James' 2013-2014 Shooting Season Round-Up

2013/2014 season was by in large a successful season for many of the Southern shoots. Good weather during April and May made for a fruitful rearing season, in addition to this, the Indian Summer that we experienced meant that the birds released in June/July had almost 4 months of good weather on their backs. This contrasted to 2012 when almost the complete inverse was the case.

The good weather over the Summer and Autumn of 2013 meant that the birds were on the whole, strong, disease free and developed quickly, again in stark contrast to 2012. As a result of the kind weather, the season started with good cover strips and strong, fully feathered birds – a weight off any keeper’s shoulders.



Abundant insects and a prolific acorn crop made birds hard to control for much of the season. Keepers were left praying for a series of hard frosts to kill off some of the natural insects. These frosts never really came and many times throughout the season I heard a keeper complain that his birds were everywhere. The promising start to the season was followed by a slight lag for many in the middle, as the birds were able to roam freely due to the availability of wild food. It wasn’t really until towards the mid/end of the season that the birds started to feed hard from the feeders and this bought an element of control for keepers and an upsurge in bag sizes.

All in all a good season was had by the majority of Southern shoots. Most people who I have spoken to said that the pheasants flew better than normal. I believe this was due to them being so fit from all the good early weather and a near constant supply of natural food. As always the season seems to have ended before it’s started, but rest assured that keepers all round the country are busy catching up hens and it will soon be on us again before we know it.