Snap shots are the order of the day when Richard Negus joins a syndicate in the Brecks and it’s as much about hunting as shooting
We Brits can be a little condescending about our American cousins. Who hasn’t stared open-mouthed while they use a knife and fork, attempt to spell “colour” or elect a President? We chuckle at their use of the word “hunting”, when those who wield cutlery correctly know that they mean “shooting”. However, thanks to a morning with the Thetford Rod and Gun Club, I think our “special relations” may have got it right; this is hunting, not merely shooting.
The club is a small walked-up syndicate just outside Brandon, situated on the border of Suffolk and Norfolk within the region known as the Brecks. Breckland is poor farming country, a sea of rabbits, sandy soil and flints. The shoot is small, fewer than 200 acres. The covers frame three fields of winter barley and stubble, and largely consist of Scots pine planted just after World War I. Oregon grape, bracken and bramble clumps proliferate, while a few ancient native oak, beech and birch stand like sentinels.
Within this eerie woodland lie traps to capture the unwary. If fallen tree limbs don’t snare you, cavernous holes await to swallow you up. These pits date from Neolithic times, when our ancestors tunnelled to considerable depths for the prime flints held within. The pits remained in use until the early 1800s, providing flints for the British Army’s muskets.
Healthy population
Denne historien er fra January 3,2018-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra January 3,2018-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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