Working for every bird
Shooting Times & Country|February 12, 2020
With no wind to speak of and wary game at the end of the season, an HPR day on a Norfolk shoot provides great sport for David Tomlinson
David Tomlinson
Working for every bird

THERE’S ONE SIMPLE rule on the Artemis shoot that everyone has to obey: it’s exclusively a shoot for HPRs, so no spaniels nor retrievers are invited to take part.

What’s more, on shoot days the emphasis is always on working the dogs, not filling the bag. It’s not a place for hot barrels — it’s rare for the bag to exceed 15 or 16 birds — but it is a great shoot for hot dogs that love to run. I was reminded of this when I paid a visit on a crisp, frosty winter’s day.

I say ‘reminded’, as I first visited and wrote about the shoot for this column five years ago. It covers some 600 acres of dry, gorse-dotted heath and forestry in the Brecks, on the Suffolk-Norfolk border.

Demos Diomidous established the shoot nearly 20 years ago. Today Demos, a retired dentist, summers in Cyprus, but he comes back for the shooting season and rarely misses a day. He doesn’t have a dog of his own but he hardly needs one, for the shoot is never short of dog power.

On the day of my visit there were three Guns — Demos, Joe Norman and Miles Toon. Miles was handling his German shorthaired pointer, Tia. Because of the nature of the shoot, the maximum number of Guns is four.

Working for the Guns was a team of four dog handlers, plus amateur keeper Adam Peck, who is also an HPR enthusiast. Adam’s black GSP, Millie, proved an impressively fast and athletic dog, appearing to flow rather than run over the ground.

この記事は Shooting Times & Country の February 12, 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Shooting Times & Country の February 12, 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYのその他の記事すべて表示
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 分  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

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