[Music]
It's the summer solstice - the longest day, and Mark is on a date with girlfriend Natalie
who's going to experience her first romantic evening out rabbit shooting.
It's a good job Mark has his and hers outfits on test from new kids on the block ShooterKing
from Belgium.
Natalie is going to need it.
Two is company, three is a crowd and four o'clock in the morning is when Mark wants
to see us next.
That's in six hours' time, when Mark is going to have a go at the local corvid population.
They bring quite a lot of disease into the cattle feeders.
It is all stored in open bins and then they mix it up and feed it to the cows and they
carry disease and also the farmer doesn't want to feed 150 crows every morning.
He is being joined by Zeiss pro stalker Alex Hinkin who is setting up on the other side
of the farmyard.
And most of your stuff is going to come over like this or back from behind you.
Like that yes.
But as soon as you start banging they will start moving towards the farmyard.
Ok where are you from here?
Other side of those trees.
Now the point of Hunter Gatherer is to eat what we shoot...
hmm... not sure how that got there...
We are a bit late with this one.
The traditional date for shooting young rooks, or branchers, is the 12th May.
We know stuff is late coming-on this year, but this is really pushing it - So what do
blackbirds baked in a pie taste like?
Well they are supposed to taste like pigeon.
If they were dead everyone would eat them.
So I am naturally quite sceptical.
I made rook pie as in branchers in a pie for Sporting Shooter two or three years ago.
It was pleasant I suppose, but I wouldn't rush out to eat it again.
But if there was nothing else to eat I would eat it.
As the nursery rhyme goes it's 4 and 20 blackbirds, so what does that really add up to?
Well 4 and 20 is probably 80 so we have some way to go before we can make a pie.
I don't think we are even going to have enough for a small casserole if we carry on like
this.
With the way the morning is going probably best to stick to 24.
13 unlucky for some.
14, 15 we might get the 80 yet.
16, 4 and 20.
It's been a slow start but Mark is able to get his eye in.
He is loving this work.
Oh yes.
Oh.
Tell me you have got that one David.
Oh yes.
Oh man.
I know you didn't film that because you ...
As well as his smart ShooterKing jacket which we all know looks too good for Mr Gilchrist
and will get as cleaned as regularly as his guns - i.e. not at all - he is also giving
a Mossberg pump action shotgun from York Guns a work out.
These days, the pump action seems to come second place to the semi auto.
Mark does not really understand why.
It's a practical way of getting shots down the barrel, especially in a hide- situation.
It requires a modicum more skill than a semi-auto but there s less to go wrong.
Pumps don't jam like autos can.
I am not trying to be rude, but I think a lot of people think they need to fire lots
of shots really quickly.
Anyone that is buying a gun because its fast cycling is never going to make a bag of anything.
So I think people think they are getting something good if they can get through the shells really
quickly.
But if you see a really good shot like Andy Crow firing three shots, he will probably
go bang ... bang ..... bang.
The shots are probably that far apart because if you are doing it any quicker you are guessing
where your next shot is going.
You very rarely go bang, bang, bang and get three kills, because you are just not taking
the line of the bird properly.
I think that is why people go for autos over pumps.
I must say I am quite fond of a pump.
Mark has also got a silenced Mossbeg .410 on test too and we'll be playing with that
in an upcoming episode.
He is pretty pleased with that too.
With tummies rumbling and nearly 80 birds on the floor it looks like crow for breakfast
... or maybe not - the garage-bought disposable bbq just isn't making it... plus we're feeling
pretty sorry for Natalie - yes, remember Natalie?
- she's trying to get some sleep in Mark's van and to be honest she'd prefer she had
some cornflakes and a coffee.
Ok so it was quite a good morning.
It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be.
We picked 76, I thought we would get 120, 150 so it is a bit disappointing from that
point of view.
We were going to round it up with a bbq with a young rook, but we failed on quite a few
levels.
Firstly, that is a jackdaw and not a rook and David just can't light a disposable bbq,
which between us is quite a poor effort for hunter gatherer if we one can't hunt and gather
the right thing and two can't make fire.
I think the series might be doomed.
Fear not we will eat branchers next year and even crow at some point.
Maybe some of you can tell us what it tastes like and the best way to cook it?