Driven Woodcock Shoots at Cong

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1 30 Driven Wdcck Shts at Cng PETER CAMPBELL Frest and Wildlife Service, Cng, C. May. INTRODUCTION The ld traditinalists bast f the prized "Driven Wdcck Shts" at Cng Frest and it is nw pretty well accepted that it is the nly ne f any significance in Eurpe. The driven wdcck sht is classed as the mst sprting f all shts. The Cng shts, usually f six days duratin, in early December and late January, have always been regarded as sprting, scial and calendar events. Apart frm their undubted sprting aspect, their scial side has always been imprtant in the life f the prer cmmunity f the area. In the late twenties, the thirties, frties and even fifties, lcal families depended n the December sht fr that 'smething' fr the Christmas dinner table. The January uting was relied upn fr the prvisin f a pair f shes r pssibly fr an item f badly needed clthing. The shts were definite calendar dates in the area and ne still hears f 'such and such' a thing happening "befre the first sht" r "just after the January sht". THE ORGANISATION OF A WOODCOCK DRIVE Fr thse nt cnversant with a driven wdcck sht, it literally means what it says. "Driven", because the birds are flushed and driven twards the guns n the right and left f the "beat" (Fig 1). A beat can vary in width frm 100m t 200m and can be anything frm 500m t 1000m in length. The beat is flanked n all sides by shting paths and is wrked t btain the lngest "drive". The persnnel assciated with a sht are as fllws: Guns (usually seven), Gamekeeper, Head Beater, Beaters (nt less then twelve), Pickers (at least tw), Laders (ne with each gun) and Dgmen (nt less than three). The guns are psitined n the shting paths, usually fur n the.right and three n the left. Each gun is numbered accrding t his allcated psitin with gun numbers ne, tw, three and fur always n the right f the beat. (Fig 1). Psitins are allcated by draw. T eliminate any advant::lge, the psitin f each gun changes, usually dwnward (seven t six, six t five, etc.) after the cmpletin f each beat. Gun numbers ne and seven start IRISH FORESTRY, 1984, Vl. 41. N.1:

2 <: SHOOTING PATH () (6) -j- (5)-- IDOG! NO. 5 Gun 1._ eaters _Beater _ I :--- : STOP _.. _ Path Beater > i= P < Il... :. Beate )- - - '0 r STOP bil._-, " Z ea - j g; t E=: a en. -_ ) Gun ffi _Beaters Paths - I I :t N. 4, --"' " -- / r 0._ at _ jill :c f < Il...,., <: ttl Z (j (j VJ :t (j z a (1) (2) ) (3)----) (4) '!DOG! N. 3 YsTOP GUNS 0 SHOOTING PATH Gun I.. 14\ Fig. l. Sketch f Beat. w...

3 32 PETER CAMPBELL rughly 25m frm the beginning f the beat with the next gun 100m further n. Guns generally respect their distances frm ne anther and t d this it is imperative that they keep pace with the beaters. Safety precautins are always a fremst cnsideratin. Firing lw is strictly frbidden. A bird must be clear f the beat befre being sht. A lader handing an unbrken laded gun t any persn can expect instant dismissal. These safety precautins have paid dividends ver the years, with nly ne minr accident in eighty years. At the beginning f a beat, all the beaters are lined up acrss the starting line and the gamekeeper gives the starting signal. The head-beater leads his beaters alng the beater paths, making as much nise as pssible. The distance between beaters is nrmally 20m, thugh clser spacing is smetimes desirable. On flushing a bird, the beaters scan its directin f flight and shut t the gun nearest its line f flight. If the gun is successful, the gamekeeper may signal a halt t allw the bird t be retrived. When the wdcck is bagged, the signal t restart is given. This prcess is repeated as ften as necessary t the end f the beat. The picker is expected t be blessed with almst uncanny perceptin, as he has t anticipate where the dwned bird will fall. This is referred t as "marking a bird". Injured birds must be picked and dealt with as speedily as pssible. The picker is als respnsible fr keeping an accunt f the number f birds sht by each gun. The dead birds are carried alng the beat in a gamestick. (Plate 1). Plate 1. The "Bag" n "Gamesticks".

4 DRIVEN WOODCOCK SHOOTS AT CONG 33 The rle f the gamekeeper is that f Directr f Field Operatins and he is als respnsible fr cleaning and iling the guns after each day's shting. He is the pwerhuse f any sht and his knwledge f the birds' haunts, lcal gegraphy and terrain is f paramunt imprtance fr the success f any sht. The present gamekeeper at Cng, secnded by the Frest and Wildlife Service since 194, cmpares favurably with the best f his predecessrs. THE EVOLUTION OF DRIVEN SHOOTS AT CONG Lrd Ardilaun, wh wned Ashfrd Castle Estate frm 1868 until his death in 1915, planted big areas with trees after acquiring the Estate. One f the bjectives was t prvide shelter fr game. Twards the end f the century, this strategy began t pay dividends and these cverts, tgether with the natural grwt:' f hazel, began t attract big numbers f gamebirds, particularly wdcck. At the turn f the century, the cntinuus influx f wdcck prmpted thughts f expliting the situatin and the idea f a driven wdcck sht was cnceived. The inaugural sht was tentatively fixed fr the year Lrd Ardilaun cnsidered the sht such a mmentus undertaking that he invited the Prince f Wales t participate and the first sht actually tk place n the 25th January, Six guns sht with the Prince. The sht lasted fr five days and a bag f 462 wdcck was returned. Shts were then rganised annually until The sht was then allwed t lapse, due perhaps t the age r the failing health f Lrd Ardilaun. The recrds indicate that the sht was next held in 191, when The Hnurable A. E. Guinness tk ver the Estate. The fur days sht in late February, 191, returned a bag f 390 wdcck fr seven guns. Shts were als held in 1918 and 1919 with bags f 182 and 203 respectively. Hwever, the recrd bks are blank fr the perid 1920 t 192 and it is unlikely that shting tk place. This may have been due t unrest in the cuntry. The sht restarted in all its frmer splendur in 1928, with an eight day shw fr seven guns and a bag f 636 birds. With the exceptin f the years 1935 and 1936, shts were then held annually until 1938 under the directin f The Hnurable A. E. Guinness. The 1930 sht was ntewrthy because Lrd Oranmre and Brwne participated fr the first time and he was t remain assciated with the sht, in ne capacity r anther, fr the next fifty years. During the 1938 sht the beaters withdrew their labur n a number f ccasins thus disrupting the sht. This and ther difficulties s irked The Hnurable A. E. Guinness that he decided t sell the Estate and the Frestry Divisin tk ver as the new wners in 1939.

5 34 PETER CAMPBELL In their first year f wnership the Frestry Divisin ffered t let the sprting rights n a ten year lease. Lrd Oranmre and Brwne. tgether with the Marquis f Slig, submitted a jint tender and their ffer was accepted. At this time the fine stands f cmmercial timber n the Estate and the fine arbretum were shwing evidence that gd frestry and gd shting were nt incmpatible. Further evidence fr this can be seen in the excellent bags returned fr the sht ver the past 5 years. (Table 1). It is wrth mentining that n the 31st January, 1910, a British and Irish recrd fr ne day's shting fr seven guns was established at Cng. with a bag f 236 birds. Table 1 Sht returns at Cng fr selected years during the perid Year Duratin f Sht (Days) N. f Guns Bag N. f Birds Rushed (Dec. nly) (Jan. nly)

DRIVEN WOODCOCK SHOOTS AT CONG 35 WOODCOCK HABITAT In 1940 Lrd Oranmre and Brwne and the Marquis f Slig held their first sht. It lasted seven days and the bag was 400 birds.

6 DRIVEN WOODCOCK SHOOTS AT CONG 35 WOODCOCK HABITAT In 1940 Lrd Oranmre and Brwne and the Marquis f Slig held their first sht. It lasted seven days and the bag was 400 birds. On this ccasin many mre wdcck were sighted, but again the beaters withdrew their labur three times, thus causing a number f prblems. After this time Lrd Oranmre and Brwne is f the pinin that bags generally gt smaller due t the lack f maintenance f beater and shting paths. Hwever, it may be significant that abut this time the Frest and Wildlife Service was embarking n an extensive affrestatin prgramme in the nrthwest and the authr believes that the new frests may have prvided suitable stpping-ff places fr the incming wdcck. Alternatively, the creatin f an increasing area f suitable habitat may have led t the dispersal f the birds. Prime habitat is f curse vital in maintaining wdcck numbers and experience at Cng suggests that these birds althugh classed as waders, are happiest, and cnstantly frequent small heights under unthinned Sitka spruce, Nrway spruce, Duglas fir, Grand fir and Western Hemlck. Observatin ver many years leads t the cnclusin that when these species clse canpy t prvide gd. dry grund cver, wdcck flck int them. The sheltered sunny sides f such cverts appear t prvide prime habitat. Bag returns frm these areas cnfirm this bservatin. The numbers f birds inhabiting such stands decreases when they are thinned and the pattern f appreciatin wanes further with the nrmal develpment f the plantatin. Experience at Cng als suggests that the majrity f wdcck d nt g in their ncturnal sjurns t stand n their heads in sme marshy feeding grunds, but feed day and night in their selected haunts. The extensive brings (presumably fr fd) carried ut by these birds in their nrmal habitat prvides sme evidence fr this cnclusin. The wdcck's number ne enemy at Cng frest is the Pine Marten. Althugh the cck has excelient camuflage and all-rund bincular visin, it still falls victim t this prtected "predatr". RECENT DEVELOPMENTS In an effrt t make the sht mre amenable and t enhance its attractiveness, the Frest and Wildlife Service began in 1969 t widen ride-lines cum shting paths t 10 metres. Thus a strip five thusand metres in length was widened by bulldzer in 1969, 4000m was treated in 190 and a further 2000m f path was widened in 191. This widening is carried ut in cnjunctin with nrmal thinning peratins in s far as pssible by remving lines f trees. In additin, beater paths are maintained annually t keep the event mbile. These measures have ensured that wdcck shting at Cng has retained its attractiveness fr the usual cntinental clientele. Lng may it last.

ENGLISH HOMEWORK 2. How high can you jump? If you are like most people, you can probably jump one or two feet high.

ENGLISH HOMEWORK 2. How high can you jump? If you are like most people, you can probably jump one or two feet high. ENGLISH HOMEWORK 2 Hw high can yu jump? If yu are like mst peple, yu can prbably jump ne r tw feet high. Hw high d yu think the wrld's best jumper can jump? A man named Javier Stmayr set the wrld recrd