As well as releasing up to 5,000 wild grey partridges, a shoot hatches eggs from Spain to provide fantastic sport, as Tony Jackson discovers
It was a sporting time-warp. The long years and the passage of time vanished in a twinkling as the 20-plus covey of grey partridges starburst over the tall, straggling hedge to a rattle of shots, leaving three of their number behind.
I had joined a party of eight Guns at the Honeycombe shoot in Dorset. Hosting the day was Mike Appleby, shoot organiser and gamekeeper extraordinaire, accompanied by his wife Antonia. She not only doubles up as underkeeper but also picksup with her Labradors, does all the paperwork and hosts the big days when Mike is running the beating line. She also ensures that shooting parties neither starve nor die of thirst. Helping out was part-time assistant keeper Jason Rock.
This is a remarkable shoot, run in a thoroughly sporting fashion to offer a wide variety of options, from driven shooting and walked-up days to stalking and even grey squirrel shooting, all in a style that, sadly, is today lacking in some quarters. It is hardly surprising to discover that the Honeycombe shoot is booked up throughout the season.
Credit crunch
I knew Mike when he was keepering on a Shropshire shoot. Some 16 years ago, he came to Sherborne Castle to work for four years as headkeeper on the estate for the Wingfield-Digby family. The shoot was then let to a commercial owner, but the credit crunch brought an end to the big days. Mike decided to take on the adjacent Honeycombe shoot, also owned by Sherborne Castle.
Denne historien er fra December 6,2017-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra December 6,2017-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