Stalking course

Richard Faulks joins a couple of voucher experience days as a dummy run for the real thing

- RICHARD FAULKS

Everybody tells me that consumerism is over and it’s all about experiences now. If so, Simpson Brothers in Cambridgeshire – as well as having a splendidly stocked gun shop – may also have the perfect present for somebody keen on fieldsports. On offer are vouchers for three experiences for novice shooters or people looking to try a different shooting discipline. They are: clay shooting, deer stalking and rifle shooting. All three experiences are run by qualified instructors and conducted on a one-to-one basis.

As you are reading Sporting Gun, I am going to assume that you have used a shotgun. As such, I’m going to focus on the two rifle-based experiences, both run by Andy Papworth. Andy has been stalking since he was 17, which gives him 35-plus years of experience. He’s calm, softly spoken and patient, with a slightly mischievous sense of humour, and possessed of a great deal of knowledge. He has been managing a deer park in Kent for the past 20 years as well as running stalking syndicates in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. His passion for deer management is obvious from the moment you meet him and he’s keen to stress the ‘management’ element of stalking. Not that he’s against people who want to shoot a trophy stag or buck – he just has a passion for looking after the countryside, wild deer, protecting woodland and putting healthy venison on the table. All the aspects and aims of deer management are explained.

Briefing