White Pheasant
Taken during my early morning stroll on Saturday.
This was the 1st time I had ever seen a white Pheasant, so a little bit of Googling later and I now know a little bit more about them.
Because they are more easily identified in cover than their better camouflaged brethren, many shoots in the UK purposely release hand-reared white pheasants with their shooting stock.
Gamekeepers use the white birds to identifying where their game birds are and to track their movement patterns around the estate.
Because of their usefulness, Gamekeepers are not keen on their white birds being shot by Guns on driven or walked up days. They often offer the white birds “diplomatic immunity” by making a statement in the shoot brief that they are not to be engaged under any circumstances.
In the situation where a Gun does have a lapse in their bird recognition skills and shoots a white bird, a significant monetary fine is usually imposed on the guilty party with the proceeds going to a nominated charity. The guaranteed ribbing that the perpetrator will undoubtedly receive from their fellow Guns for the remainder of the day and most likely for the remainder of the season and possibly their entire shooting career, may be considered by some as double punishment.
Welcome to British shooting traditions!
Olympus OM-D E-M1 mkii and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 ASPH lens
White Pheasant
Taken during my early morning stroll on Saturday.
This was the 1st time I had ever seen a white Pheasant, so a little bit of Googling later and I now know a little bit more about them.
Because they are more easily identified in cover than their better camouflaged brethren, many shoots in the UK purposely release hand-reared white pheasants with their shooting stock.
Gamekeepers use the white birds to identifying where their game birds are and to track their movement patterns around the estate.
Because of their usefulness, Gamekeepers are not keen on their white birds being shot by Guns on driven or walked up days. They often offer the white birds “diplomatic immunity” by making a statement in the shoot brief that they are not to be engaged under any circumstances.
In the situation where a Gun does have a lapse in their bird recognition skills and shoots a white bird, a significant monetary fine is usually imposed on the guilty party with the proceeds going to a nominated charity. The guaranteed ribbing that the perpetrator will undoubtedly receive from their fellow Guns for the remainder of the day and most likely for the remainder of the season and possibly their entire shooting career, may be considered by some as double punishment.
Welcome to British shooting traditions!
Olympus OM-D E-M1 mkii and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 ASPH lens