Just a quick entry to record the fact that Mr. C shot a woodcock yesterday - a notable event considering his reputation for missing them. The historic event took place near Rolvenden where my father, C and I were shooting on another of H’s rough days. Treacle put the bird up from thick brambles and having flown low over one gun it banked, climbed high and headed over to the oaks by which C was standing. I was already rehearsing the jibes in my head as the first barrel was emptied without effect but to the report of the second the bird halted in mid flight and glided down, wings still outstretched. It had been a good shot and, although he denies it vehemently, C's first woodcock.
No quarry makes one question the ethics of shooting more than the woodcock. They are beautiful birds which have survived a perilous migration to seek refuge in a temperate climate - so should they really be shot? My response to the question is that I would never shoot one for ' sport ' and would only take one if I knew it would end up on my dinner table. Even then I would never shoot more than one or two a year regardless of how many I saw. Woodcock on toast happens to be one of my favourite dishes and the annual hunt for my Christmas breakfast is something of a tradition. I haven't even shot at one this season so I might be joining Em in her panettone this year.
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