The thrill of being first

While early-season shoot days are a privilege to attend, they require a different approach to those later in the year. But when it comes to the sport, don’t get complacent: early doesn’t necessarily mean easy

- Jonathan Irby

MANY YEARS ago, the one date I looked for in the calendar was the start of the autumn term. In a perfect world I would see myself returning to school after 7 September. Why so? It gave me a great chance of enjoying a day's fantastic sport on the gorse-clad bluffs of north-west Anglesey as a guest of ‘Uncle John’ Pickering on the wonderful Llys Dulas shoot.

The excitement of standing in grassy fields among family and friends with the sun on your back as the partridges burst off the banks has become one of my core memories. There was something so special about having a can of fizzy drink between drives while looking out to the sparkling Irish Sea. In my heart, I knew the summer holidays were over but this was the very best way to end them and also mark the start of the shooting season.

Spin forwards a few decades and my enjoyment of an early-season day remains as strong as ever. But there is more to this appreciation of an August day on a moor, a September day in fields of stubble and an October day among leaf-clad trees than just nostalgia.