I spent the last three days of August flanking on a grouse moor, meeting old friends, occasionally waving my flag, watching grouse swerve and skim over the heather and, on the last day, which fortunately was only a morning, getting wet through.
They were good days, even the wet one, and I am sad that this season will bring me no more of them, because on this moor there are not enough birds for more shooting.
I think the keepers saw a few more than they were expecting. With a high proportion of young birds and given a kind spring next year, I should be spending more than three days up there in the heather waving my flag. Three days was not enough but it was much better than last year’s no days. It will buy me something like a tonne of wheat, but the best thing about those three days concerns my young spaniel, Zac. Three days on the bottom flank of a grouse moor was just what he needed.
I have written about how Zac’s occasional habit of suddenly heading into the blue or grey yonder was cured by the very sparing use of an electric training collar (Shock result with a wayward spaniel, 5 June). I argued that this was justified if it was going to help Zac do what he was made for.
Spaniels are happiest when hunting under control and the sight of him now, quartering High Park’s rushy pastures, turning and sitting to the whistle, is the sight of a dog finding fulfilment in his work. I think Zac is now unlikely to forget himself and suddenly head for the far horizon in defiance of his master’s bellowing and despairing commands.
Denne historien er fra October 2, 2019-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra October 2, 2019-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