Do you remember your
first shoot day?
Gareth Dockerty
Gareth Dockerty reflects on the ‘first day feelings’ of joining the beating line for the first time, and how we all have a role to play in encouraging newcomers into the shooting world.
As the pheasant season begins in October, many people across the UK will have their very first day on a shoot. Not only do first impressions matter, but they are also fascinating to watch unfold.
We all have a first day at something, perhaps it is a job, school, or a new hobby. For many of us our first introduction to game shooting is beating. I must admit I can’t remember my first day’s beating on a shoot, very young as I was. However, I do remember that nervous excitement of wanting to go, coupled with the fear of doing something wrong or not being accepted by others. There is a mini version of the first day feelings every time I visit a new shoot, while you try to make good first impressions and get to grips with the unique customs of each set-up.
We are usually given a formal introduction to our places of work or education, we may even be introduced slowly with taster days or a period of probation. We probably have a manager and potentially a mentor and there is always the looming presence of a HR department. Most shoot days do not work like this, however the same principles apply. It is in fact the thought of a grizzled beater in a smelly wax jacket from the 1970s taking on a formal mentoring role that will probably resonate most with us all when it comes to shoot ‘inductions’.
Then there are the ‘technical terms’. Each shoot also has its own language that will seem foreign at best to newcomers, such as “stop at the big tree”, “hold by the gap” or “tap on at the bottom of little thorns”, with locations and drives named after incidents, people or features that often disappeared two decades ago. It’s a minefield for a rookie.
Encouragement is key
The shooting community has probably lost some potential stalwarts as a result of a poor first day experience, be that by not offering a little bit of encouragement, a smile or a much-needed hot drink. Perhaps you suffered on your first few days in the beating line and feel that others must go through the same initiation to prove themselves? Taking that treacherous path down a steep bank, battling through a dense patch of brambles, or losing a wellie in that notorious boggy spot.
It is a fact of our shooting lives that we will all fall over, get wet, cold or make fools of ourselves at some point. It may, however, be hard if this all happens on that first day. We need to build gateways into shooting, not obstacles.
I am thinking about this more than ever this season as my lad is now six years old, and although he has been around the shoot for a few years and even did a half day at the end of last season, this will be his first full day. He wants to help and get stuck in, either dishing out food and drinks, flagging birds over the guns or sorting the game. I will do my best to make sure he enjoys that first day and wants to come back next time. It feels like there is a lot more pressure on me than him, however, I must remember that nothing is as daunting as that first day.
Do your bit
Perhaps we can all make a commitment now to support the first day brigade as we get ready for the start of the pheasant season.
If you are introducing or helping any newcomers over the season you have one of the most important roles in our community. Perhaps you could show someone how to prepare a pheasant for cooking or share a favourite recipe, after all food is a common ground that we all share.
It might be able to point out that hare or deer scurrying across the fields or songbird darting in the cover crops. Helping newcomers to connect with their surroundings and absorb the whole experience of being out in the countryside is sharing something that we all know to be just as important as the drives and shooting itself.
Let’s ensure that first experience of sustainable shooting is positive, and people leave eager to attend a second day in our wonderful countryside. The rain, wind, poor choice of clothing, disobedient dogs and stressed gamekeepers are all hurdles to tackle in the days and hopefully years to come.
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