November, the morning fog fades slowly away to reveal the outline of the wood draped in its late autumn colours. Everyone’s talking about it, the distinctive smell of rotting leaves, mushrooms poking their heads up around the trunks of century-old trees.
A robin taking flight from a nearby bush raises our expectations, which are soon confirmed near a juniper the dogs just won’t leave alone. A few cautious steps, seconds of silence broken by the flight and the thrill of the hunt and then that breath-taking blast of the shot.
Hunting woodcock never changes but it always brings something new, that timeless cult that brings all hunters and dogs together from late autumn right through the season.
There’s a lot of self-sacrifice, hope, waiting and training just to be ready for that moment you’ve been dreaming of, in those fleeting instants of time that all but stand still, as still as a statue beside your dog, ready to reward both your own and your dog’s prowess with a successful shot.
Nothing is left to chance or improvised by woodcock hunters as even the tiniest detail can contribute to the success of this authentic and dynamic hunt, a combination of technical skill and experience in the field, and having all these elements ready at just the right time can make all the difference.
A light gun that’s easy to handle, specific comfortable and well-wearing clothing, and last but not least a cartridge you can rely on as it’s in this that you’re putting your trust to bring your challenge with the woodcock to a successful conclusion.
Baschieri & Pellagri has produced a specific cartridge for hunting woodcock, the Mygra Beccaccia, designed along the same lines as the rest of the ammo in this range to suit the specific characteristics of the type of game and hunting you’ll be using it for.
With a load of 34 grams of No. 8.5 lead shot in the 12-gauge cartridge, the Mygra Beccaccia is the ideal solution for your first barrel to reward your pointer with a shot taken at close range. The load has just the right penetrating power in dense woodland to stop the woodcock in its tracks.
As everyone knows, this game isn’t particularly tough to bring down, but never forget that woodcock will almost always put a natural barrier of branches, leaves and dense vegetation between itself and the hunter and the shot must be able to penetrate this barrier in an effective way. Often you’ll be taking a shot at a woodcock that’s just taken flight, with a fleeting glance of the game through the open spaces between the trees, at ranges that can sometimes be challenging.
The felt wad in the Mygra Beccaccia cartridge guarantees excellent distribution of the spread at close to medium ranges, while the MBx32 double-base powder gives the shot just the right muzzle velocity to make every one count.
The Gordon System plastic star crimp case patented by Baschieri helps reduce recoil and muzzle rise, making your second shot more precise.
The select tempered lead shot has a gilt finish to increase hardness and roundness, for higher muzzle velocity and a more precise trajectory. The muzzle velocity of the Baschieri & Pellagri Mygra Beccaccia is 405 m/s. The same cartridges are also available in 20-gauge, with Baschieri MG2 powder and 28 grams of the same gilt hardened No. 8.5 lead shot.
For more information, visit the Baschieri & Pellagri website.
