What does shooting mean to you? What image does it conjure in your mind? What should our sport really stand for? These are the questions we have been asking ourselves increasingly in recent times, as shooting has come under continued attack from every angle.
I think we have all looked at ways to defend, or justify, our relationship with the natural world. For me, all the forms of shooting I love most – stalking, duck flighting and walked-up shooting – have a shared end purpose: they take me out in the countryside – often to some really wild places. And, although bag size is generally modest, there is usually something fabulous for the pot at the end of the day. The satisfaction that having hunted, butchered, cooked and eaten your quarry brings is like nothing else.
While I do enjoy the company and spectacle of a driven shoot, if I am being perfectly honest, a walk-up with a few mates would be my preference every time. Why? I love to watch the dogs working and I want to savour every shot – not just my own, but the success of my comrades; I want the bag to be the star at the dinner table, along with a tale or two about how it arrived there. And, if I had to pick just one venue to do it, it would be the West Highlands. Walking-up snipe and woodcock over tough terrain with even tougher dogs, surrounded by spectacular scenery... if it isn’t on your shooting bucket list, it should be!
The West Highlands’ milder winter climate, mellowed by the Gulf Stream, makes it an attractive destination for woodcock migrating from the frozen north. The thick forestry, plentiful watercourses, boggy ground and the proliferation of grazed pasture provides an ideal habitat for these birds. It’s no surprise, then, that large numbers populate the area every year.
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