You can't teach this on Zoom
Shooting Times & Country|March 10, 2021
A less-than-perfect afternoon of chasing pigeon over kale presents the perfect learning opportunity for a keen 14-year-old
SIMON GARNHAM
You can't teach this on Zoom

The other night I went to bed with Peter Scott and Arthur Cadman. It was a dream ménage à trois for me that felt not unlike the time in training on Dartmoor when a sadistic colour sergeant removed every item of waterproof or warm kit from two other young Royal Marines officers and me. We were left alone and very, very cold.

But our troop commander was not the hard-nosed Yorkshireman he pretended to be. By way of compensation for our extreme discomfort he brought waterproofed matches and permission to go ‘nontac’. This meant a “ging-gang gooly like Fred Karno’s Army” as the irate colour sergeant called it.

I ended up snuggled comfortably between a para-trained psychopath from Glasgow and a signaller from Taunton, while a bonfire to compare with the Great Fire of London in 1666 burned the chicken we had liberated from a nearby farm. It turned out to be blissfully cosy.

Treasured

Cadman and Scott, of course, are neither psychopath nor signaller but both can warm you very nicely at bedtime. BB describes Cadman as his favourite writer on wildfowling. Inside the book Tales of a Wildfowler, illustrated by Sir Peter Scott, I keep treasured cuttings, including a letter from Cadman in which he describes a “super right-and-left at two tall pinks”. The book is signed by Scott — priceless indeed — and there is an article by John Humphreys.

This is a special bookmark for me because he describes being hosted by my club, the incomparable Little Oakley & District Wildfowlers Association, on a day on which I had the privilege of beating.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYView all
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 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
August 02, 2023