left and a right you have to kill
the fi rst bird before worrying
about the second. I remember
early in my shooting life being
completely discombobulated by
having to choose one among
many and usually missing all.
Partridges can be
regarded as less expensive
and more reliable
grouse. Low over
hedges, springing
on the Guns in
coveys, there are
similarities. Or as
small pheasants when presented
in the modern way across deep
valleys. But perhaps it’s better
just to think of them as
partridges pure and
simple. They are
what they are.
Redlegs are always compared
to greys, usually unfavourably:
‘oh, they’re not as fast’, ‘they’re
easier to shoot’, even ‘they
don’t taste as good’. This may
or may not all be true but the
fact is most of us won’t get the
chance to test it out.Partridge economics
Grey partridge do not take
well to breeding in captivity
and being released. They
tend to disappear. Back in the
early 20th century we used to
shoot around 2m a year but
to produce a wild, shootable
surplus an inordinate amount
of time and capital had to be
spent both on the gamekeeping
side of things and the way
the land is farmed. Happily
some landowners are trying,
and succeeding, to bring back
the grey but let’s just say that
opportunities to shoot native
partridge are somewhat limited.
Non-native the redleg
may be, but they have been
breeding here for over 250
years, a century more than
grey squirrels and 200 years
more than the collared
dove. Because of the
numbers released it
is very diffi cult to
work out the size of
a wild population
but the GWCT
reckons anywhere
between 90,000
and 250,000 pairs
and, surprise,
surprise, they
are in decline.
Originating
in the
Mediterranean
area, it likes
warmth in the
breeding season
but seems to
tolerate colder
winters more