Sibling Revelries

A small family shoot in Bedfordshire run by four siblings provides a great and varied day for a team of Guns, as Will Martin discovers

- Will Martin

There is something special about small family shoots and there is something even more special when you can shoot with not only siblings but also father, grandfather and a rabble of friends from university, school and even a ski season.

Jamie Tusting’s family have been in Bedfordshire as long as Bedfordshire has existed. Generations of Tustings have tanned leather in the country for the Northamptonshire shoe trade and Jamie’s parents continue the family tradition through their fantastic Billy Ruffian shoes, which I would not be seen without when shooting.

I wasn’t in Bedfordshire for shoes, though. Jamie had invited me to his family farm, bought by his greatgrandfather in 1949, to shoot at the Carlton, about which I’ve heard so much. Jamie’s shoot fascinated me in more ways than one. It reminded me so much of my own shoot at home: very much a family affair but with an air of professionalism —much of which came from the fact that the shoot was run and organised by Jamie and his two brothers, Joe and Edward.

The three brothers are not alone in their endeavour; they are ably assisted by their sister Lucy, their mother and father Sara and Nick, and grandmother and grandfather Jane and John. John planted most of the trees on the farm himself and much of the woods and the habitat that now boasts wild grey partridges owes its existence to his careful planning and management.

At the end of each season, the siblings will sit down and talk shooting: how many birds to put down, where to put the cover crops and, of course, the age-old question, do we need a new pen? They then all chip in and get to it. This system seems to work incredibly well. Joe is in charge of planting the cover crops using a three-furrow plough in June and according to Sara, his mother, he is very much in charge of their location.