The Plummer terrier is adept at flushing game and vermin to the gun, as John Glover discovers during a day out on a farm to test the dogs’ versatility.
By their very name, terriers are dogs of the earth. In the past, before certain legislation was implemented, this varied and extremely valiant family of dogs did exactly that, going to ground in pursuit of their prey. Everything from badgers to otters was pursued by the smooth, the rough, the white, the coloured, the English, the Scottish, the Welsh and the Irish that collectively we name in one courageous group: the terriers.
Nowadays, the only earthwork a terrier can legally carry out is on foxes and even then such an activity must meet certain criteria as defined by the Hunting Act 2004. However, above ground one is still at liberty to flush game and pests to the gun using up to two terriers. It was this very thing that I set out to do with working Plummer terrier aficionado Mike Newitt and his two dogs, Billy, a pure Plummer, and Ruby, an outcrossed Plummer/ bull/Fell terrier mix.
Mike has kept Plummer terriers for several years, after working other breeds, and is lucky enough to work them on an almost daily basis. He ranks the breed highly in terms of prey drive and nose and also finds them extremely loyal.
Denne historien er fra March 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.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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