Shooting Times & Country – 07 August 2019

It’s off to work we go

Withthepoults arrivingandthe season justaround the corner,it’s

allhandson deckat syndicateshoots. Thank goodnessforsherry

mostofthedayhelpingtocheckand,

wherenecessary,patchthewire

roundourpheasantpens.Wewere

doingthisandoneortwootherthings

inpreparationforthearrivalof our

birdsinthemiddleofJuly.

I ratherlikeworkdays,thoughI

cannotdenythattheworkdaysI like

bestarethoseI cannotgotobecause

I amawayfishing.I likeworkdaysbut

I likefishinga lotmore.Anyway,I like

theworkdaysthatI actuallyturnup

tobecauseit is goodtofeelthatyou

aremakingsomesortofcontribution

toalltheeffortthatgoesintorunning

a decentshoot.It is alsogoodtomeet

friendsyoumaynothaveseensince

the grim day when you acknowledged

I

twashalf-pastseveninthe
eveningandI wasblessingthe
memoryoftheSpanishgenius,
thesaintandchiefbenefactor
ofmankindwhofirstfermented
Palominograpestoproducethe
sublimeandconsolingnectarthat
weinEnglandcallsherry.It waseven
moreconsolingthanusualbecause,
evenindeepestCumbria,whereit
rainsa lot,thedayhadbeenstinking
hotbeneatha savagesun.Aswellas
hotit hadbeenairless,humid,sweaty
and,whereI hadbeen,hordesof
buzzingandbitingflieshadprovided
anadditionalandconstantattraction.
DespiteallofthisI hadenjoyed
myself,thoughmyoldbackwas
insistingthata dayfullofbendingand
twistingandturninghadnotbeenits
ideaoffun.MybackandI hadbeen
toa workdayat Wyegill,thesyndicate
P. QUAGLIANAshoot I joined last season. I had spent

Catlow’s notebook WITH LAURENCE CATLOW

LAURENCE

CATLOW,A

PASSIONATE

SHOOTERAND

ANGLERFOR

MORETHAN

40 YEARS,

HASWRITTEN

FIVEBOOKS

ABOUTSPORT

WITHROD

ANDGUN.HIS

NOTEBOOK

RUNSINTHE

FIRSTISSUEOF

EVERY MONTH.

40 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

thatanotherpheasant season had

drawntoa close.

It is alwaysgoodtomeetupwith

friendsandit is goodtoseeyour

shootwearingitssummerclothes;

tobetherewhen,howeverhotand

humid,theairis ladenwiththescent

ofmeadowsweetandmowngrass

andelderflowers.Andworkdays

areusuallyfairlyrelaxedoccasions,

whereastheshootingdaysforwhich

theyprepareareoftentouched with

tensionanduncertainty.

Onshootingdayskeepersand

beatersarehopingthattheywillable

tosendenoughpheasantsoverthe

Guns;theyareeagerand anxious

not to disappoint.

“Youareunlikelytoleavea workday

appalled by your own incompetence”

Thepoultsarriveinthemiddle

ofJulyandallthepreparations

for them must be done by then