Grey partridges are to East Anglia what grouse are to the north of Great Britain. Their chuckling call, their jinking, curling flight and their beautifully understated plumage make them the holy grail of quarry species down this way.
It’s long been an ambition of mine to have enough greys on the shoot to organise a small walked-up day in September. And with 2022 being a superb summer for breeding, at last the chance has arisen.
Vizsla owners Michael and Libby Scarfe as well as Sara and Andy Cracknell were first on my list of invitees — good mates with great dogs. Charlie Hutley, an old friend and neighbouring farmer, made up a team numbering four Guns and three hunt, point and retrieve dogs.
Thanks to lots of scruffy game cover, robust predator control and a very dry spring, wild bird numbers look
