The maxim for all shooting sports is to kill your quarry humanely and efficiently. Inevitably, despite your best endeavors, there are occasions when this does not happen and the beast or bird is wounded. Your immediate responsibility then shifts to locating the unfortunate and swiftly ending any suffering.
This is why for most wildfowlers the idea of going out on the foreshore without a gundog is akin to venturing forth wearing a polka-dot bikini and snorkel — something that you just don’t do. Game Shots on driven days are supported by a team of pickers-up and their dogs, whose sole job is to ensure the dead game is retrieved and the winged are speedily accounted for.
So it is interesting that, when it comes to deer, how many stalkers embark upon an outing without a dog. Most stalkers, particularly those who shoot alone, are proficient Shots. However, what if the worst should happen and an animal is not cleanly killed?
As an admittedly apprentice stalker I had, until recently, only experienced clean kills, clean misses, or blanks. However, following my recent trip to Borrowdale with restaurateur James Chiavarini, I witnessed for the first time the aftermath of a misplaced shot on a hind (Righting a terrible wrong, 18 March). The only reason James was able to right his wrong was thanks to the professionalism of hill stalker Jonathan Standing and his Hanoverian Schweiss und, Urka (Keeper of the month, 22 April).
Inexperienced
Jonathan is a superb Shot and a great advocate for the need to have a trained deer dog on hand when taking to the hill. I asked Jonathan if this was largely due to him taking potentially inexperienced paying Guns out.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Shooting Times & Country ã® May 06, 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Shooting Times & Country ã® May 06, 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
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
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
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
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
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
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
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
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside