On tonight's show Im at the fantastic Ripley Castle in Yorkshire to see how their head
game keeper, Dave Cockshott, prepares for a shoot.
Ripley Castle estate is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park amongst
beautiful countryside.
This fantastic estate hosts some of the best pheasant shooting in the UK and offers up
some amazing birds.
However, pheasant shooting isn't all about the birds.
It's a social event and offers the chance for groups to shoot together, to enjoy each
others company and to build friendships.
Some of the best shoots offer the best hospitality alongside great birds to create a fantastic
day for all.
The pheasant shooting season spans October 1st to February 1st and as a result, can be
a muddy affair.
But always enjoyable.
I caught up with the head game keeper at Ripley Castle to find out more about what that role
involves and to find out a little more about the estate and a commercial shoot.
We are here at Ripley Castle shoot today, and we are here with head gamekeeper Dave
Cockshott.
Hi Dave.
Hello, pleased to meet you.
Right we are going to shadow you today, and have a ride round with you and just see what
a keeper does in a day on a commercial shoot.
So what kind of job will be first.
Well the first job that we are going to do, is going to go and feed the pheasants, that
is what we do at this time of the year.
We either feed the pheasants, or we are out shooting on a shoot day.
Ok.
So we will take you round and we will go feed some birds.
How many days a week do you shoot generally on the estate?
We shoot generally about five days a week here.
Five days a week?
So it doesn't give you much time off Dave?
It doesn't no, but we have the one day for feeding which is today.
Yeah, and then the rest of the week we are un feeding.
So what is it that we are feeding them, is it corn or maize?
This is broken maize this is.
Broken maize.
And these are all your feeders?
These are all feeders yes.
They have one for wheat, one for maize and one for, whatever is left in the wagon goes
into the end one.
And how long do these last you?
Well, they last us a couple of weeks.
Really?
Yeah.
That is a lot of feed.
We can get through a silo of wheat every week.
The maize lasts about a month.
Generally we feed the maize where there is a lot of partridge.
They like that do they?
Yeah.
Pheasants do like it as well, but we try to keep them on the wheat as it is a bit cheaper,
they don't stray as much, and it is good for them.
You say it is a regular group of guns that come to this shoot then?
Yeah, we have the regular people that come, and also we have a lot of individuals that
come to join teams as well.
Yeah, there are new people to the shoot, a lot of the ways it works well.
They are always a very good social event aren't they?
Ah yes any shoot day is a good social event no matter what it is.
We do have a varied selection of ground to shoot.
We have got the valleys, lots of open fields and stuff.
It is a good variation I think.
Yes, it is not very often you get that is it really, when you get flat ground, woodland
ground, and valleys.
Yeah it is generally one or the other.
Yeah that will do.
Hell, it is wet.
This is one of the drivers.
We push them up into the bottom, and the top there.
Drive them all up, then flush them all back that way.
So you bring them from all the way up to start off?
Yep, we do yes!
What we do, is a drive from the bottom first, which we drive, then the guns shoot, whilst
preparing ourselves for a quick drink, we'll push this wood up here, push everything up
into it and make it a good one.
What's this beam then?
This is canary grass, and that side is artichokes.
Is that holding quite well then?
That holds nice a well yeah.
We have a lot of it now, as it looks after itself year on year.
So what do you do with that then, just leave it?
Cut it down and leave it?
Yeah we just top it off in the spring time, then it just grows again.
So do you put maize down too?
We don't do as much as we used to do.
I bet the beaters enjoy that then, it is a nightmare to go through!
Yes, we try and make sure it doesn't get quite as long in some places, yeah.
What has caused that Dave?
That is where the squirrels chew through the side.
I suppose, just like rats they just chew through things, gnaw the teeth through.
Yeah.
Right then, white partridge.
Quite unusual to see isn't it!?
Yeah.
I dread to think what the fine is to shoot one of them Dave.
It is a £50 fine if you shoot one of them.
So with the white partridges, once they have shot them, the pay the £50, does it go towards
a kitty?
It all goes to charity!
Ah brilliant stuff.
We look after 2, or 3 charities through the season.
That is great.
We do a sweep, that goes to charity.
Put the mixture down?
We have three types really, we have manchurian, and they are biz anti.
They are our 3 types of fences that we put down.
What do you do with all the birds Dave.
Have you got a game dealer that picks them up?
Yeah we have a dealer that picks them up and takes everything.
Is it a local game dealer?
Richmond, it is not right local, but it is something.
Right that is the birds fed now, there have been some cracking
looking drives, so I am looking forward to see how they fly, and how the birds go over
the guns tomorrow.
Should be good, what is the weather forecast for tomorrow.
I think it is supposed to be pretty much what it is like now.
Excellent, that will be fine then won't it?
Yeah it be fine yeah, bit more breezy, but as long as there is no rain, and no snow.
It is a big operation you have got here, it really is.
It just works well, we are getting there now, it is good.
This is our game cart, this is where we take it out and pack it together.
It can hold up to, up to 300 birds.
You can get 300 birds in there?
Yep, 200 birds.
Blimey!
It is all part of the regulations now isn't it, that you have to have this.
It is yes.
Designed to keep the birds cool.
This is where all the spent cartridges are stored.
Blimey.
Bags of the them.
I mean, me and Wildy would have a field day on the pigeons, we got about 40 pigeons for
that.
What do you do with these then?
Recycling.
Yeah they all go for recycling.
I noticed there is a company that do them now.
There is indeed.
Pegs, do you leave them out for the season.
We have stopped that.
No we stop that for the season now.
There are some drives that don't put pegs out because of sheep and cows, we don't do
it.
Very tight and small sheds for small birds, then they have got the big sheds for the larger
ones.
Bet that has kept you busy during the summer.
Oh, very busy, very busy yeah!
Had to keep a few sheep over the winter too, just to keep the grass down, well they are
doing a good job aren't they.
They are doing a very good job.
Really looking forward to tomorrow, see how these birds fly.
I wanna see someone take one of those white partridges though, and make sure they pay
the £50 fine.
We shall try and see what we can do.
Great stuff.
I will let you get on with it, thanks very much.
Cheers!
Tune in next time to see us follow some of the guns on a commercial shoot at the magnificent
Ripley Castle.