WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019 67Pondering the intricacies and intrigues of the partridge. ByJohn Clements.Partridge memoriesI
t maybejustme,butthestubble
sirenshavebeencallingfor
sometime.Eachweekthecall
hasgrownfroma faintwhisper
untilto quietenit, I busymyself
withpreparationfortheseason.
Until,standingona peg,I canlet
thesights,soundsandscentswaft
aroundmelikeanIndianOcean
currentovercoralsand.
It’salmostas if myfeetreach
downintotheearth.Thedaily
grindblurs,anda feelingthat‘thisis
right;thismakessense’wellsuplike
a memoryfroma long-forgotten
postcard,thatoverwhelming sense
of calm and focus.Proud little birds
Theshouts,theanticipationand
thenthatburstof action.Forme
thisis thejoyof shootingpartridges
overthehedges,thescratchof
stubble,thedust-finecloudsrising
fromfarmtracksandthelazy
warmthin theairas it is shuffl ed
aboutbya patientbreeze.
Ifwelookat them,red-legged
orgrey,weseesmall,ratherjolly
butproudlittlebirds.Ground-
dwellers,essentially,butfamedfor
theirrelationshipwithpears.Any
fieldguidewillgiveyouthelow-
downonthem,butit willnotgive
youthemostimportantpieceof
information;theirspecialistsubject.
Itcomesdownto the
compositionof themeat.There
is a healthyamountof protein
(between25.8and36.7g/100g),not
muchfat,someassortedB vitamins,
and, of the elements, there is thefollowing:notmuchsodium,iron,
zincandhigherthanusualamounts
ofselenium(whichis thought
to protectfromsomecancers).
However,themostcommon
elementin partridgeis surprise.
Partridgessurpriseyou;learned
routinescantriumphandfailon
thetwitchof a primaryfeather,
youmaypickyourbirdandfix it
hard, and your barrels may glide(intheory),cautionandcourage
workhandin handuntilfinallythey
arewhereyouwant;theyflush.The
shots.Thelaughs.Ohwell...
Butforeachof thosetheremight
bea morewelcomesurprise.At
theendof a drive,in thattwilight
momentas youglancearoundto see
if yourfellowGuns are beginning
to unload.Wings blur
Somewhere,somethingmoves;
youglanceoveryourshoulderand
fromnowherewingsblur.Inone
movementyouturn,raiseyour
gunandbeforeyouhavetimeto
think,yourspentcartridgesare
flyingpastyourearandin the
distancetwofeatheryformstumble
to thestubble.Youlookto your
fellowGunsagainandthethumbs
areup;yousmile.Thenacrossthe
fieldyouhearthewords,“Nice
one”.Thehornblows and you set
offto findthem.
Andthenthereis speed.
Mathematicsmaydictatethe
pheasantis fasterby5mph,
butcomparingthetwois like
comparinga largeluxurysaloon
witha low-slung,track-dayrocket.
Partridges,particularlythegreys,
haveachievedtotemicstatusfor
theshooter-conservationist.A
pheasant,especiallya cock,may
takethatimperiousvacantattitude,
butpartridgeshavethatstoic,
determinedgleamin theireyes.
Wetendto viewtheinter-
waryearsas a goldenageforthe
British gun trade, but they wereBIRD“You may pick
your bird and fix
it hard,and your
barrels may glide
effortlessly across
the sky,but this is
no done deal.”effortlesslyacrossthe sky, but this is
nodonedeal...
Ihaveseendriveswhereforthe
sakeof anotherweek’smaturity,
hundredsof birdshavegathered
in frontof a gamecrop,likea
simmeringcauldron.Andwhen,
finallytheyfly, theyskim around
likeportlyswallows.
Butsomerise.Oneheadsyour
way,wellnearly;yourneighbour
agrees;thebirdbisectstheline,
youbothpauseandyoubothmiss.
Equallyto gathertheJanuarybirds
with HPRs is a challenge and a joyPHOTOGRAPHY:CHRIS WARREN