Southern Hunters

Gary Chillingworth tells us why this competition series is one you must try.

- ​​​​​​​Gary Chillingworth

The winter can be a horrible time of year; it’s cold, it’s wet and around Christmas time, all my money disappears and a large fat man dressed in red breaks into my house and gives me cheap socks in exchange for my best milk and cookies.

The winter, however, does have an upside – and that is the Southern Hunters. This series of shoots is the jewel of the wintertime and over the last 10 years it has become a mainstay of the HFT calendar. The Southern Hunters has evolved over time and the job of running it has moved from person to person; in the past, shooters like Richard Chase took the helm, then yours truly had a crack at helping out and running the marshals, but now it’s in the hands of Charles Peal and the series has never been more popular.

The series is set over 10 rounds – with six to count – toward the end-of-year trophy, and although there is still a core group of people who are competitive and use the Southerns as winter training for the Nationals, the Southern Hunters has always been about having fun and trying new things.

Over the years, I have spoken to a lot of shooters who like the idea of shooting a competition; these have included hunters, plinkers, and people who want just a bit more from back garden plinking. So, here are my responses to the four most common questions I get asked.