Tally Ho A Season To Go

Tally Ho
​ A Season To Go

Well here we are at the start of October and all our seasons are ready to start, well the wildfowling season is a month in, now were starting the full game season too, October is a favourite month of mine, my Pappy (Grandfather) always loved this month, he called it the month of plenty and colour, he always remarked about the English countryside and its wondrous colour in this month, just look at our magnificent woodland in all their splendour and variety of colour, he was right and every year it amazes me too, also this is the month of plenty, fruit laden tree and hedgerows, mushrooms and other awesome fungi to harvest too, the pig is getting fat and all that wild game to harvest and so much more, a truly wondrous month of plenty and colour eh!

​Well where do I start with my latest humble scribbles. I suppose I should start right at the beginning, I could not go wildfowling on the 1st of September as it was a Sunday, we cannot shoot wildfowl in Somerset on a Sunday. Monday the 2nd of September evening flight after work saw Goose my Cocker Spaniel and I sat next to one of my wild flight ponds just in off the fore shore, I had with me my circa 1881 Peterson and Sons of Peterborough 16 bore hammer gun loaded with some bismuth a dear friend had loaded for me for duck hunting etc, as Goose and I sat there and watching the sun set over my beloved North Somerset I cast my mind back tto my childhood and how I have not missed a start of a season in the best part of 50 years, I thought of family and our wonderful dogs who are no longer with us here but hunting in heaven with my ancestors, I thought of many dear friends who are no longer with us, like Marc Ray who died on his way to meet me for the opening evening flight over a pond very near this one in 2009, I will say a tear or two rolled down my cheek as I raised the gun as a salute to them all.

​A king fisher kept whizzing past with a shrill making Goose stand on his tip toes and keeping him alert, well as if a spaniel needs to be kept alert eh? As the light started to dip ole screech my resident barn owl landed on the gate post above my head in almost complete silence, it seemed like an eternity but was only a second or two, the look on his face when he saw me and Goose was priceless, he didn't fly away though he took off and circled us in a wonderful flight display almost taking my cap off at one point, this for me was pure magic interacting with mother natures own, the light fell and we heard a few duck drop by, whistling wings overhead making mine and Goose heart beat like a steam train, I tried a few calls but they were intent on another pond this night, then the sound of the ghost riders on the wind in the distance, the wild geese that sound that sends an ice cold shiver down all wildfowlers backs, I gave a few honks, did they call back I don't know, but they answered I am sure saying come with me my lad not the other way around, the night fell black as ash cloth and the flight was over, not a single shot fired but my game bag was as full as my heart as was Goose, were back a season a new and were alive again.

​I had to go look at some standing barley on the next hunt, the farmers had not had chance to get this in due to the rain and I was asked could I go and push the pigeons off of it until the dry weather and they could harvest it, I am not one to turn down an invitation like that, again I decided to go old school, use my Pappy’s decoys from the 1960s and my old 16 Bore hammer gun, she is as sweet in the arms as she is on the eye, just like in my Pappy’s day, the first two pigeons to drop in to the decoys and a perfect right and left I had too, I put these aside as I had them for my supper that very night in a pigeon parcels recipe and a fine glass of port too, my Pappy’s recipe for this can be found in my cook book Recipes From The Hedgerow available in my book shop at www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk as with all of my books, I shot a triple figure bag of pigeons that day but none so memorable as this first two, it reminded me of my boyhood sat in the hide with my pappy, Dad and Uncle Dave, Goose retrieved almost every bird like the champion he is and in fine style too.

My awesome team and I started off the Somerset Masonic Shooting Club this month, if your a subscribing Somerset Craft Freemason and fancy joining us please get in touch via our website www.somersetmasonicshootingclub.co.uk but at the moment were still building our website, so our full contact details are on The Adair Club ( The official Light Blues Club Of Somerset) website www.youngmasons.co.uk as they are loaning us a page on their website until ours is finished.

I love Scotland and call it my Caledonian second home, many years ago a most excellent young Scottish chef called Alison taught me a wonderful dish entitled Chicken Rob Roy Mc Gregor, a lot of folk call it chicken Balmoral but that's for the tourists to me it will always be Rob Roy, again this recipe can be found in my Latest cook book Home and Away again available on my website book shop, I absolutely love Haggis as much as I love proper West Country Faggot's, now I have made Rob Roy with all sorts of game and it has come out amazingly every time, but obviously the king of the feast is the mighty Wild Haggis taken on a windy night on a full moon, I also make the sauce with white wine and tarragon as I really don't like whiskey, my pappy will be rolling in his grave right now as he loved a good single malt or a fine brandy, me I would pour them down the drain to keep the drains clear in winter, so swap the wine for whiskey if you like but its not for me, I also like it cold the next day with proper cooked chips in a chip pan with beef dripping, a gurt slice of proper bread and local salted farmhouse butter and plenty of salt and vinegar, I am getting hungry just writing this right now.

​The Frampton Show this year alas I did not make, due to the van breaking down and the breakdown company taking 6 hours to get to me, to say I was gutted is an under statement, so first I must send an apology to the show and its wonderful organisers, but my biggest apology goes out to all the wonderful families and young sports who were waiting ringside for me, I absolutely hate letting the kids down and this broke my word as I swore I will never let the kids down as long as I am at the helm of Pass It On Young Sports www.pass-it-on-young-sports.org my Pappy always taught me my word is my bond, so when I give my word you can damn sure I wont break, alas all this was beyond my control, I did especially love the photos sent to me by the families stood in my empty stand saying where are you, thanks folks you did make me chuckle with them, see you next year or at another show.

​I came out of a hospital appointment after treatment on the Wednesday and told to rest, yeh right I cant rest, true to my promise I wont let the kids or my team down, so Thursday morning bright and early I was at Jacklands Fishing Lakes nr Nailsea with my team from The Somerset Branch of The Masonic Fishing Charity or the MTSFC as were known, we had a full day arranged for a local Disabled SEN school, you can bet I was not going to let any kids down for sure, OK I took it steady and sat down coaching fly fishing but I turned up with my show face on, my awesome team dis a brilliant job and proved our mantra Catching Smiles and these were not just on the kids faces but all including my wonderful team and this rough ole country boy, actually I must send a huge thanks to my team for literally carrying me this day, awesome people one and all, we put on breakfast and a BBQ lunch for all the weather stayed kind and we presented a certificate and medal to each young person taking part in the day, I as did all of my team have a tear in our eyes as the kids left as they all wanted so much to stay, they had such a fantastic day with us, alas as always the day is over all too quickly for all of us, if you would like to volunteer or donate get in touch with us via our website www.mtsfc.org.uk you don't have to be a Freemason or even be able to fish as we need help with so many things, if you would like to become a Freemason and live in Somerset click on this link www.somersetfreemasons.org or google UGLE if you dont live in Somerset.

The following day the Friday I headed for The Yorkshire Shooting Show and Game Fair in Doncaster. I was held up in the morning as the motorway was flooded. By the afternoon I started my long drive up, I got there very late my Pass It ON Young Sports Northern Team thought I had gotten lost, I got there just in time to drop the stand equipment off before they locked the hall for the night.​

I was in time for my pilgrimage to Whitby’s fish and chip shop and our annual team nosh up, the fish here is wonderful and so fresh it eats your chips, chips I might add that are cooked in best beef dripping as is the fish, well a slab of fresh bread and proper salted butter is a must aint it? The butter must run down your chin its the law in Yorkshire you know, a well deserved pint of Guinness and I am one happy Ole Hedge Creeper, point of note here too, I absolutely love Yorkshire Tea, I totally refuse to drink anything else, you can keep all that perfume stuff I wan MAN’S tea Yorkshire tea and strong builders tea too, not that last dip of the tea bag nonsense where it barely graces the bag, also a point of note Yorkshire Tea tastes the best in Yorkshire, my belief it has something to do with the water up there, I don't care if you think I am right or wrong, I know it for myself, so sticky out tong to you.

My team and I set the stand up in quick time on the Saturday morning just in time for a bacon roll, bap, barm, cob what every you call it and a big mug of strong Yorkshire Tea.​

The doors of the show opened and we never stopped from start to finish when the doors were shut, my hand was hanging off from book signing so many books, I had almost lost my voice from giving game calling lessons, we met so many old friends and made lots of new ones, my show ring demo was so busy, I now know why Charlie Jacoby fro The Field Sports Channel refers to me as The Pied Piper of Country Sports, I start my wildfowling, pigeon shooting demos in the main ring and the young sports and their families just come running, especially as the sound of laughter and applause fills the air, we all met up in Whitby’s that night with some of the guys from The UK and Ireland Squirrel Group and my ole chum Brendan Anderson, a fine 3 course meal was, was the video that's with this article, for mere words just wont do this the justice it deserves.

The Sunday we all got lulled into a false sense of security, for the Sunday is always the quiet day, we all were quite nonchalance about it too saying oh well pack up by 2pm and be on the road by 4pm, oh how wrong could we be, the Sunday for the first time ever was so busy it was crazy, even more busy than the Saturday and that was saying something, the stand the show ring, my demos were so busy all day, the sun shone, the show looked amazing, the atmosphere was awesome, I am already booked to g back next year, I finally got home that Sunday night at 21.30pm absolutely exhausted, I slept most of the day Monday I telle, But I never let the kids, the families or my team down I was there, see you in 2025 The South Yorkshire Shooting Show and Game Fair.

Well as I finish this article we have started The Game Season of 2024/2025, Goose and I have done a little dogging in on my wild bird shoot, although I could of shot a couple of fine Autumn Cock Pheasants I just did not feel the need, I raised the gun and saluted by shouting bang, this was much to Goose frowns at me, but for now my pantry is full and I feel no need to harvest from Mother Natures Living Larder, as my pappy would always say, the meat stays fresher on the wing, hoof or paw my boy so only take what you need not what you want, this has always stuck with me, you know I have enjoyed more hunts working my dogs and not firing a shot until my belly rumbles and my pantry needs filling.

I hope you have enjoyed my latest humble scribbles and ramblings of a rough ole country boy, so until next time stay safe and well one and all FOR TIZ PROPER JOB MUCKER.

Tally Ho
A Season To Go​

By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk