Buffalo and bird bush

Picture this: you are rested after a long morning shoot. You might not have caught the desired number for your bag but bonding with the boys - and girls - was super. You are in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Jamaica and all that is left for you to do is just head on over to Dr Marc Panton's farm for some roasted buffalo meat and manish water, juicy curried crab, copious amounts of liquor, the most succulent lamb you ever tasted, roast breadfruit and fresh pear, before heading out for the afternoon shoot.

That is exactly what members of Driftwood Gun Club did for the penultimate weekend of this year's bird-shooting season. In fact, they have been doing the 'party thing' for several years now and giving back cash and kind to the bird boys and residents of Treasure Beach and surrounding areas.

I was invited along with the club this year to see if they were really shooting birds in the bush. It was much different from the days when, as a teenager, I tagged along with my late father and his friends and their children. Back then, children had to remain a safe distance away from the shooters and wait to pluck feathers. But it was sure fun eating them crisply fried!

Things are a lot more sophisticated now: every comfort of fridge and bar are taken along to the field. And good thing too, as the 'whites' came in handy after I was drenched from the downpour that prematurely ended the afternoon shoot. Forget the pharmacy stuff, good old Appleton White Overproof worked like a charm; a few sips straight from the bottle, three hands full all over the head and down the back and no relapse from the flu I was still recovering from.

Feathered friends

The team knows the terrain and their feathered friends, they shoot 'blue sky' so no one gets hurt by falling pellets. They follow the rules regarding the species of birds to be shot and having departed the buffalo feed late, the first bird only falls at 2:43 p.m. You should see the excitement on photographer Noel Thompson's face; he was like a child in a candy store. So he asked to do the honours of picking up the first bird.

David East and wife Christina are pros. He learnt to shoot with his uncles as a child, subsequently taught her and their 15-year-old son. It's a great way for the family to bond, even though the sport has become very expensive. One box of 25 shots costs $14,000 and a new shot gun fetches a whopping $300,000! The renewal fees for permits has increased too; throw in refreshment, accommodation, pay for bird boys, seeding the fields for preparation and the cash register could overheat.

Saturday, September 11 was not a good one for most team members, They say the season has, overall, been bad because two months before the start, it rained weekly, causing the birds to seek shelter elsewhere. It was still fun to watch the collaborative effort as each camouflage-clad member called out to their friends the approach of the birds they had missed.

If you ask me, the birds outwitted them by flying too low for chance shots. Still, for Robin Rickhi, "It's no fun if the process is too easy, even if there are not many birds around, we will stay the entire four hours, joking, drinking and having fun."

And yes, I did get a chance to hold, caress, savour and experience the seductive charm of a really big gun!

barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com

CAPTIONS

It is a family affair, as members of two families team up for fun and laughter at Dr Marc Panton's (standing right) buffalo feed. From left are Samara Panton; Sarah Panton; Gabrielle Wood and Ann-Marie Vaz. At right are Victoria Vaz and Gary Gunning, while standing are Coleen Panton and son Elijah. - Photos by Noel Thompson

One of the 'bird boys' nicknamed 'Pranga' cleans up one of many birds shot by a member of the club.