This story will have played out up and down the countryside, with similar children transitioning into integral shoot day helpers and learning real life skills that simply cannot be gained in a classroom or in front of a smartphone.

Well done Sophie. All of us in the Peaks look forward to your seeing you in August for the start of the grouse season with your dad and dog Brock.