Judy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:03 pm
I once took the Boss's Husband picking up when we were desperately short, he didn't do a bad job and we gave him the easy spots but at the end of the day he said "never again, I hadn't realised just how much hard work it is!" Always amusing to take a beater out of the line, it tends to shut them up when they've been banging on about how hard beating is compared to picking up.
Judy
I admit to being one of those folk
I ate my words yesterday, it is much harder than i thought. Dont get me wrong she had moments of good picking up just not when birds were nearly falling on her, oh and then there was the occasion when she spotted a very high bird falling and concluded that it would be much better to go for that one as opposed to bringing me the one she had in her gob, main problem was that it was at the other end of the gun line....i have never seen her run so fast....oops anyway it was only beaters day amongst good friends so an ideal time to "have a go".
If your interested which your probably not she picked (eventually) 9 birds on the first drive and 4 on the last drive. We only picked up on two as i fancied beating on one drive....i wonder why
Anyway you cant say i am ever anything but totally honest come good or bad.
For the record i dont think you will hear of ips doing picking up again anytime soon
Muddling along in the hope that one day it starts to make sense.
And thats with just one dog mate. Try managing a team of three or four. Most commercial shoots wont have you picking up with less than three. I have picked up with a man who has a team of ten cockers and all sit and wait their turn to be told to go.
westcountry wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:50 pm
And thats with just one dog mate. Try managing a team of three or four. Most commercial shoots wont have you picking up with less than three. I have picked up with a man who has a team of ten cockers and all sit and wait their turn to be told to go.
Indeed
I cant even imagine, one is one too many for me
Muddling along in the hope that one day it starts to make sense.
westcountry wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:50 pm
And thats with just one dog mate. Try managing a team of three or four. Most commercial shoots wont have you picking up with less than three. I have picked up with a man who has a team of ten cockers and all sit and wait their turn to be told to go.
That is impressive. I wonder though how much of that is for show. If you've got a team of 10, the chances are you are doing many days per year, so why not run 3 or 4 at a time and keep them fresh? It might just be me, but I can't imagine being able to manage more than 2 dogs at a time when out!
I'm done for the season, but my son is out on a clear up day on Saturday. He won't take a dog, the old one is too naughty and the youngster is just in season again.
Seriously most shoots wont have you picking up with less than 3 dogs. I have had one of my bitches out for the season pregnant and nursing pups so I have been lucky to get away with 2 dogs all season. One I must add is a seasoned 5 year old who can really do the work of 3 or 4 mediocre dogs.
As for the man with 10 cockers, they are not just there for show. Some are better than others but they are all steady and all capable of doing their job.
Used to pick up with a bloke who ran six Labs at once, my favourite memory of him was the day he swept a field, stopped to ask me who had been in the next, when I told him he muttered something disparaging and walked on "to check" on the other picker up. After he and his six had passed by my young Flatcoat lifted her head, shot out into the field he had just "done" and brought me a partridge. Best bit was it was in front of the beaters who were all standing drinking soup and watching us work. It ain't how many you have its the way that you and they work that matters.
A few weeks ago somebody was muttering about me picking up with only one dog, I smiled sweetly and said two drives, two eye wipes this morning... Three dog eye wipe on the first and two on the second. Its not what you do its that way that you do it.
In life, it is important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong.
Judy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:36 pm
Used to pick up with a bloke who ran six Labs at once, my favourite memory of him was the day he swept a field, stopped to ask me who had been in the next, when I told him he muttered something disparaging and walked on "to check" on the other picker up. After he and his six had passed by my young Flatcoat lifted her head, shot out into the field he had just "done" and brought me a partridge. Best bit was it was in front of the beaters who were all standing drinking soup and watching us work. It ain't how many you have its the way that you and they work that matters.
A few weeks ago somebody was muttering about me picking up with only one dog, I smiled sweetly and said two drives, two eye wipes this morning... Three dog eye wipe on the first and two on the second. Its not what you do its that way that you do it.
Muddling along in the hope that one day it starts to make sense.
Yep! I've known him a long time and he was indulging in a bit of shoot politics so I dealt with it. The chap with six Labs left the shoot a short while after his ignominious eye wipe, no idea why, depression perhaps?
My point was having lots of dogs doesn't always work in the shoot's favour, if the owners don't put in the hard yards chasing after that lightly pricked bird they can have hundreds of dogs and still be b' useless.
In life, it is important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong.
I've known him a long time and he was indulging in a bit of shoot politics so I dealt with it. The chap with six Labs left the shoot a short while after his ignominious eye wipe, no idea why, depression perhaps?