The experienced grouse of October and November are survivors that know where danger awaits and provide a challenge, says Blue Zulu
Grouse are a game bird of two halves. Everyone is familiar with those of the first, those tawny-brown birds skimming neatly in small coveys across purple moors, an ideal captured in 1,000 sporting paintings. They look benign, as jolly as stubble partridges, and they can come through the butts as easily as well-shepherded sheep into holding pens.
It is not surprising, then, that some talk airily of grouse being “easy”. They are not — many of us have been unstuck by “doddlers” — but nor are they horribly difficult. With plenty of young birds about, they come with the innocence of youth while many of the parent birds — still imbued with the breeding season’s territorial instinct — fly as singletons or pairs.
They are there in numbers too and a Gun can pick their shots. “Always choose the simplest bird” is the mantra of the experienced grouse Shot and up to mid-September there is plenty of choice. One noted performer is famed for dropping birds in exactly the same place, about 25 yards out, “and you could cover them with a big bed sheet”, in the words of one awed loader.
Denne historien er fra November 8 2017-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra November 8 2017-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