When shoots were more reliant on wild birds, more self-sufficient and less dependent on gamefarms, it was common practice for them to shoot ‘cocks only’ for the second half of January. In a poor year for wild birds, the gamekeeper and shoot owner would get together, count up what they thought they had and decide whether the ‘cocks only’ rule should be brought in even earlier. Hens were treasured and no keeper or owner worth their salt would risk over-shooting them.
Fast forward 50 years or so and we have, with a few notable exceptions, become rather complacent about the production of wild game and have come to