Hartley Wespall Shoot!

Just got back from another weekend at Hartley Mill!  Read of my adventures below, narrated in a witty interplay of photograph and caption.

(First, some important vocabulary: A  beater is somebody who walks through the woods shouting and banging sticks on trees in an attempt to flush pheasants towards the guns.  The guns are the fine women and men who stand at carefully arranged posts (or pegs) and try to shoot the pheasants as they fly over.  Only overhead birds are considered “good” birds—no flat (or “low”) shots allowed.  A stage (a.k.a. a drive)  is a segment of the day in which shooting occurs.  Before a stage, the beaters position themselves at one edge of a wood, while the guns ready themselves at the other.  When the hunting horn sounds, the beaters begin their noisy march through the wood and the guns bring down the birds as they are driven out of cover.  At the end of the day, the pheasants are collected; every cock is tied to a hen, making a brace. Over the course of the shoot, eight brace of pheasant and one (unpaired) cock were shot, as well as a brace of duck).

Early Saturday, the guns and beaters arrive

The hunt begins. Beaters position themselves at the edge of wood #1

Flag carriers wave their flags to keep the pheasants flying towards the guns

A professional dog trainer leads the beaters

Beaters position themselves along the edge of wood #2

Beaters position themselves along the edge of wood #2 (other direction)

Beaters position themselves along the edge of wood #3

A peg in wood #3

The vizsla of the shoot captain

Lagging behind through a marsh on the 3rd drive

Elevensies: Sloe gin to keep spirits high

Elevensies: Sloe gin—and pork rinds—to keep spirits high

Land Rover Defenders

Pilon Hill—site of sledding two years ago, before I studied in Göttingen

Beaters walk through a field

The 12-bore

Ramsey’s bird (saw two good birds, shot one—the first was warm-up)

End of the 5th stage, end of the hunt!

Land Rover Defender

Dogs in the Defender

Eight brace of pheasant and one of duck, with a cock pheasant left over

Tired dogs

Sunday: A walk around Cookham, where “Wind in the Willows” is based!

Street signs

Road towards Cookham

The Green of Cookham Dean!

Johnny reviewing our maps in The Jolly Farmer

Aunt Jane and Ramsey crush a few pints

The Jolly Farmer

The Church in Cookham Dean

The church is built of large flint nodules

The Church in Cookham Dean #2

View of the “Wild Wood” in “Wind in the Willows”

Valley of the River Thames

Maps are considered, overlooking the River Thames

Descending into the river valley

AJ and Ramsey down by the River Thames

Approaching Bourne End

Bourne End

Ramsey, before Bourne End

Back in downtown Cookham!

Back in downtown Cookham! #2

Took home a brace to munch

The brace is ready for cleaning

This is the healthiest, juiciest pheasant I have even seen.

The pheasants in a light olive oil/lemon/honey/rosemary marinade

And they marinade

Meanwhile, outside at The Mill

AJ’s Garden

The Mill, from afar

Hartley Mill

The garage/garden sheds

The greenhouse

The greenhouse #2

Evening sets in

Evening sets in #2

Evening sets in #3

A light from within

The Pheasants Are Ready to Cook; or, Start Drinking Whiskey

Roasted pheasant

Carving the pheasant

Dinner!

Enjoying the pheasant

Cabbage, roast potatoes and pheasant—A hearty dinner!