Clifden, County Galway. I found myself following Eugene on one of his outings to a field in Connemara. He, armed with a shotgun and I, with my camera. Shooting a man shooting….woodcock. Having never been on a hunt I was thrilled to tag along to capture the scene. Waterproofs and wellies donned we trudged through the field, much of which was part of the bog. Not wanting to be in front of man with a shotgun, I trailed behind and once in a while found myself knee deep in the bog with freezing cold water seeping into one of my wellingtons. Caught out by oneself this could be lethal.

The Woodcock ; Scolopax, Eugene tells me, migrate from Scandinavia to the warmer climes of Ireland for the winter. Starving after their journey across they arrive somewhat emaciated. They have a high metabolic rate and are able to recover from their emaciated state in a couple of days if they feed regularly. They are wading birds and will feed at dawn and evening but will rest, hidden in the time in-between. This is the time we were out, with the help of two beautiful Springer Spaniels named Kes and Sharky, who would sniff out any woodcock hiding in any of the shrubs of gorse or the like with enough thickness and cover. After half hour of no luck we spotted a few that got away before the quick reflexes of Eugene’s trigger finger got the better of the escapees. Kes and Sharky also caught one by themselves but Eugene rescued it and let it free. He hunts the woodcock for food and sport so it’s important not to kill unnecessarily. He scored two woodcock and then I had a go at the shotgun for kicks before we headed back.