The dogs are on song
Shooting Times & Country|March 29, 2023
It’s the wonderful memories that make shooting such a great sport and JEF Rawlins recalls four particular pheasants that he will never forget
The dogs are on song

shooting season that leaves no vivid memories must be abnormally humdrum. Although this last one was, for me, sadly curtailed, it produced four pheasants that will linger in my mind’s eye.

The first was a hen on a dry, sunny day in late October when I was hunting a kale field with black labrador Rhuna, nearly 14, and golden retriever Lulu, not yet three. Lulu’s exotic Kennel Club name is Holway Sonata, but her arrival in the Atkinson family who bred her coincided with a Eurovision Song Contest won by a beautiful blonde called Lulu. Therefore Sonata, being both blonde and beautiful, was nicknamed Lulu. A good enough name — was it not that of Musetta’s dog in La Bohème? — and much easier to use than Sonata.

Anyway, here we were in the kale. The crop, having been choked by redleg weed, had come up sparsely, then the redleg had shrivelled. Consequently there was little cover.

Lulu put up a hen that crossed my front at 40 yards. It collapsed, not dead, but from the manner of its belly landing I judged it unlikely to travel fast or far. So when Lulu started to run-in I blew the stop whistle and surprisingly she obeyed. I say ‘surprisingly’ because, although a biddable little bitch and far less excitable than in 1970, she is still pretty hot.

She was kept waiting not more than 10 seconds, possibly less, although there seemed to be no urgency. Even if the hen had run, it could hardly escape, with the cover so meagre and Rhuna advancing to the fall from another angle.

Perplexed 

Esta historia es de la edición March 29, 2023 de Shooting Times & Country.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición March 29, 2023 de Shooting Times & Country.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYVer todo
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 minutos  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 minutos  |
August 02, 2023