February 1 is the last day of the shooting season, which began in August, on the Glorious Twelfth.

Herald photographer Marc Turner was invited to join a shoot at the last minute, documenting a key date in Scotland's countryside calendar - and taking the place of celebrity chef Martin Wishart, who was unable to attend.

His photographs show one of the last groups of the season heading out in search of pheasants on the Duke of Roxburghe’s Bowmont Estate in the Borders.



Beaters set off to chase pheasants from the woods. The shoot shown was managed by Eskdale Shooting Services, the biggest employer in the area, which recruits up to 100 beaters, handlers and loaders at the height of the season.

As Keepers Day, the penultimate shoot of the season was an opportunity for members of staff as well as clients to have a go.

Among the guests were Brian Grigor (above, with gun), sous chef at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, whose experience was part of a prize for being named Game Chef of the Year.

Visitors come from all over the world to experience a shoot in the Scottish countryside - while some are experienced marksmen, others will be handling a gun for the first time, so the right briefing is crucial.

Participants survey the landscape for pheasants, the target on this occasion. The Bowmont Estate is also home to a variety of other game, including woodcook, grouse, partridge and deer.

The cold, clear day produced excellent conditions for shooting.

This has been a particularly good season for Eskdale Services, as the mild weather and lack of frost have ensured that most parts of the estate were accessible throughout. Staff work on every day except Sundays for the five and a half months of the season.

Participants on a shoot normally work in pairs, with a loader providing advice and reloading the gun on the shooter’s behalf.

While shooting and gathering the game is the focus, several traditions endure around this countryside sport, including distinctive etiquette and a smart, tweed-themed dress as worn by the keepers (Leon Flint, left, and Paul Knox, right) in the picture above.

Leon Flint, head keeper, gathers the game ready for transportation back to the lodge, a 25 minute off-road journey away.

Shooters are offered a brace of pheasants (a male and female bird) to take home, and the other birds will be sold to game dealers - in this case the event's sponsor Braehead Foods, Scotland's largest game dealer and a supplier to restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay's.

Dogs play a vital role in a shoot, fetching and carrying the pheasants when they fall. These patient spaniels wait for their reward at the end of a hard day's work.

And this one, Butch, makes an important delivery.

Wilson Young, left, the owner of Eskdale Services, marks the end of a successful season, though it won't be long before the next phase of the annual countryside sports cycle begins.

Tired and mud-spattered, but still smiling, the expedition members celebrate a successful day out. Left to right: Brian Grigor (chef), Craig Millar, Gavin Tennent (Braehead Foods General Manager) Peter Colin and Ian McAndrew.