In the early 1990s — before I had a dog but well after I was completely bitten by the wildfowling bug — I remember staring at a teal that had skimmed over my head and fallen to a single shot about 100m behind. It had made it to a creek and into fast-flowing tidal waters. From there, it was heading out to sea at a rate I thought I could manage if I swam really hard.
Knowing that to lose a bird was akin to murder, adultery, dishonoring thy father and mother and against most of the other Ten Commandments, and being young and foolish, I was in the process of stripping off to go in pursuit. At the point at which I was in my socks but little else, a mysterious and magical apparition appeared.
In a meticulously ordered, battleship-grey punt with the most enormous gun attached to an improbably thick rope, sat a man who resembled Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his journey back from the North Pole. His beard matched his grey smock and woollen hat and his weather-beaten face wore a mildly amused expression as if it were not entirely surprising to see a student wearing next to nothing prancing about on the saltings.
“I’ll get it if you like,” he offered, before I’d even had time to ask sheepishly whether he wouldn’t mind awfully, if it was no inconvenience.
With a deft flick of a single paddle, he manoeuvred the punt beyond the teal and had the bird in hand. He returned it to me with a respect for the gallant little bird I will never forget.
“Beautiful thing,” he mused. “We probably shoot too many of them. Take it home and enjoy it. And if you’re after a dog, get in touch.”
Denne historien er fra January 02, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra January 02, 2020-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