The Picker Up – When the Gundog Takes Charge

Few roles on a shooting day demand more patience, concentration and quiet skill than picking up. Long after a drive has finished, the picker-up and their dogs may still be working hedgerows, cover crops and distant ground to ensure that every possible bird is found and retrieved.

Bryn Parry celebrates that essential role in The Picker Up, an attractive semi clad female holding a partridge but obviously out for more than just picking up birds!

A Celebration of Working Dogs and Their Handlers

Pickers-up are indispensable to a well-run shoot. Their work requires knowledge of the ground, careful observation and a close partnership with Labradors, spaniels and other working gundogs. A skilled team may mark birds over considerable distances, work patiently through difficult cover and distinguish between ground already searched and areas still requiring attention.

A Shoot Game Card to Keep as Part of the Day’s History

Inside this practical Shoot Game Card is space to record the name and date of the shoot, the Guns, the Head Keeper, the weather and the final bag. Pheasants, partridges, duck, woodcock, snipe, grouse and other game can all be entered, creating a clear record of the day.

A completed card often becomes far more than a tally. It may recall a young dog’s first season, an exceptional retrieve, a particularly difficult runner or the patient work of a picker-up who stayed behind after everyone else had returned for lunch. Kept together over the years, game cards form an informal archive of a shoot and the people and dogs who helped shape it.

The card also includes A Father’s Advice, reminding everyone of the safety, courtesy and sporting conduct expected in the field. That message sits naturally alongside the work of the picker-up, whose role reflects responsibility, respect for quarry and care for the standards of the day.

A Distinctive Gift for Pickers-Up and Gundog Enthusiasts

This design makes a thoughtful present for a picker-up, dog handler, keeper or anyone whose happiest days are spent working Labradors and spaniels in the countryside. It is practical enough to use on the day and humorous enough to be enjoyed long afterwards.

A handwritten thank you remains one of the best ways to recognise the work behind a successful invitation. Browse our Shooting Greeting Cards to thank a host, keeper, picker-up or member of the team after the day.

More Gifts for the Shooting Field

Discover our Shoot Peg Markers and Shoot Cards for practical additions to the day, together with a wider choice of Country Sports Gifts inspired by sporting life, working dogs and the British countryside.

• Features official artwork by Bryn Parry
• Celebrates pickers-up, handlers and working gundogs
• Records the shoot, Guns, keeper, weather and final bag
• A memorable gift for Labrador and spaniel enthusiasts

Bespoke Shoot Game Cards

Looking for something created especially for your shoot, syndicate, estate or corporate shooting day?

We can produce personalised Shoot Game Cards featuring your own shoot name, or create a fully bespoke design incorporating your own artwork, logo and branding.

Minimum order: 100 cards. Prices start at £120 + VAT and delivery.

For further details, artwork requirements and a quotation, please email sales@countrysidegreetings.co.uk.