Though you know where you are going wrong, failure to connect with the birds is demoralising. And even the glorious vista provides little succour
For much of last season I found myself wrestling with a problem, a problem to which I found no solution, though I certainly tried hard enough. My problem was this and it may be one with which you too have occasionally struggled — that is, how we can somehow manage to enjoy ourselves on days when we are shooting badly. I confess that I had plenty of practice with this problem last season, for the ability to kill pheasants with anything like consistency deserted and demoralised me. We can all cope with the occasional bad day, at least most of us can, but it becomes more and more dispiriting when they become the norm rather than the exception, following one another with confidence-sapping regularity.
The solution seemed simple enough. I took myself off to the Crabtree shooting ground near Kendal where, with the expert guidance of my coach, Jonty, I was soon smashing difficult clays with assurance. However, this did not solve my problem because I could not transfer my way with clay birds to the sort that have feathers. I returned to Jonty in search of more help and learned all over again how to swing on to and ahead of birds. I thought that the pheasants of Cumbria would soon be telling each other to avoid Cat low at all costs but the next shooting day forced me to admit that, with very few exceptions, their best route to safety had been straight over my head.
Visits to the swing doctor
There are those who argue that clay and game shooting are entirely separate disciplines and that skill in one is no guarantee of competence in the other. There are, of course, obvious differences but I have never come across a good clay Shot who was not also able to kill his share of demanding pheasants. Throughout the latter course of the season I made fairly regular visits to my swing doctor.
Denne historien er fra March 1,2017-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra March 1,2017-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